Mary Rose WarshipMary Rose Warship
The Mary Rose warship was built between 1509 & 1511 as the first English Tudor gunship. The Mary Rose warship was constructed in the first year of the reign of King Henry VIII when he was only 18 years old. During a large part of his reign England was at war with France. The Mary Rose was the first English warship to carry the new great guns or canons which were housed in another new invention of the era called the gunports. The Mary Rose warship was a four mast sailing ship. Each of the masts carried one large sail. The Mary Rose warship also had high castles at the bow and stern. The Mary Rose warship served England during the naval Battle of St Mathieu and the Battle of the Solent where she she was sunk in 1545. Mary Rose Warship Facts and Information
Basic facts and information about the Mary Rose warship is as follows: - Class: English Carrack
- Displacement: 700 tons (Displacement is used as a measure of the weight of ships)
- Length: 38.5m / 126.3ft
- Size of Beam: 4.6m / 15.09ft
- Number of Crew
- 185 soldiers
- 200 sailors
- 30 gunners
- Numbers of hand Weapons
- 50 handguns
- 250 longbows
- 300 pole arms
- 480 darts (which were used as projectiles)
- 8000 arrows
- Dates at war - 1512, 1522 and 1545
- Wars
- The first French war of 1512-1514 outside the French port of Brest
- The second French war of 1522-1525 and the capture of the French coastal town of Morlaix
- The French Invasion fleet at the Battle of the Solent where the Mary Rose warship sunk
- Battles: Battle of St Mathieu and Battle of the Solent, also known as the Battle Of Spithead
- Dates of Repairs and refits: 1528 & 1536
- Flagship Commanders of the Mary Rose Warship:
- Admiral Sir Edward Howard (1477-1513)
- Lord High Admiral Sir Thomas Howard (1508-1549)
- Vice Admiral Sir George Carew ((1504–1545)
- Date sank: 1545
- Date Mary Rose warship was rediscovered: 14th May 1966
- Date raised: 11 October 1982
The Guns on the Mary Rose Warship
The Mary Rose warship Guns or Canons were made of bronze or iron and the guns fired stone or iron. When on board a warship a cannon is called a gun, while a cannonball is called a roundshot which were used to smash the hull of enemy ships. The guns were made of bronze or iron and fired stone or iron roundshot. The Mary Rose was initially equipped with 69 guns consisting of both heavy guns and light guns (15 heavy cast bronze muzzle loaders, 24 heavy wrought iron breech loaders, 30 wrought iron breech loading swivel guns). The number of guns rose to 91 after the upgrade of the Mary Rose warship in 1536 these included 15 bronze cannon guns, 57 iron cannon guns, and 70 anti-personnel guns. The lower gunports on the refitted Mary Rose were only 16 inches above the waterline. The Gunports on the Mary Rose Warship
The Mary Rose warship had high castle like structure built on the deck at the bow and stern. However using heavy guns on these high castles resulted in a lack of stability and structural strength. The introduction of gunports resolved these problems making the Mary Rose a true heavy-gun warship. The gunports were the flaps that covered holes in the side of the ship, behind which were the great guns of the warship. The hinged flaps of the gunports would be opened in a battle so that the guns could move out while they were being fired. The Mary Rose warship was the first with gun ports cut out along the side of the hull for the firing of heavy guns. The addition of gunports on the Mary Rose warship meant that guns could be carried much lower down in the ship, so that it was much more stable and less likely to tip over. The Mary Rose warship gunports allowed the guns to fire a 'broadside', which meant all guns along one side of the ship could fire at once. Mary Rose Warship
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