Anniversary of the Raising of the Mary Rose.

[Bungle73]

Forty years ago today. I was in primary school at the time, and the teacher, Mr. McCaughn (unsure if that’s the correct spelling), put it on for the class to watch. On one of those TVs they had in schools on a tall trolley that had to be wheeled into the classroom with doors that covered the screen when not in use. I remember going to the dockyard in Portsmouth in what must have been some time in the ‘80s with my parents and seeing it. Mum dismissed it as “just a lump of wood”, but that was Mum for you.

Hundreds of roses have been scattered at the wreck site of Henry VIII’s flagship Mary Rose to mark the 40th anniversary of it being raised from the seabed.

The Tudor warship had lain for 437 years on the bed of the Solent outside Portsmouth Harbour after it sank in 1545 while the king watched from Southsea Castle.

More than 500 divers, including King Charles III, were involved in the world’s largest underwater archaeological excavation, racking up more than 28,000 dives totalling 11.5 man-years on the seabed.

Recovered from the wreck site were more than 19,000 items from the ship, and the hull was raised live on television watched by an audience of 60 million worldwide……….

Hundreds of roses scattered to mark anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose | ITV News

The Tudor warship had lain for 437 years on the bed of the Solent outside Portsmouth Harbour. | ITV News Meridian

www.itv.com

 

[Cowley]

Forty years ago today. I was in primary school at the time, and the teacher, Mr. McCaughn (unsure if that’s the correct spelling), put it on for the class to watch. On one of those TVs they had in schools on a tall trolley that had to be wheeled into the classroom with doors that covered the screen when not in use. I remember going to the dockyard in Portsmouth in what must have been some time in the ‘80s with my parents and seeing it. Mum dismissed it as “just a lump of wood”, but that was Mum for you.

Hundreds of roses scattered to mark anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose | ITV News

The Tudor warship had lain for 437 years on the bed of the Solent outside Portsmouth Harbour. | ITV News Meridian

www.itv.com

At the time my Uncle Graham lived in a house overlooking The Solant in Southsea. We stayed with them that week and had the strange experience of watching it on the TV and then being able to look up and see it actually happening out of the sitting room window!

 

[adc82140]

Our TV broke down half way through. We had the "honour" of watching it on the black & white portable from the kitchen, placed on a stool in the living room.

 

[jfollows]

Our TV broke down half way through. We had the "honour" of watching it on the black & white portable from the kitchen, placed on a stool in the living room.

I was a student and our only TV was a black & white portable, so I shared your experience!

 

[Bald Rick]

I remember it well - there was TV special for it.

Am I imagining things, or did some part of the lifting frame break slightly during the lifting operation?

 

[GusB]

I remember that there was a fair amount of coverage on Blue Peter at the time.

If anyone's interested, there's a Channel 4 documentary here:

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/raising-the-mary-rose-the-lost-tapes

 

[Ediswan]

Am I imagining things, or did some part of the lifting frame break slightly during the lifting operation?

You are not imagining things. To be picky, I believe there was a mistake in rigging the lifting gear, which slipped, rather than anything actually breaking.

 

[BananaRepublic]

I remember the live TV coverage of the raising of the Mary Rose and the general disappointment that after all the fuss and hype, all that came up was a pile of rotten wood, in the shape of part of one side of the hull.

Years later, having moved to the south coast and now married with a young family, we visited the exhibition at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The work they had done with the preservation and display of the large piece of the wreck, plus the display of artefacts, was quite impressive.
I’ve yet to return to see the Mary Rose in its new exhibition home. Hopefully soon.

But!
If you are intrigued and impressed with the Mary Rose, there is something far more impressive in Stockholm.
The Vasa Ship.
The story of the Swedish Vasa Ship is uncannily similar to that of the Mary Rose.
A great maritime power of the day.
A prestigious naval flagship, top heavy battleship, healing over and sinking close to shore, and similarly, the wreck being located and raised centuries later, to be preserved.

The difference is that the Vasa Ship laid to rest in deep mud, in colder conditions and lacking the bacteria that would eat away at a wooden ship in warmer climate.
The Vasa Ship was raised mostly intact, with only the loss of its masts and relatively minor damage and decay to the hull.
They have replaced and restored most of the missing and damaged bits, resulting in an amazing example of an early 17th century warship.
Almost 400 years old, it can be seen on display inside the dedicated Vasa Ship museum in Stockholm

If you’re “up that way”, we’ll worth a visit.


.

 

[yorksrob]

Got to see the Mary Rose earlier this year and it was well worth the visit - lots of interesting exhibits from the wreck site as well !

 

[Bald Rick]

You are not imagining things. To be picky, I believe there was a mistake in rigging the lifting gear, which slipped, rather than anything actually breaking.

Glad my memory is still intact after 4 decades. Now where are my glasses?

Think it was a Blue Peter special at the time?

The odd thing is that although I used to go on family trips to Portsmouth every year, I have never been to the Mary Rose. Must do that. I have seen the Vasa in Stockholm though.

 

[Spamcan81]

Remember it well. Was trying to do the family business's VAT return that morning. Not a lot got done that morning.

 

[DerekC]

Whilst I agree that the Vasa is a fantastic exhibit because of its completeness, the Mary Rose in her new home is stunning too - and well worth a visit if you are down our way! The material extracted is just as impressive as the ship itself. I found myself really feeling for all the people who died in her - even though it was so long ago.

I thought the reason why the Vasa capsized was really interesting - that the chief shipwright had died during her construction, so when the King of Sweden demanded the addition of an extra deck, nobody dared tell him he was bonkers. So the ship was inherently unstable from the moment she put to sea. The first good puff of wind and over she went! The Mary Rose, as far as i can understand it, was more a problem of overloading combined with the gun ports, which were very near the waterline, being left open during a manoeuvre.

 

[BrandanM]

I remember that there was a fair amount of coverage on Blue Peter at the time.

If anyone's interested, there's a Channel 4 documentary here:

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/raising-the-mary-rose-the-lost-tapes

I watched that programme when it was first broadcast last Sunday and can thoroughly recommend it.

Got to see the Mary Rose earlier this year and it was well worth the visit - lots of interesting exhibits from the wreck site as well !

Totally agree.

I first visited Portsmouth Historic Dockyard about 4 years ago. Assuming the ticketing options are still the same, I'd recommend that anyone interested in going purchases the 'All Attractions' ticket. This is the best value and gives you access to all the exhibits including The Mary Rose, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior etc... for a whole year.

 

[yorksrob]

I watched that programme when it was first broadcast last Sunday and can thoroughly recommend it.





Totally agree.

I first visited Portsmouth Historic Dockyard about 4 years ago. Assuming the ticketing options are still the same, I'd recommend that anyone interested in going purchases the 'All Attractions' ticket. This is the best value and gives you access to all the exhibits including The Mary Rose, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior etc... for a whole year.

Yes, I think they do a range of options - too many to see in one day !

 

[AM9]

I can't remember the specific programme but I lived in Fareham in 1982 and the Mary Rose was constantly on local TV and radio programmes. Dr Margaret Rule was the archaeologist driving the project, and was frequently being interviewed about the recovery.
In 2020 I actually managed to see the ship in it's new home, - quite impressive!