Mary Rose Facts for Kids

A picture of the Mary Rose in the Anthony Roll.

The Mary Rose was a ship which belonged to Henry VIII of England. She sank in 1545 in battle with a French fleet.

In 1979, the Mary Rose Trust was formed. In 1982 the Mary Rose Trust managed to get the Mary Rose out of the sea. In 1994, they started to preserve her.

The remains of the Mary Rose are currently in Portsmouth, England with the HMS Victory and HMS Warrior.

Sinking

It is not known the exact reason for the sinking. One of the theories is that she had the gun ports open to fire at the French. She then turned to fire at the other side, but the men on board failed to close the gun ports. Sea water got in the open gun ports, which tipped her over and she sank.

The Mary Rose sank because the wind blew and tipped her over.

Images for kids

Portrait of Henry VIII in 1509, the year of his coronation; unknown artist.
The Embarkation of Henry VIII at Dover, a painting that commemorated King Henry's voyage to the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520, painted in 1540. The vessels in the painting are shown decorated with wooden panels similar to those that would have been used on the Mary Rose on special occasions.
Peter Pomegranate, the sister ship of the Mary Rose
The Mary Rose as depicted in the Anthony Roll. The distinct carrack profile with high "castles" fore and aft can clearly be seen. Although the number of guns and gun ports is not entirely accurate, the picture is overall an accurate illustration of the ship.
The remains of the Mary Rose's hull. All deck levels can be made out clearly, including the minor remnants of the sterncastle deck.
A small selection of the many rigging blocks raised from the Mary Rose
An illustration from a French edition of the Froissart Chronicle depicting the battle of Sluys in 1340. The picture clearly shows how medieval naval tactics focused on close combat fighting and boarding.
Two culverins and two demi-cannons from the Mary Rose on display at the Mary Rose Museum
A cast bronze culverin (front) and a wrought iron port piece (back), modern reproductions of two of the guns that were on board the Mary Rose when she sank, on display at Fort Nelson near Portsmouth
Some of the bollock daggers found on board the Mary Rose; for most of the daggers, only the handles have remained while the blades have either rusted away or have been preserved only as concretions.
Vice-Admiral George Carew, who perished with the Mary Rose; contemporary miniature by Hans Holbein the Younger
A contemporary illustration of Germain de Brie's poem Chordigerae navis conflagratio depicting the Cordelière and Regent ablaze after the explosion on board the former
Carracks, similar to the Mary Rose, attacked by highly manoeuvrable galleys; engraving by Frans Huys after a design by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1561
Drawing of the French admiral, Claude d'Annebault, commander of the French naval force that launched the attack on the Isle of Wight; François Clouet, January 1535
Mary Rose – Oven & Cauldron
Southsea Castle, from where Henry VIII witnessed the last battle and demise of the Mary Rose. The castle has been heavily altered since that time.
Charles Brandon, brother-in-law of King Henry VIII through marriage with Mary Tudor, who took charge of the failed salvage operation in 1545
Illustration from a treatise on salvaging from 1734, showing the traditional method of raising a wreck with the help of anchors and ships or hulks as pontoons, the same method that was attempted by the Tudor era salvors
Watercolour painting of two perspectives of a sling, a wrought iron gun, complete with two-wheeled gun carriage (wheels missing) and part of another iron sling. The paintings were made to record some of the finds raised by the Deane brothers 1836–40.
The wreck of the Mary Rose clear of the water.
People viewing the salvage cage holding the Mary Rose.
A mallet, brace, plane, ruler, and various other carpentry tools, most of which were found in chests stowed in one of the main deck cabins.
One of the many rosaries found on the Mary Rose that once belonged to one of the lower-ranking crew members
A Ludus Anglicorum set (a predecessor of modern backgammon), owned by the master carpenter.
Along with the medical equipment were also personal items belonging to the barber-surgeon, including an expensive silk velvet coif identical to those worn by the members of the Worshipful Company of Barbers in this painting by Hans Holbein the Younger from 1540.
The Mary Rose being sprayed with water at the facility in Portsmouth in March 1984. Between December 1984 and July 1985 the steel cradle was gradually rotated to stand with the keel in an almost upright position.
The hull of the Mary Rose being sprayed at the facility in Portsmouth while a technician services the system
Concept plan of the new Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre Architects

Mary Rose facts for kids

Sinking

Images for kids

See also