This collection of images documents the remarkable discovery of a shipwreck that has been submerged for over 300 years. Some of its artifacts have now been brought to the surface and will be showcased in a new exhibition called The Last Voyage of the Gloucester, organized by the University of East Anglia and Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery in the UK.
1682 painting of the wreck by Johan Danckerts.
Royal Museums Greenwich/Wikimedia Commons
In 1682, the warship HMS Gloucester embarked on a journey to Edinburgh, carrying the future King James II of England and Ireland, who was also King James VII of Scotland. Unfortunately, the ship hit a sandbank off the Norfolk coast and sank. While James survived, approximately 250 people on board lost their lives.
A 3D representation of the wreck site is shown in this photogrammetry image from the Maritime Archaeology Trust.
Norfolk Historic Shipwrecks Ltd
It wasn’t until 2007 that the miraculously well-preserved shipwreck was discovered by Julian and Lincoln Barnwell, who had been scuba diving for years in search of the vessel. However, they were unable to disclose their find until last year in order to protect it.
The ship’s lifting tools on the seabed
A 3D representation of the wreck site is featured in the main picture using photogrammetry images from the Maritime Archaeology Trust.
Above, we can see a pair of glasses in their case, along with two salt-glazed jugs known as Bellarmine bottles and a “Sun in Splendour” bottle, all of which were found at the shipwreck site.
Two salt-glazed jugs, known as Bellarmine bottles, left; and a “Sun in Splendour” right
Norfolk Historic Shipwrecks
Below, you can see the 65-kilogram bronze bell of HMS Gloucester.
The exhibition is currently held at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery until September 10th.
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