One of the 17th Century's most famous ships discovered in Great Yarmouth
Since running aground in 1682 - it's exact whereabouts have been unknown until two brothers and their friend found it
Last updated 10th Jun 2022
The wreck of one of the most famous war ships of the 17th century has been discovered off the coast of Great Yarmouth.
Since running aground in 1682 - it's exact whereabouts have been unknown until two brothers and their friend found it - after a four year search.
Due to the age and prestige of the ship, the find has already been rescued, with the discovery being described as 'the most important maritime discovery since the Mary Rose'- by maritime history expert Professor Claire Jowitt, from the UEA.
A major exhibition for 'The Gloucester' is now planned for Spring next year - as a result of a partnership between the Barnwell brothers, Norfolk Museums Service, and the UEA.
While it's also hoped that UEA will be used to analyse some of the finds from the wreck and learn more about the ship- which sank 340 years ago while carrying the future King of England James Stuart.
"That's not something you'd expect on a warship"
Dr Ben Redding from UEA’s School of History, he told us it can help us learn a lot: "This ship gives us an opportunity to reflect on society at large, both the highs and lows of the social order. It's such an important find for both maritime archaeology and history more widely.
"I was blown away by the opportunity to work on this.
"This ship was absolutely packed with people. So, trying to understand how they get all these items onboard and what's stored there- that's fascinating.
"To give you another example on this, there were musicians on-board, now that's not something you'd expect on a warship- but James transported them with him on this journey and we have trumpeters and violinists."
"It's a historian's dream"
"This ship is so important to British history- this isn't a ship that is about it's wreck alone. It was around 30 years before that and sailed over the Caribbean. It was instrumental to the capture of Jamaica and the integration of it into the commonwealth".
"It's a historian's dream to find something that's not just of importance to understanding naval history, but it's also of so much importance to understanding wider 17th century life. By that I'm not only referring to the sailors that were on board, but also to the high elite individuals being transported"