Protection for wreck sunk in 1703

Culture Minister David Lammy Acts To Protect The Wreck of 70 Gun Warship Thought To Be Resolution, Sunk Off Sussex In 1703

Culture Minister David Lammy today took action to protect a wreck, believed to be that of the 70-gun war ship Resolution, recently discovered by divers on the seabed in Pevensey Bay, off the Sussex coast.

His decision to 'designate' the well preserved remains under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 follows a recommendation from English Heritage.

The Order laid in Parliament will protect the newly discovered remains – and the 100m area around them – and will prevent accidental damage.

"Shipwrecks and their sites are a vital – and mysterious – part of our heritage. It is right that this valuable wreck site, which has remained preserved and intact on the seabed for at least 200 years, gets this protection. The history of the Resolution is well documented and, if the wreck is indeed that of this vessel, it has the potential to yield a wealth of information on the maritime and military history of the late 17th century."

The site comprises a cluster of at least 45 iron guns lying on top of ballast material, other artefacts and timber hull structure. Archaeological investigations to date have concentrated on confirming the identity of the site to be that of the Resolution primarily through the recording of the ordnance and ballast.

It is expected that further investigation will be carried out by local divers under licence.

"The site believed to be the Resolution is a crucial part of England's seafaring heritage. It is important we act to ensure that it can be protected without restricting responsible, authorised access and investigation."

The Resolution was built in Harwich between 1665 and 1667 and was one of only three third-rate vessels built by noted maritime architect Sir Anthony Deane. In 1669, the Resolution was the flagship in an expedition against the Barbary Corsairs and took part in the unsuccessful attack on the Dutch Smyrna convoy, which resulted in the Third Dutch War.

The Resolution sank during the Great Storm on 26 November 1703, after being blown across the Solent, striking the Owers Banks six or seven times before the crew were able to raise a scrap of sail and round Beachy Head. By this time the ship was taking on water, the hold was full up to the level of the orlop beams, and so the decision was made to attempt to beach her in Pevensey Bay. The remains of the vessel had been burned by French Privateers by January 1704.

The 'Great Storm' is well documented in contemporary newspapers and by Daniel Defoe in his work The Storm: An Essay, written in 1704. Other protected warships lost in the same storm comprise the Stirling Castle, Restoration and Northumberland, located on the Goodwin Sands, off Kent.

The Minister's action follows the discovery during Spring 2005, by local divers, of a wreck site in Pevensey Bay, East Sussex, whilst attempting to free a lobster pot. DCMS' archaeological contractor assessed the site in September last year, and identified the remains as those of a large warship dating between 1600 and 1800. The preliminary interpretation of the site based on evidence from the assessment is that it is likely to be the wreck of the 70-gun warship Resolution, which sank in the Great Storm of 1703.

Substantial sections of the hull of the wrecked warship exist beneath a mound of ballast. This is particularly exciting as in situ preservation of shipwreck material dating from the 17th and 18th centuries is uncommon. Therefore, following further investigations, this wreck may have the potential to be of even greater archaeological and historical importance than is considered at present.

The Secretary of State has power under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 to designate wreck sites which she is satisfied ought to be protected from unauthorised interference on account of their archaeological, historical or artistic importance. Before making a designation order, the Secretary of State is required to consult with appropriate persons (unless she is satisfied that the order should be made as a matter of immediate urgency). Once designated, it is a criminal offence for a person to interfere with the site except under the authority of a licence.

The designation of the wreck of Resolution brings the total number of UK historic wrecks sites designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 to 58.

English Heritage is the Government's advisor on all aspects of the historic environment in England. The National Heritage Act (2002) enabled English Heritage to assume responsibilities for maritime archaeological sites of all types from low water out to the 12 nautical mile (nm) territorial limit around England. The Act also allows the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport to direct English Heritage to also undertake functions relating to the Advisory Committee for Historic Wreck Sites and the archaeological diving contract. Accordingly, English Heritage has statutory responsibility for the physical management of 43 historic wreck sites designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.

An image of the painting Resolution in a gale by Willem van de Velde, the Younger is available from The National Maritime Museum Press Office on 020 8312 6545.

Press contacts at English Heritage are Helen Nesbitt\Debbie Holden (jobshare) on 020 7973 3855.

