The Mary Rose

The flagship of Henry VIII’s navy. All set to engage in battle against the French only to sink on her maiden voyage in front of the King himself in 1545. It lay in the Solent until it was raised in 1982.

Here’s a virtual tour from the BBC History Website which gives the opportunity to explore the vessel in detail as it would have looked in 1545:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/launch_vt_mary_rose.shtml

Researchers from the University of Portsmouth have also contributed to the making of a documentary for The History Channel which presents a new theory as to why the ship sank:

http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/news/title,89005,en.html