Studland Bay Wreck facts for kids
The remains of an old armed cargo ship were found in 1983 in Studland Bay, off the coast of Dorset, England. This important discovery was officially protected on October 22, 1984, under a law called the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. Today, this shipwreck is a Protected Wreck and is looked after by Historic England, an organization that cares for historical sites.
About the Studland Bay Wreck
This shipwreck is made of wood, built with planks joined smoothly together. Around 750 different items were found at the site. These included cannons and cannonballs, wooden tools, heavy stones used to balance the ship (called ballast stones), parts of barrels, firewood, ropes, leather, cloth, seeds, bones, and pottery from the early 1500s.
The ballast stones came from the Basque region of Spain. The way the ship was built and the style of the pottery suggest that the ship was from Spain and sank around the year 1520. Experts believe the ship was trading goods with England. After 1533, the relationship between Spain and England became difficult because of King Henry VIII's marriage problems with Catherine of Aragon. Spanish trade with England dropped a lot after that. This means the ship likely sank before these problems became serious.
Finding the Ship
Divers first found the shipwreck in 1983. They were checking a fisherman's net that had gotten stuck. From 1984 to 1986, archaeologists carefully dug up and studied the wreck. In 1986, they even managed to raise a part of the ship's main bottom beam, called the heel of the keel.
Who Owned the Ship?
When the wreck was first found, some people thought it might be a famous Spanish ship called the San Salvador, which sank in 1588. However, after studying the items found and the way the ship was built, experts realized the wreck was much older. So, it could not be the San Salvador. The true identity of the Studland Bay wreck is still a mystery!