Some background on the 'Great Storm' of 1703 from BBC:

Inside Out East: Monday October 13, 2003

THE GREAT STORM

Reporter in the woods
Reporter uncovers the full story

In 1703, a catastrophic hurricane ripped across East Anglia. It was the worst storm in British history and killed 8,000 people. But could global warming make tomorrow's weather even more violent? Inside Out investigates.

It is 300 years since villages from Northamptonshire to Suffolk were decimated by 'The Great Storm'. But only now is the full story emerging.

The first complete account of the impact of the storm on the East of England has just been written by Martin Brayne.

The hurricane on 26 November 1703 tore across East Anglia, ripping up everything in its wake.

Unlike today's storms, when we have advanced warning and can prepare for the worst, the poor souls of 1703 had no idea what was about to hit them.

TORNADO & HURRICANE FACT FILE

Hurricanes originate in the Tropics.

A storm featuring winds of over 74mph is often referred to as a hurricane.

A hurricane is a fierce rotating storm with an intense centre of low pressure. In south-east Asia they’re known as 'typhoons' and in the Indian Ocean, 'cyclones'.

In 1998, Hurricane Gilbert produced 160 mph winds, killing 318 people, and devastating Jamaica.

The United Kingdom is actually the World’s most tornado-prone nation.

Wind speeds in tornadoes can vary from 72 to almost 300 mph. Fortunately, only 2 percent of all tornadoes have winds greater than 200 mph.

Men and animals were lifted into the air
Winds and rain lashed the entire country and floods were reported almost everywhere.

Winds of up to 80mph killed 123 people and destroyed more than 400 windmills - many of which caught fire due to the friction of their wildly-spinning sails.

Daniel Defoe, who travelled the country afterwards assessing the damage, reported that men and animals were lifted off their feet and carried for yards through the air and that lead roofs were ripped from one hundred churches.

The Robinson Crusoe author reported seeing a tornado which "snapped the body of an oak".

15,000 sheep were drowned in floods near Bristol and 800 houses were completely destroyed.

At Cambridge, falling masonry wrecked the organ of St Mary’s church, newly installed at a cost of £1,500 - and King’s College Chapel was badly damaged - pinnacles were toppled and much of the fine late medieval stained glass ruined.

Martin Brayne
Author Martin Brayne has written a full account of the storm

The death of a fleet - and a lighthouse
Some 8,000 sailors perished as the storm decimated the British fleet. Hundreds of vessels were lost, including four Royal Navy men-of-war.

One ship at Whitstable in Kent was lifted from the sea and reputedly dropped some 250 yards in land.

Famously also, Henry Winstanley had the misfortune to be in the wooden lighthouse which he had designed on Eddystone Rocks of Plymouth on 26 November, and was killed.

What has the future in store?
While the events of 1703 may seem safely tucked away in the depths of history, more recent events

have also savaged the British Isles.

In 1987, winds gusting up to 115mph cut a swathe of destruction across London and the Home Counties. There were 19 deaths and the storms caused an estimated £1bn of damage.

While not quite on the scale of the 1703 storms, this kind of extreme weather is enough to convince some people that the global warming is about to unleash a natural disaster of Biblical proportions on the South of England.

Predictions by the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia put global sea level rises between 12cm and 67cm by 2050.

Ships
Many ships were lost in 1703

Parts of East Anglia as well as parts of the south east could end up under water
The threat of rising sea levels is compounded by the fact that the UK is gradually tilting. The south east of the country is sinking while the north west is rising.

This could make any future storms - and the resulting flooding - even more devastating.

Martin Brayne says: "Rising sea levels caused by global warming, together with increased amount of building on low-lying coastal areas, mean that a storm as severe as the Great Storm would have even more devastating effects, [though] the Thames Barrier would protect London."

What can be done?
"By sharing technologies, experience and resources," says BBC Meteorologist Helen Willetts, "We can hopefully lower the greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the threat of global climate change.

"Choose clean energy options where available, such as wind, solar and wave power, these do not emit greenhouse gases and are renewable.

"Individually, we can recycle material, insulate our homes, take public transport and think about energy efficiency in the home."

And it is clear that whatever can be done, should be done.

One thing is for certain, nobody wants to experience the horrors of 1703 again!

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