Some of the relics from Henry VIII’s warship, the Mary Rose, are being shown for the first time. The warship sank in 1545 in the Solent and was raised in 1982. It is now in a drydock in Portsmouth’s historic dockyard. Volunteers are now attempting to raise the final GBP 4 Million that is needed to build a new museum which will allow the relics to be housed much nearer to the ship itself. Currently the Mary Rose museum is near the entrance to the historic dockyard, a long way from the drydock containing the vessel which is near HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar.
The Mary Rose itself is currently being sprayed continuously with polyetheylene glycol, which is a was-based solution. This is due to be completed in the next couple of years, and then the ship will be gradually dried.
There is more information on this plus a video on the BBC’s website.
