40th Anniversary of the Mary Rose’s recovery

19th October, 2022

Credit: The Mary Rose Trust

The 10th of October marked 40 years since the recovery of the Mary Rose, one of Henry VIII’s warships, from the seabed of the Solent. The ship sank in 1545 during the Battle of the Solent and remained under water for over 400 years until its recovery in 1982 following intensive years of exploration and planning.

The Mary Rose was recovered by a team of divers, archaeologists, and engineers including personnel from Howard Doris, the engineering company that became ODE.

Howard Doris played a key role in the ship’s recovery by supplying and operating the Tog Mor crane (pictured). The crane lifted the Mary Rose from the seabed using a specially designed cradle system before laying the wreck on a waiting barge.

The Mary Rose’s recovery was witnessed by personnel from Howard Doris, the wider recovery team and King Charles III, the president of the Mary Rose Trust and Prince of Wales at the time. The recovery was watched on television by over 60 million people worldwide.

For further information on the Mary Rose’s recovery, you can visit: https://maryrose.org/ or, if you would like to share your memories of the event, follow: https://maryrose.org/blog/40th-anniversary/guest-blog/where-were-you-in-82-lifting-the-mary-rose