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Divers have uncovered treasures from the wreck of an almost 350-year-old English warship after shifting sands revealed the vessel’s hull beneath the waves.
The Northumberland warship was first discovered off the coast of Kent in 1980 and is said to be one of the best-preserved wooden ships on Earth.
The remarkable discovery was made by diving firm MSDS Marine in a survey organised by Historic England.
A team uncovered wooden decks, copper cauldrons and wooden chests with “particularly well-preserved” cannonballs hidden inside.
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The same shifting sands that uncovered more of the warship’s secrets are now putting the protected vessel at serious risk
The 70-gun warship was constructed in Bristol in 1679 during the Stuart era.
The vessel sank during the Great Storm of 1703, along with three other warships in Queen Anne’s fleet.
But the same shifting sands that uncovered the warship’s secrets are now putting the protected vessel at serious risk of deterioration.
Dan Pascoe, responsible for monitoring the site, said: “The Northumberland has the potential to be one of the best-preserved wooden warships in the UK.
“However, at 20 metres underwater and nine miles offshore, it is out of sight and mind to most people.”
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‘The Northumberland has the potential to be one of the best-preserved wooden warships in the UK,’ Dan Pascoe said
A film created by streaming platform History Hit is set to air on Thursday delving into the discovery made by the recent survey and the warship’s history.
The film’s creator Dan Snow said: “Northumberland is the missing link. Built roughly halfway between the Mary Rose and HMS Victory, this wreck can fill in crucial details of shipbuilding and life at sea at that pivotal moment in our history.
“We have the Mary Rose, the Tudor time capsule – well, here’s a Stuart time capsule to sit alongside it.”
The Northumberland was built as part of the regeneration of the Royal Navy, spearheaded by Great Fire of London diarist Samuel Pepys.
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A well-preserved coil of cable laid rope lying on a deck from the Northumberland shipwreck.
Archaeologists now face a race against the clock to conduct further analysis before the newly exposed sections of the ship undergo erosion.
History England’s marine leader, Paul Jeffrey, said: “The completeness of the Northumberland wreck site is remarkable.
“It is a race against time as more of the Northumberland wreck becomes exposed.”
Future work on the shipwreck’s site could involve collecting wood samples to uncover more about how the vessel was built and confirm its identity.