ENVIRONMENT
Taking it further
The shipwreck that inspired a nation
A painting of the Mary Rose in her pomp and ( right ) the hull is raised in 1982
Would the Mary Rose be raised if the process were to start in the present day ? Jane Maddocks looks back at what is still considered the UK ’ s greatest ever diving project
October 2022 saw the 40th anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose . All of us lucky enough to dive on her celebrated in style , with talks , chatting over lunch , and yes , the occasional celebratory drink . I was on the panel on the second day , addressing the issue of whether raising her was the right thing to do .
For various reasons , this amazing event of excavating , raising , conserving , and displaying a whole side of a hull and her contents is unlikely ever to happen again .
Most of the panel focussed on the sheer expense of raising her , the monumental ongoing cost of conservation , and the fact that volunteer divers could not now be used for excavation unless they had an HSE Surface Supply qualification .
My turn to speak : thinking about the impact of the volunteer diver .
For me , the Mary Rose has always been the ultimate in ‘ taking it further .’ For some of the volunteer divers , their short stint on
the wreck became a career change as they move into qualified archaeologist mode , with commercial diving qualifications . They became professional . For many , it was the experience that was never to be forgotten , that changed their diving interests and made an impact .
So , 40 years later the knock-on effect is still apparent for younger divers who enjoy maritime archaeology , but don ’ t want to work in it . A couple of years after the ship came up , some of the professional team from the Mary Rose felt that volunteer divers could be even more productive if they had some basic training .
If you have done courses with the Nautical Archaeology Society ( NAS ) or dived as members of the NAS Sub Aqua
Painstaking surveys uncovered unique artefacts
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