Divers have found the wreck of a 17th century warship off the coast of Great Yarmouth in Britain. The ship ran on a sandbank with the future King James II on board and was wrecked in an hour. The wreck was already discovered in 2007, but the University of East Anglia only announced the special find on Friday. The find was made in international waters and had to be secured first. It took several years before it could be identified.
British archaeologists speak of one of the most important finds in maritime history. Professor Claire Jowitt of the University of East Anglia says the discovery sheds new light on “seventeenth-century social, political and maritime history”.
Cannons, cutlery, unopened bottles of wine, glasses in a wooden case and the ship’s bell were found at the wreck.
The Gloucester ran into a sandbank in 1682 after an argument arose between James and the pilot over the course to be chosen. The ship sank within a short time. Hundreds of crew members were killed. The casualty rate was so high, because James long refused to leave the sinking ship. According to the rules, the crew was only allowed to disembark after him. James himself barely survived the disaster.
From 1685 to 1688 he ruled England, Ireland and Scotland as James II. He was the last Roman Catholic British king. The exact location of the Gloucester is not being disclosed.