The wreckage of a British royal ship that sank in 1682 was found in the North Sea
The biggest discovery...the wreckage of a British royal ship that sank in the North Sea in 1682 was found...British King James II survived its sinking
Amateur divers have discovered the wreck of a British Royal Warship that sank 340 years ago The discovery of HMS Gloucester off the coast of Norfolk has been hailed as the biggest marine discovery since the discovery of the Mary Rose in the 1970s.
The distinguished 54-gun frigate, which sank on 6 May 1682 after crashing on Norfolk's sandy beaches in the southern North Sea, was discovered 28 miles off the coast of Great Yarmouth.
Efforts to locate the wreck, led by brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell, proved successful after a four-year search covering 5,000 nautical miles.
Plans are being made to display artefacts on board the ship recovered to land including clothing, wine bottles and a ship's bell.
Organized by the University of East Anglia and Norfolk Museums Service, the exhibition will run for five months at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery from spring next year.
The ship itself is in pieces and remains at the bottom of the sea while authorities say there are currently no plans to bring any part of the remains back to Earth.
The HMS Gloucester represents a turning point in British political history, as it almost caused the death of the Catholic heir to the Protestant throne at a time when there was great political and religious tension.
James Stuart, who later became James II of England and would be the last Catholic king of Britain, survived the sinking but approximately 250 sailors and passengers died.
James barely escaped after abandoning ship until the last minute, needlessly costing the lives of between 130 and 250 people on board who due to protocol were unable to abandon ship before the Kings.
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