Lost British warship set to be investigated 150 years after sinking
A powerful iron-clad battleship, HMS Captain sank off Cape Finisterre in Spain in 1870.
maritime archaeology
UK news in brief: a shipwreck is grant protection, and there is a new management strategy for the MOD
A round-up of some of the latest archaeology news in the UK.
Excavating the Hebrides
the star of the show is undoubtedly Cladh Hallan in the south of the island, famous for its Bronze Age ‘mummies’, the earliest evidence of deliberate mummification found in Britain.
Museum news: new exhibitions set to open in Norwich and London
The latest on exhibitions, acquisitions, and key decisions.
Elizabethan-era ship discovered in Kent quarry
Since the excavation, the team from Wessex has laser-scanned and digitally recorded the entirety of the ship.
The wreck of Södermanland, Sweden
In this photograph, a diver explores the wreck of Södermanland, an 18th-century Swedish ship of the line now resting in the waters off Karlskrona, on the country’s southern coast. Built in Stockholm and launched in 1749, the 42-metre ship could…
Honouring Honor Frost
'As early as 1958, she took part in the first excavation of a 13th-century BC Bronze Age shipwreck.'
17th-century silk dress from the Palmwood Wreck goes on display in the Netherlands
The garment comes from the Palmwood Wreck, which was discovered in 2014 off the Texel coastline.
Isotope analysis reveals origins of Uluburun shipwreck cargo
Researchers have successfully traced the origin of tin ingots found aboard the shipwreck to ore deposits in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
World news in brief: Ancient octopus lures and Egyptian cheese
A round up of some of the latest archaeological news across the globe, including the discovery of 2,600-year-old remains of cheese at Saqqara, the oldest known octopus lures in the world, and the launch of Montenegro's first maritime archaeology research unit.
Review: Scapa Flow Museum
Scapa Flow is a vast natural harbour in the Orkneys, to the north of mainland Scotland. In the First World War, it was where the Grand Fleet was based. And in the Second it was the anchorage for the Home Fleet, therefore playing a central role in the naval history of two wars.
Wreck of WWI-era German submarine identified in US waters
A team of specialist divers secretly traced the final resting place of U-111.
Recovering an anchor from the North Sea
Through the combined efforts of ScottishPower Renewables and Maritime Archaeology Ltd, with support from Historic England, a wrought-iron anchor, possibly dating from the Roman period, was successfully raised from the North Sea in June of last year. The location of…
CA 392 Letters – October
Dedication for the Dover Boat This year is the 30th anniversary of the discovery and rescue of the Dover Bronze Age boat (see ‘Context’, CA 391). I am sending a poem I wrote, of which a shorter draft was published…
Maritime Archaeology on Dry Land: special sites along the coasts of Britain and Ireland from the first farmers to the Atlantic Bronze Age
Review by KK. This thought-provoking book reimagines how we approach maritime archaeology – demonstrating that it is not solely for the adventurous diver but can, and should, be practised from the comfort of dry land. Specifically, by examining all of…
Anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose to be celebrated with a series of lectures
Leading historians and marine archaeologists will deliver talks on the history of Henry VIII's warship as part of a commemoration programme hosted by the Mary Rose Trust
Conference celebrates 20th anniversary of Newport Medieval Ship Project
The conference will take place at the Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre on Tuesday, October 11 this year.
This week: Child’s play!
It was, according to the ship's captain, a 'once in a 100-year phenomenon'. On 13 February 1997, the 944ft-long cargo vessel Tokio Express was en route from Rotterdam to New York when it was hit by a freak wave about 20 miles off Land’s End, causing it to tilt so violently that 62 lorry-sized containers were thrown into the ocean.
Archaeology adrift? A curious tale of Lego lost at sea
Twenty-five years ago, a cargo of millions of pieces of Lego was washed overboard during a storm off Land’s End. To this day, tiny pieces of plastic are still being found on Cornish beaches. Joe Flatman reports on a project working to document these finds.
HMS Northumberland: diving a victim of the Great Storm of 1703
When HMS Northumberland sank off the Kent coast in 1703, the wreck remained lost for almost three centuries – until erosion of the sandbank shielding its remains brought the ship to light once more. Daniel Pascoe told Carly Hilts how archaeologists are now racing against time and tide to record as much of the site as possible before it deteriorates.
A voyage to the past
This September marks 30 years since the discovery of one of the world’s oldest-known seagoing vessels: the Dover Bronze Age Boat, whose remains are pictured here on display in a dedicated gallery at Dover Museum. The 3,500-year-old vessel was first…
New finds from the famous shipwreck off Antikythera
A significant discovery comes in the form of the marble head of a bearded man, which researchers believe belongs to the headless Herakles in Athens' National Archaeological Museum .
The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth
With the 40th anniversary of the raising of the wrecked Tudor flagship Mary Rose approaching this autumn, the Portsmouth-based museum dedicated to the vessel is trialling immersive new approaches to illuminating its archaeology. Carly Hilts visited to find out more.
Gravestones and grindstones: one of England’s earliest-known shipwrecks discovered off Dorset
A 13th-century merchant vessel carrying a cargo of Purbeck marble has been identified as the earliest-known wreck site to be found with surviving timbers in English waters. Carly Hilts reports.
Research project announced into royal shipwreck discovered off Norfolk coast
Due to her age and prestige, the condition of the wreck, and the accident’s political context, the discovery has been described as the most important British maritime find since that of Mary Rose in 1971.
More details on the historic royal shipwreck found off Norfolk coast
The find has been hailed as the most significant British maritime discovery since the Mary Rose.
Shipwrecks Quiz
Located in 1985, the wreck of the Titanic lies how far below the surface of the Atlantic?
This week: shipwrecks
On 11 October 1982, an estimated global audience of 60 million people tuned in to watch one of the televisual events of the decade: the long-awaited raising of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's ill-fated Tudor flagship, from the seabed near Portsmouth, where it had rested since capsizing while fighting against the French at the Battle of the Solent some 437 years previously.
Wreckage of 17th century warship HMS Gloucester discovered off Norfolk coast
'This can be claimed as the single most significant historic maritime discovery since the raising of the Mary Rose in 1982.’
The science of conservation: preserving Tudor bricks from the Mary Rose
The Tudor vessel sank during the Battle of the Solent in 1545, and its surviving timbers and contents have been undergoing conservation since the wreck was raised in 1982
Sacred Phoenician pool identified in Sicily
Numerous altars, stelae, votive offerings, and other finds associated with a religious complex were discovered.
A tale of endurance
How a research expedition in Antarctica located the lost wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance.
The search for Shackleton’s ship
The excellent state of preservation of the ship meant that once this wreck was located it was easy to identify, with its name still visible.
World news: Swedish shipwreck, Kazakh lyre, and a Roman amphitheatre
A round-up of some of the latest archaeological news stories from across the globe.
This week: Submerged cities
According to Plato, it was a fabulously wealthy island – larger than Asia Minor and Ancient Libya combined, and situated just beyond the Pillars of Hercules. Its powerful princes conquered much of the eastern Mediterranean, subjecting whole populations to slavery, until an alliance led by the Athenians staged a fightback, managing finally to liberate the occupied lands.
Apollonia revisited: the story of a pioneering survey
In 1958, an archaeological team set out to undertake a trailblazing survey of the submerged ruins of Apollonia. Nic Flemming looks at what was accomplished, and what changed in the decades that followed.