Wrecked English warship's cannon found on seabed off Kent coast
Shifting sands means experts were able to see that The Northumberland, built for the Royal Navy by Bristol shipbuilder Francis Baylie, is more complete than previously thought."It's the exact kind of ship you think about when you think of great big warships of the age of sail," Mr Meara told BBC Radio Bristol.
He said a long series of investigations and surveys will now take place to "answer more questions of the past".Mr Meara, who dived about 65ft (20 metres) to the ship, said: "On the dives we can see this great big iron cannon, there's large bits of wooden ship structure."But because it's so intact you can see a lot of the organic material you don't normally see - things like coils of rope, smaller wooden objects and organic artefacts like that. "They're all lying on that decking, exactly where they would have been when the ship went down."
He added any work to lift the warship out of the sea is very expensive and would take significant restoration work."As soon as you lift it out of the water, it's at risk of decay," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Next phase of Bushbury Crematorium refurbishment begins
The first phase of refurbishment work at a Wolverhampton crematorium has been completed, with a second area now closed off for further West Chapel and East Chapel at Bushbury Crematorium are being updated at separate times to avoid causing disruption to the course of four weeks in July, the West Chapel has had new carpets, curtains around the catafalque, refreshed paintwork, improvements to the windows to prevent sun glare and renovations to the floor at the Chapel is now having new carpets, a full repaint, new lights in the entrance hall and a new oak door, City of Wolverhampton Council said. It is due to remain closed until 22 August. "The works have been planned to try and avoid as much disruption as we can for families as we are very aware that attending a service or visiting a loved one can be a difficult and sensitive time," Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services, said."Cremations, services and burials will continue as usual and we hope that by alternating the work on the chapels, people will still feel welcome and comfortable at the crematorium. In addition, our bereavement services team will be available to answer any questions or concerns." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
‘WW2 love letters between my parents taught me about love'
A woman who found a "treasure trove" of letters her parents sent to each other during World War Two said it has been "remarkable" to read through them. Anne Holland, from Devizes in Wiltshire, was able to follow four years of her parents' lives thanks to thousands of letters detailing the early days of their relationship and the highs and lows they encountered while separating in the Holland's father, Rex, was serving in Asia when the Japanese surrendered on 14 August 1945 while her mother, Margaret, was home in England raising their children."What's really come through to me is the love, particularly from my father to my mother," Ms Holland said. The couple met at Sevenoaks Hospital in Kent in 1941 where Margaret was working as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse. Rex was one of her Holland said Rex was "mad" about Margaret and the pair met up several times over the space of three months to go on dates to the "swankiest" places in London. Months later, Rex sent Margaret a telegram asking her to marry him the following week on 14 August shortly after they exchanged vows, Rex was posted to India."They'd known each other such a short time and lo and behold, within a few months of all of that he was posted to India, leaving her pregnant with my brother and they didn't meet then for nearly four years," Ms Holland entry in her mother's diary, written on 18 March 1942, read: "Rex gone". "Their only means of contact for four years was by letter," said Ms Holland."In many ways, of course, that's how they got to know each other."Some of the letters contained "full-blown arguments" between the couple but despite that each one ended with "I love you", Ms Holland served in multiple Indian cities before he was stationed in the jungle in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Ms Holland said: "Somehow or other, he kept writing. She kept on writing. It's truly remarkable."How Rex got time to do it, I do not know. Margaret - my mum - once she had a toddler in tow, how did she find the time? But they did," she the pair consistently communicated, Ms Holland thought her mother struggled with depression while dealing with their long distance relationship and the turmoil of the after Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, Margaret joined the VE Day celebrations in London and sent Rex a "joyous" letter. When Japan surrendered three months later on 15 August - a day after the couple's fourth wedding anniversary - Rex sent Margaret a letter to tell her of his elation. It read: 'My adorable darling, today in these parts it is the office's VJ Day. 'We had the news confirmed last night and this morning, as I sat in my temporary office in the docks, all the ships' sirens sounded simultaneously and bunting flew from every masthead. At last, it has really dawned: peace."Ms Holland said the VJ Day letter in particular made her "very emotional".The couple remained married for the rest of their lives. Margaret died in 1989 and Rex died in Holland said she still has a bundle of unopened letters waiting to be read.
BBC News
36 minutes ago
- BBC News
Bitterns have record breeding year at Staffordshire RSPB site
A Staffordshire nature reserve has celebrated a record-breaking breeding season for one of the rarest breeding birds in the which are part of the heron family, were once extinct in the UK but returned in the 20th Century - although by 1997 there were only 11 males recorded in the the RSPB says bitterns have thrived at their Middleton Lakes reserve in Staffordshire this year, with two males and two confirmed nests on the reserve during the summer. The charity says at least five chicks have now fledged, but due to their "secretive nature", it can be hard to confirm the exact number of fledglings. Despite the shyness, males are famous for their loud "booming" call which can be heard up to three miles away and is used to attract a mate. The UK population of booming males in 1997 was restricted to a small number of mainly coastal sites. Thanks to careful habitat management and protection at places like RSPB Middleton Lakes, the charity has been able to help give bitterns a boost and attract the birds back to the West 2021, Bitterns successfully bred in the West Midlands for the first time in more than 100 years, raising five young at Middleton. Since then, Bitterns have "remarkably" bred and fledged from the site each year. Middleton Lakes is also celebrating the numbers of chicks that have fledged this year for some of the UK's "most iconic and threatened" wading reserve has seen the highest number of wader chicks fledge since 2022, which the charity claims is down to both RSPB habitat management and favourable weather have seen ten families raise 16 chicks. Lapwings have also had a strong breeding season, with 11 pairs producing 14 young, alongside other wading bird species seeing chicks fledge too. Kate Thorpe, site manager at RSPB Middleton Lakes, said: "We are thrilled and feel incredibly rewarded to see waders and bitterns thrive this year."It shows the importance of making habitats resilient to our changing climate, and how species can bounce back with careful conservation work. We are hopeful for the future of these special birds."Middleton Lakes was the site of a gravel quarry only a few decades ago, but was transformed into a haven for wildlife when the RSPB took it over in 2007. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
