SCUBAHUB
Celebrating the Mary Rose effort
FIVE HUNDRED ROSES HAVE BEEN scattered into the Solent to mark the 40th anniversary of the raising of Henry VIII ’ s flagship Mary Rose .
The Mary Rose sank in 1545 just outside Portsmouth Harbour , and her raising was one of largest ever underwater archaeological excavations , involving more than 28,000 dives .
After lying on the seabed for more than 450 years , the Tudor warship was finally raised on 11 October 1982 , in an ambitious operation involving 500 divers , including BSAC members and the then Prince Charles .
The symbolism of the 500 roses reflected the commitment and dedication of the team that made the raising of the Mary Rose ’ s hull possible .
BSAC ’ s Underwater Heritage Advisor , Jane Maddocks , who participated as a diver in the original project , said the lifting of the Mary Rose was the culmination of many years of hard work .
“ The casting of 500 roses to mark the anniversary is significant . 500 men died during the sinking , and the hard work of 500 divers ( including myself as a volunteer ) meant that she was back on the surface
completing her voyage back to Portsmouth and her new home in the historic dockyard on that day 40 years ago .
“ Many of those 500 divers were BSAC members , and we should be very proud of our contribution to this amazing story .”
Marine flare disposal
FROM 31 DECEMBER 2022 HIS Majesty ’ s Coastguard will stop disposing of expired or redundant marine pyrotechnics – commonly known as flares – handed in by private individuals .
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency ( MCA ) has been working with Department for Transport and the sector to find a service of the same standard to replace it . Meanwhile , from 1 January 2023 , individuals will need to use a third-party service to dispose of marine flares safely and legally .
Chandlers who sell flares may also be willing to exchange and dispose of time-expired flares as part of their customer service . For more information on the planned changes to HM Coastguard ’ s flare disposal service - www . gov . uk / guidance / disposing-ofunwanted-marine-flares
Historical highlights
THE HISTORICAL DIVING Society ’ s 31st annual conference will be held on 19 November and is open to anyone interested in the history of the sport . Subsea 7 HQ in Sutton , London is the venue for the one-day conference , which includes talks from speakers such as Gavin Anthony ; the UK ’ s first female professional diver , Liz James and Nigel Phillips , collections officer at Gosport ’ s Diving Museum . The Historical Diving Society conference will be concluded with an informal social evening . Conference tickets are £ 35 – for more information go to www . thehds . com
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