Historic shipwreck goes on show
THE first photographs of a recently-discovered shipwreck have gone on display.
Pictures showing iron cannons and finds including a cannonball, a brick from the galley and an iron nail from the construction of the ship are all part of the exhibition at the Shipwreck and Coastal Heritage Centre in Rock-a-Nore Road.
It was just over a year ago that three divers from Eastbourne discovered the remarkable wreck, when they were asked to clear trapped lobster pots for local fishermen.
Suddenly they came across a 12ft anchor surrounded by dozens of cast iron cannons perched in and around a timber hull embedded in the sand.
Diver Paul Stratford, 41, said: "It was unbelievable.
"Visibility was poor but we kept finding cannon after cannon. It was absolutely breathtaking."
The divers informed the proper authorities and initially their discovery was kept secret to deter rogue divers and treasure hunters, but last month Culture Minister David Lammy safeguarded the area under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 which outlaws unauthorised diving within 100 metres.
The site the divers had stumbled upon is believed to be the wreck of the Resolution, a British warship which - along with many others ships - sank in November 1703 during the hurricane that lashed England, claiming more than 8,000 lives.
English Heritage, which recently became responsible for historic maritime sites in English waters, did a preliminary survey of the wreck, nine metres below sea level.
It lies about one-and-a-half miles off shore and their divers mapped at least 45 guns and part of the timber hull.
English Heritage spokesman, Ian Oxley, head of maritime archaeology, declared the ship 'a crucial part of England's seafaring heritage'.
The Resolution was built in Harwich between 1665 and 1667. She was 121ft long and weighed 885 tons.
She fought against the French in the Spanish War of Succession which began in 1701.
In the 120mph storm winds of November 1703 she was blown across the Solent, hitting the Owers Banks, before the crew could raise enough sail to round Beachy Head.
Her captain tried unsuccessfully to beach her in Pevensey Bay, but the crew had to abandon ship and made it ashore.
Adrian Barak, of the Shipwreck and Coastal Heritage Centre, whose museum trust owns the Resolution, said: "This is a hugely significant find.
"We can't say it is definitely the Resolution but it is in the right place. It is remarkable that this wreck hadn't been discovered before.
"It may be that the seabed was moved by winter storms which uncovered it."
The museum celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a change of name.
It is now known as the Shipwreck and Coastal Heritage Centre and, with extra funding now available, is set to see some exciting changes over the next months and years.
The special display about the wreck can be seen at the centre, which is open daily.
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Weather for Hastings
Monday 28 May 2012
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