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Shorelines are constantly moving. Visitors to the Gates of Thermopylae are surprised to find the narrow passageway the 300 Spartans held is gone, with the sea having silted up, while the Gulf of Finland will close in the future as the land continues its post-glacial rebound. In southeast England, a flooded quarry has been found to be hiding the wooden hull of a ship from England's Elizabethan era some distance from the sea.

The Elizabethan-era ship was found hundreds of yards from where the coast is today. The ship is a remarkable find and one that even is of interest to the United States. The ship reveals some of the evolution of English shipbuilding that lead them to be able to colonize North America and found the colonies that would go on to form the United States.

cannons on the gun deck of an old ship

Age Of Discovery & The Elizabethan Era

Few Elizabethan-era ships have survived to this day. Queen Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII (the one with six wives) and Anne Bowen (who lost her head). She succeeded Bloody Mary at a time of extreme tension in England between the Protestants and Catholics. The Colony of Virginia (now the Commonwealth of Virginia) was named in honor of her (she was known as the 'virgin' Queen as she was never married).

Queen Elizabeth, I was one of England's (and later the United Kingdom's) longest-reigning sovereigns. She reigned from 1558 to 1603 (the first successful English settlement in North America at Jamestown was established in 1607).

  • Reigned: 1558 to 1603

Elizabethan-era English ships are perhaps best known for defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588 and for the golden era for English Privateer pirates before the Royal Navy took on its modern form. Many of the English ships of the era were still privately owned.

Antique Brass Compass And Telescope With Vintage World Map
Shutterstock
Antique Brass Compass And Telescope With Vintage World Map

The official history of the Royal Navy began in 1546, when Queen Elizabeth I's father, Henry VIII, established the Navy Royal. The institution re-emerged as the national navy of the Kingdom of England in 1660 during the reign of King Charles II. While there had been English naval forces for a thousand years before that, there was only a rather motley assortment of "King's ships" assembled as needed and disbanded thereafter.

Related: The Parking Lot: The Glorious Burial Of England's King Richard III

Discovery Of The Elizabethan Ship & What Is Known Of It

The late 16th-century ship was wrecked, abandoned, and preserved in the sediment of the quarry and was a very unexpected find. The quarry was being dredged for its gravel on the Dungeness headland in Kent.

The vessel was found in April 2022, around 300 meters (900 feet) from the coast and around 60 miles southeast of London. It is thought by archeologists that the site was part of the coastline when the ship was abandoned or wrecked there. It is likely it was abandoned after being deemed unseaworthy.

The hull of the ship was constructed from trees that fell in the late 16th century (between 1558 and 1580) during a transitional time for the shipbuilding industry and seagoing trade. The heavier ships that were being developed would help explore the Atlantic coastline of the New World in the following decades. It was constructed out of English oak. The name of the ship is not known but who knows what secrets are to be learned from the ongoing studies of the wreck?

Old Sailing Ship At Night
Pixabay
Old Sailing Ship At Night

Archeological research is being carried out by Wessex Archeology - refer to their website for more updates and information about the long-lost vessel.

Related: These Roman Shipwrecks Hold Ancient Treasures, See For Yourself

The Elizabethan Ship Will Not Be A Tourist Attraction

When the archeological analysis has been completed, the ship will be reburied to preserve it in a layer of silt. So if one would like to see it in the flesh, one may need to hurry and ask for special permission to come to the quarry and see the remains of the wreck.

But while this particular ship will not be a tourist attraction and will not be put on display, there are plenty of other ships found around the world that are. There are ships on display that were buried or sunk, dating from Roman times to the American Civil War. New ships are being discovered all the time.

USS Cairo Museum Vicksburg

In the state of Mississippi, visitors can see the recovered USS Cario - a Civil War river gunboat that sat in the river mud for 100 years. There are the remains of other Civil War ships on display as well - such as the famous USS Monitor, which battled the Confederate CSS Virginia at the famous Battle of Hampton Roads (the first clash of the ironclads).

Perhaps the most famous ship to be recovered from the depths is the Swedish ship the Vasa - a remarkably well-preserved and beautiful vessel that sank 20 minutes into her maiden voyage.