Tributes paid to Mary Rose 470 years after she sank as new £27million museum is opened with artefacts from one of Britain's most famous ships

New £27 million Mary Rose Museum opens in Portsmouth today



It will give visitors a vivid insight into life on ocean waves in Henry VIII’s navy

Thousands of artefacts will be displayed with the hull of famous warship

Tributes have been paid to the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry VIII's navy, at the opening of a new £27 million museum today.

The remains of the Tudor warship, that sank more than 400 years ago, will be displayed along with thousands of its artefacts for the first time at the new museum in what historians are hailing as a ‘Tudor time capsule’.

The ship, which has been described as an 'English Pompeii', sunk in front of a watching Henry VIII while leading an attack on a French invasion fleet in 1545.

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Ambitious: This the new £27 million Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth which opened earlier this week

Tribute: Purbrook Bowmen fire a volley of flaming arrows from Southsea Castle as part of a day of events to mark the opening of the Mary Rose Museum

Honour: Able Seaman Luke Checkley throws a wreath into the sea at the location of the sinking of the Mary Rose to mark the opening of the new museum today

Warship: This portrait picture shows the Mary Rose, which sank in 1545 while leading an attack on a French invasion fleet, much to the despair of a watching Henry VIII

The new museum, which will give visitors a vivid insight into life on the ocean waves in Tudor times, opened today in Portsmouth more than 30 years after 60 million people worldwide watched the famous wreck being raised from the deep sea.

'This isn't just about a ship, it's about life in Tudor times,' said John Lippiett, chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust. 'It is a memorial to the 500 who lost their lives on the Mary Rose.'



Historian and television presenter David Starkey went further, describing the Mary Rose as an 'English Pompeii, preserved by water, not fire.'

Experts say the ship is the earliest large warship armed with guns that has survived reasonably intact, and has richer archaeological value than the Vasa in Stockholm, which sank in 1628 as a new and almost empty ship.



Pieter van der Merwe, general editor at the Royal Museums Greenwich, said: 'Its significance is as the earliest surviving warship firing broadside armament, and for the direct evidence it gives on shipbuilding at the time - when there are no detailed written records or plans.



'It is literally a time capsule of Tudor England with evidence of health and diet in the bones of its crew, medicine, personal possessions and weaponry.'

Fire: Purbrook Bowmen prepare to fire a volley of fire arrows towards where the 16th century Tudor warship Mary Rose sank in 1545 Expert: British actor Robert Hardy (centre), a longbow expert, speaks with Purbrook Bowmen after they fired the volley of fire arrows Commemoration: The wreath was thrown into the Solent, where the Tudor warship sank 468 years ago, to commemorate those who died in battle

Some of the items on display will include sailors nit combs - which even have preserved Tudor nits on them - as well as weapons of war including a ‘ballista bolt’ that would have been set alight and catapulted at a foe and fearsome ‘bastard culverin’ guns.

Others include the skeleton of the ship’s rat-catching dog Hatch, named after the part of the ship where her remains were found.

The mongrel was consigned to the same watery grave as all but around 35 of the total 415 crew when the Mary Rose sank in the Solent on July 19, 1545 as she led an attack on the galleys of a French invasion fleet.

The new museum's opening was today marked by a symbolic wreath-laying ceremony at the site in the Solent where the Tudor warship sank 468 years ago. Navy: Able Seaman Luke Checkley salutes after placing the wreath in the Solent, off Portsmouth, today Opening: Royal Marine Bugler Dave Nevatte plays the Last Post during the wreath laying ceremony to mark the opening of the museum today Original: Rear Admiral John Lippiett, chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust, shows the Mary Rose's original bell to sailors of HMS Duncan The wreath was thrown into the Solent by sailors of HMS Duncan, one of the navy's new Type 45 Destroyer's, to commemorate those who died in battle. The wreath-laying ceremony was followed by water cannons, a ceremonial gun salute and a flaming arrow volley by period-costumed Tudor archers to mark the occasion. Mr Lippiett said: 'This marks an exceptionally major milestone in the history of the Mary Rose, but it's not even the last chapter in the story. 'People who have seen the museum already are saying it belongs in the top 10 museums in the world. 'People don't seem to be able to believe that the artefacts on display are original, they think they are replicas, but they are not. Everything on display is from the Mary Rose and it is remarkable.' Conservation: Susan Bickerton holds the original ship's bell of the Mary Rose at the opening of the new museum Artefact: The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard is the new home to warship, and some of the 19,000 artefacts that sank with her. Pictured is conservator Susan Bickerton with the original ship's bell Occasion:The original bell of the Mary Rose, aboard ships returning from the wreath laying ceremony is welcomed back into Portsmouth harbour by tugs spraying water cannons Prince Charles, who was one of the divers who investigated the hull of the ship on the Solent seabed 30 years ago, has sent staff at the new museum a letter of congratulation. It said: 'As patron of the Mary Rose Trust, I send my warmest congratulations and gratitude to all those who have put so much hard work into achieving this splendid exhibition, on the occasion of the new Mary Rose Museum's opening. 'This is a most exciting time in the Trust's long history. At long last this extraordinary collection of objects from King Henry VIII's flagship can be seen in its full glory. 'I am sure visitors to the Museum will be delighted and intrigued by this incredible insight into life at it was 500 years ago.' Historic: Thousands of artefacts are being displayed with the hull of the Mary Rose at a new £27 million museum which opens tomorrow . Conservators stand inside the hull of the Tudor warship

Ancient: Engineers work carefully erecting ducting around the hull of the Tudor warship

Devastating: The Mary Rose sunk in 1545 while leading an attack on a French invasion fleet, much to the despair of a watching Henry VIII

Impressive: A model of the Mary Rose is exhibited in the new Mary Rose Museum at Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard

After lying undiscovered on the seabed for centuries, the ship was rediscovered in 1971 when divers spotted her timbers.

