The warship “Mary Rose” was once the pride of the English Navy and the darling of Tudor King Henry VIII. But in 1545 the ship sank, today only its wreck remains. State-of-the-art X-ray technology now provides new insights into some of the numerous finds on board the “Mary Rose” – among other things, it reveals surprising details about the construction of the chain mails that the marines wore on board.
When Henry VIII ascended the English throne in 1509, arming the fleet was one of his most pressing goals. Among other things, he commissioned the construction of a 45-meter-long carrack – a three-masted sailing ship that was one of the largest of that time. It is estimated that around 600 oak trees were needed to build this warship, they were brought in from all of southern England. In 1511 the time had come: The “Mary Rose” had its launch in Portsmouth and was then brought to London to be fine-tuned and equipped with weapons.
Tragic end of a flagship
From 1512 the “Mary Rose” served in several naval battles as the flagship of the English fleet and was converted several times in the course of its use and equipped with new cannons. But in 1545 she was struck by an enigmatic accident: During the naval battle in the Solent against the French, the ship suddenly got a strong list and water poured in through the open gun hatches. Before the crew understood what was happening and could save themselves, the warship sank to the bottom of the sea, killing 90 percent of the 400-strong crew. Thanks to a protective layer of clay that soon lay over the wreck, the remains of the ship have been preserved to this day.
In 1982, archaeologists managed to lift a large part of the shipwreck from the sea floor, and the researchers also recovered more than 19,000 finds – parts of the cargo, weapons and personal possessions of the crew. They give a unique insight into life on board a warship in the time of the Tudor kings. Among the finds are weapons such as longbows, but also musical instruments, tools of a carpenter, the tools of a barber, and also play figures and drinking vessels.
Chain mail made from amazingly modern brass
Archaeologists have now gained completely new insights into the armaments of the former ship’s crew using the latest analysis technologies, including special spectroscopy methods, fluorescence analyzes and examinations in an X-ray synchrotron. Mark Dowsett of the University of Warwick and his international team used it to examine, among other things, some pieces of metal that were probably once part of the soldiers’ chain mail.
The analyzes revealed that these ring-shaped, partially flattened chain links were made of an alloy of 73 percent copper and 27 percent zinc – the chain mails were therefore made of brass. “Our results suggest that brass production was pretty sophisticated at the time of the Tudors and that they were already good at wire drawing,” reports Dowsett. “I was surprised at how uniform the zinc content of the different chain rings was. This alloy had a fairly modern composition. “
Metal dusts from combat
Also interesting: The analyzes revealed traces of other metals such as lead and gold on the surface of the brass rings. “However, these traces of heavy metal do not seem to be part of the alloy, but are only embedded in the surface,” explains Dowsett. “It would be possible that these metals were transferred during the production process from tools that had previously been used to process gold and lead.” At least part of the lead could also have had an impact on the armor of seafarers during sea battles. “In a battle of the Tudor period, large amounts of lead dust were generated when the ammunition was fired,” explains Dowsett. “The cannonballs were made of stone at the time, but lead bullets were used in shotguns and pistols.”
The analyzes of the chain mail rings also showed which changes the long time in the sea had on the metal and even what influence different cleaning methods of the archaeologists had. The analyzes of the many finds from the “Mary Rose” are still at the beginning, but the scientists are already excited about the deep insights the modern methods offer them. “This study shows very clearly how effective the combination of advanced technologies is,” says Eleanor Schofield, head of conservation for the “Mary Rose”. “We not only get information about the original production of the finds, but also insights into how they reacted to the marine environment and how effective previous conservation strategies have been.”
Source: University of Warwick, technical article: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, doi: 10.1107 / S1600577520001812