Sail of the 18th century
By JEROME STARKEY
HMS Resolution sank off the coast of Southern England in the 1703 hurricane that is the strongest storm ever recorded in England claiming 8000 lives
STUNNED divers have stumbled across the wreck of a warship that sank 300 years ago.
Naval experts believe it could be 70-gun HMS Resolution, lost in the Great Storm of 1703.
Three scuba diving pals were freeing lobster pots for local fishermen when a 12ft anchor emerged slowly from the gloom.
Then dozens of cast iron cannons could be seen perched in and around the timber hull, embedded under the sea at Pevensey Bay, East Sussex.
England
Diver Paul Stratford, 41, said: “It was absolutely breathtaking. The water was so murky, you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. Suddenly the anchor just emerged out. It was 12ft tall, sticking out of the sand and all around it were cannons.
“Some of these were lying flat, some were sticking straight out of the ground.”
Paul, Martin Wiltshire, 41, and Steve Pace, 40, all from Eastbourne, made their discovery on April 17, 2005. But they kept it secret until now to protect it from rogue divers and bounty hunters.
Culture Minister David Lammy yesterday safeguarded the site under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. It outlaws unauthorised diving within 100 metres.
Garage-owner Paul added: “We have been fishing and diving in this area since we were kids, so we were astonished to find this in our bay.”
Adrian Barak of the Nautical Heritage Association said: “This is hugely significant.”
HMS Resolution — 121ft long and built between 1665 and 1667 — sank in a hurricane that lashed England on November 26, 1703, and claimed 8,000 lives.
Her crew made it to shore after abandoning ship.
thesun.co.uk
By JEROME STARKEY
HMS Resolution sank off the coast of Southern England in the 1703 hurricane that is the strongest storm ever recorded in England claiming 8000 lives
STUNNED divers have stumbled across the wreck of a warship that sank 300 years ago.
Naval experts believe it could be 70-gun HMS Resolution, lost in the Great Storm of 1703.
Three scuba diving pals were freeing lobster pots for local fishermen when a 12ft anchor emerged slowly from the gloom.
Then dozens of cast iron cannons could be seen perched in and around the timber hull, embedded under the sea at Pevensey Bay, East Sussex.
England
Diver Paul Stratford, 41, said: “It was absolutely breathtaking. The water was so murky, you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. Suddenly the anchor just emerged out. It was 12ft tall, sticking out of the sand and all around it were cannons.
“Some of these were lying flat, some were sticking straight out of the ground.”
Paul, Martin Wiltshire, 41, and Steve Pace, 40, all from Eastbourne, made their discovery on April 17, 2005. But they kept it secret until now to protect it from rogue divers and bounty hunters.
Culture Minister David Lammy yesterday safeguarded the site under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. It outlaws unauthorised diving within 100 metres.
Garage-owner Paul added: “We have been fishing and diving in this area since we were kids, so we were astonished to find this in our bay.”
Adrian Barak of the Nautical Heritage Association said: “This is hugely significant.”
HMS Resolution — 121ft long and built between 1665 and 1667 — sank in a hurricane that lashed England on November 26, 1703, and claimed 8,000 lives.
Her crew made it to shore after abandoning ship.
thesun.co.uk