Her excavation and eventual salvage in 1982 captured the world’s imagination and was one of the most complex projects in the history of maritime archaeology.

The conserved section of the hull was on display in Portsmouth until September 2009, then closed to visitors as work began building the new state-of-the-art museum around it.

There was also a small museum in a separate building displaying around 2,000 of the 19,000 recovered artefacts.

Visitors can walk along three glass walkways running parallel with the ship’s main decks.

The artefacts are displayed on the other side of the walkways in the ‘jewellery box’ centre in spots corresponding to where they would have been on the ship in a way that ‘imitates the vessels’ missing port side in a mirror image’ and allows visitors to experience how it would have felt to be on board.

The bones of 'Hatch,' the ship's dog are pictured in a case at the new Mary Rose Museum

Incredible: A canon recovered from the wreck of the ship is exhibited in the museum

Incredible: A selection of longbows recovered from the wreck of the warship are featured at the museum

Personal: A selection of combs used on the ship are also on display Fascinating: The new museum reunites the ship with its treasures, and more of them, for the first time since they were lifted from the seabed more than 30 years ago

ONE OF THE LARGEST PROGRAMMES OF CONSERVATION EVER UNDERTAKEN

The 16th-century warship Mary Rose has been undergoing a meticulous programme of conservation since it was lifted from the seabed more than 30 years ago. Ever since the hull of Henry VIII's flagship was raised in October 1982, it has been constantly sprayed with millions of litres of water and wax chemicals to preserve it. At first, the hull was sprayed with recycled, fresh water at a temperature of less than 5C (41F) to stop the wood drying out and to inhibit bacterial activity. Hard work: The 16th-century warship Mary Rose has been undergoing a meticulous programme of conservation since it was lifted from the seabed more than 30 years ago The hull had been preserved under the sea as it had been embedded in mud preventing bacteria and tides from eroding it. In 1985, the ship was turned upright and titanium props were installed to support the internal structure and work was undertaken to remove as much sediment as possible. From 1994, active conservation commenced with the spraying of Polyethylene Glycol (Peg), a water-soluble polymer which can penetrate deep into the wood and support the cell walls. And just last month, on April 29, the Peg sprays were turned off and the hull will begin its final air-drying phase to remove 100 tonnes of water during the next four to five years. Visitors to the new museum will be able to view the hull through windows into the airtight chamber as it undergoes this final stage of conservation. Difficult: Conservator engineers work carefully erecting ducting around the hull of the Tudor warship The Mary Rose Museum has worked closely with the team behind the Swedish warship Vasa which has used a similar highly-sophisticated drying process. Once drying is complete in 2017, the internal walls surrounding the hull will be removed and visitors will be able to see a completely unobstructed view of the hull. Mark Jones, head of conservation at the Mary Rose Trust, said: 'The conservation of Henry VIII's warship Mary Rose has been one of the largest and most complex programmes of this type ever undertaken. 'It really will be a unique chance for visitors to see our dedicated team preserve such a treasured artefact as they can see through windows into the 'hotbox' containing the Mary Rose when the new museum opens.'

Mr Lippiet said: ‘The whole of the museum is designed by the curvature of the ship. The concept is to put the objects back into the ship.’



‘This is the most extraordinary time capsule of life and death 500 years ago,’ Mr Lippiet said. ‘This isn’t just about a ship, it’s about life in Tudor times.’



Some of the relics, including a type of compass used to help navigate the ship and a clarinet-style instrument played on board for entertainment, have been said to ‘rewrite history’ as experts had previously not thought they existed in the Mary Rose’s days.

Haul: A huge total of 19,000 artefacts were recovered from the wreckage of the ship

Enormous: Brian Robinson, from the museum, poses next to a cannon recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose

Incredible: The ship's crow's nest is also on display, 468 years after the sinking of the ship

Items including Pewter plates were recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose

As well as rare artefacts, the new museum has produced facial reconstructions of some members of the crew, including a carpenter, cook and an archer, based on forensic science examinations of their skulls and skeletons. The faces are being put on display beside the crew members’ personal belongings.

The ship itself was at a turning point in history as it was almost certainly the first ship to fire a broadside in anger but was also one of the last to use archers and longbows to shoot arrows.



After she sank, the navy redesigned its ships to be less top-heavy with smaller forecastles and also altered its tactics to fight in open water.

Breakthrough: Seven crew members of Henry VIII's flagship the Mary Rose can be revealed for the first time today. The Bosun, left, was in his late 30s or early 40s. The cook, right, had responsibility for feeding 400 men



Opening: The crew members have been revealed as a new £27m Mary Rose museum opens in Portsmouth today. The Purser, left, Royal archer, centre, and Gunner, right, are pictured



Brought to life: The ship's master gunner, left, had very bad teeth, with 11 missing. The ship's carpenter is also pictured right



The total cost of the project to conserve and house the only 16th century warship on display in the world has been £35 million, with the Heritage Lottery Fund providing more than £32 million during the past 18 years.

The museum is at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - where the ship was built in 1510.

Ever since the ship was lifted from the seabed it has been undergoing a meticulous programme of conservation involving spraying it with millions of litres of water and wax chemicals to preserve it.

Visitors to the new museum will be able to view the hull through windows into the airtight chamber as it undergoes this final stage of conservation.

Once drying is complete in 2017, the internal walls surrounding the hull will be removed and visitors will be able to see a completely unobstructed view of the hull.