Warship wreck more complete than experts expected

Divers reported they found "high potential for an abundance of well-preserved material culture"

A wrecked near-350-year-old English warship is more complete than previously thought, Historic England has said.

The Northumberland, which sank off the Kent coast in 1703 during the Great Storm, has been a protected wreck since 1981.

A new site assessment, seen by the BBC, revealed the wreck "remains high risk" as moving sand exposes the structure.

The Northumberland, which was built in in Bristol in 1679, reportedly lost all 253 crew members when it sank on Goodwin Sands, south-east of Ramsgate.

Historic England maritime archaeologist Hefin Meara said it was "quite likely that there's a huge amount of the vessel itself surviving buried beneath the seabed".

The Royal Navy vessel's wreck is close to those of ships from the same fleet - the Stirling Castle and the Restoration - which sank at the same time.

A wreck of the Mary, which also sank in the storm, remains undiscovered.

Guns from different decks on the Northumberland can now be seen at the wreck site

According to the new assessment, compiled after dives to the vessel in July 2024, at least seven guns from three different decks of the ship were visible on the sea floor.

Mr Meara said metal items from shipwrecks often survive, but at the Northumberland's site there is also "incredibly good preservation" of organic material, such as ropes, chests, and the vessel itself.

The divers reported they found "high potential for an abundance of well-preserved material culture" that might give insight into life onboard navy warships at the time.

Mr Meara said: "We always knew it as a well preserved site but I think nobody was expecting it to be quite so well preserved."

Dan Pascoe, holder of the licence to dive at the wreck site, said the Northumberland "has the potential to be one of the best-preserved wooden warships in the UK".

Divers discovered organic material, such as ropes and chests

The site assessment contained a recommendation that the wreck stays on the Heritage at Risk Register as it "remains unstable and under threat".

Paul Jeffery, Historic England marine team leader, said "it is a race against time" to protect the site.

Historian and broadcaster Dan Snow said the wreck "can fill in crucial details of shipbuilding and life at sea at that pivotal moment in our history".

Snow is fronting a documentary about the Northumberland and its wreck, which will air on his streaming service History Hit on Thursday.