Divers discovered the wreck of a warship that sank more than 300 years ago as early as 15 years ago. Information about the wreck was guarded for years to prevent damage.
The Gloucester ship sank in 1682 near the east coast of Britain. The shipwreck was also close to changing the course of history, as the future king of England was also on board. James II.
Until now, the knowledge of the discovery of the wreck of the ship has been a closely guarded secret. Brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell found the ship 15 years ago.
The wreck was only now told so that it could be protected from damage.
The wreck of a royal warship was found in 2007 in front of the port city of Great Yarmouth, about 45 miles off the coast. The Barnwell brothers had begun search for the wreck four years earlier.
– When I landed on the seabed, I was the first to notice the large cannons lying on the sand. It was awe-inspiring and really beautiful, Lincoln Barnwell tells Reuters.
According to experts, the discovery is significant both nationally and internationally.
Because the ship sank so quickly, none of the survivors had time to take anything with them from the ship. For this reason, the wreck is like a time capsule, the professor estimates Claire Jowitt From the University of East Anglia.
“The discovery promises to fundamentally change our understanding of 17th-century social and maritime history and politics,” Jowitt told the BBC.