#50: Mary Rose: Henry VIII's Warship That Rewrote Naval Archaeology
When the Mary Rose sank in the Solent on July 19, 1545, she took approximately 500 men with her, nearly her entire crew, in full view of King Henry VIII watching from shore. She remained on the seabed for 437 years before being raised in 1982 in one of the most ambitious marine archaeology projects in military history.
Built in 1510, the Mary Rose was one of the first purpose-built warships capable of firing a broadside, carrying 78 guns across multiple decks. Her recovery yielded over 19,000 artifacts that transformed our understanding of Tudor-era naval warfare, military training, and daily life aboard a 16th-century warship. She now rests in a dedicated museum in Portsmouth, England, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.
