Archaeological Assessment and Net Removal from the Designated Wreck of the Northumberland on the Goodwin Sands
Author(s): Pascoe Archaeology
The Northumberland, a third-rate man-of-war, was lost on the Goodwin Sands during the Great Storm of 26-27 November 1703. The wreck was discovered in 1980 and shortly after designated under the protection of Wrecks Act 1973. The Northumberland is currently one of only four protected wreck sites in England that are on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register as High1. The stage 1 geophysical surveys conducted in November 2020 identified its huge archaeological potential with a depth of stratigraphy on the site of up to 3.5m deep but with the immediate threat to its future preservation from the migration away of local bedforms (PA 2021). This work led Historic England to commission Pascoe Archaeology to conduct stage 2, the removal of hazardous fishing net and the underwater archaeological assessment of the wreck. The fieldwork was conducted between the 1-7 July 2021, by a collaborative team led by Pascoe Archaeology. MSDS Marine acted as the diving contractor and diving operations were conducted from the Dive Support Vessel (DSV), Predator, of Predator Charters Marine Ltd. The dive team consisted of members of Pascoe Archaeology, MSDS Marine and Bournemouth University. The current fieldwork has led to new archaeological features being identified, as well as an increased understanding of the archaeological remains in general. Diving observations recorded that there had been further loss of seabed sediments on the wreck since the 2020 geophysical surveys. This has resulted in more archaeological features being exposed and a greater amount of visible fishing net covering the wreck. Guns complete with carriages are now emerging from the wreck mound, along with the ship’s structure, rigging and other fragile finds such as, a complete chest, onion bottles, muskets, swords and copper cauldrons. This rich assemblage has the potential to provide a unique insight into life on board a Royal Navy ship of the Queen Anne period.
- Report Number:
- 23/2022
- Series:
- Other
- Pages:
- 40
- Keywords:
- Maritime Wreck
