Continuing on our tour of the Mary Rose Museum (one of Henry VIII's ships that sunk and half of which was preserved in the bottom sands of Portsmouth Harbor- only to be uncovered and raised in 1982).
The ship, which has been described as an 'English Pompeii', sunk in front of a watching Henry VIII while leading an attack on a French invasion fleet on July 19, 1545.
WHO WAS "HATCH THE DOG?" - According to http://www.maryrose.org, 'Hatch' was the ratter on board the Mary Rose, although he may also have acted as an unofficial mascot. The complete skeleton of Hatch was found aboard the sunken Mary Rose, and pieced together by forensic scientists.
DNA testing has shown that 'Hatch' was a mongrel, his mother being a whippet and his father a terrier, and he probably had pale streaky brown fur. Analysis of the skull suggests he was between eighteen months to two years old when the Mary Rose sank. 'Hatch' was mostly found outside the Carpenter's Cabin, with some of his bones inside (That's why the museum folks called him "Hatch"). Despite stories claiming he was trapped in the door, he probably died fully outside the cabin, with some parts being pulled inside post-death by marine scavengers.
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| Hatch's Paw Print on a brick |
Hatch's paw print was left on one of the bricks that was being made on-ship. We took a picture of it.
FACE BUILDING- So many skeletons of crew members were found on the sunken ship. Forensic scientists also pieced them together and created faces and bodies based on the skeletons to bring crew members to "life" in the museum. It was a fascinating exhibit of forensic science!
HERE'S A VIDEO WE FOUND ON YOU TUBE ABOUT HOW ONE CREWMEMBER'S FACE WAS RE-CONSTRUCTED:
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| The world's oldest existing ship crowsnest |
On April 29, 2013 the Peg sprays were turned off and the hull will begin its final air-drying phase to remove 100 tonnes of water during the next four to five years. Once drying is complete in 2017, the internal walls surrounding the hull will be removed and visitors will be able to see a completely unobstructed view of the hull. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332936/Mary-Rose-museum-opened-artefacts-Britains-famous-ships.html#ixzz2axy0Zm96
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| Tom pointing out markings that crew members made to ID their stuff |
CREW MEMBER MARKINGS - We learned that each crew member came up with their own symbols to identify their belongings on the ship. With a ship of 500 men, they really had to have a way to identify what was their stuff. On the outside of the museum, carvings that were found on things like dishes and cups were recreated.
SHORT VIDEO - We made a short video outside the museum to show you some of the markings.
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| Tunnel through a mountain on the way back |
COOL TUNNEL: THE WAY BACK TO WINDSOR- There was a really cool tunnel that went through a mountain between Portsmouth and Windsor, and Tom liked it so much he took a picture of it.
NEXT: HAMPTON COURT PALACE!
