During dredging at a lake in a quarry in Kent, workers discovered a rare wooden ship from the era of Queen Elizabeth I.
16th-century shipwreck salvaged from the bottom of a lake in southeastern England. (Photo: Wessex Archaeology)
Located more than 300 meters from the Kent coast, this discovery puzzled the excavation team from CEMEX UK construction company, prompting them to immediately notify the authorities. Recognizing the significance of the find, Kent County Council contacted archaeological experts from Wessex Archaeology and requested emergency funding from Historic England’s Historic Environment Advisory Committee to carry out the salvage and research, BBC reported on January 1.
More than 100 wooden planks from the ship’s hull have now been salvaged. Analysis indicates that they are made of English oak and date back to around 1558 to 1580, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
This discovery places the ship within a transitional period in Northern Europe’s shipbuilding history, as vessels shifted from traditional clinker construction (like those used by the Vikings) to frame-first construction design (as recorded here), where the internal frame is built first and flat planks are added later to create the outer shell. This technique was also used for the Mary Rose, a warship of the Royal Navy built between 1509 and 1511, and for ships operating along the Atlantic coastline during the New World period.
“The discovery of a well-preserved ship from the late 16th century in the sediment at the bottom of a lake is surprising. The ship could reveal a lot about a time for which we have very little surviving evidence of shipbuilding, yet it was a period of significant change in maritime history,” said maritime archaeologist Andrea Hamel at Wessex Archaeology.
Digital image of the shipwreck. (Photo: Wessex Archaeology)
Although discovered in a quarry, experts believe that the site was once on the coast and that the ship either sank on a gravel bank or was discarded after it was no longer usable. This discovery presents an exciting opportunity to understand the development of the coastline, ports, and maritime activities in Kent.
Using laser scanning and digital photography methods, the archaeological team from Wessex Archaeology has created images of the ship. Once the research work is completed, the wooden pieces will be returned to the lakebed where they were found so that the sediment can continue to preserve the remaining parts.
