HMS Gloucestor

warship-wreck-discovered-340-years-after-sinking-that-nearly-killed-future-king

The wreck of a royal warship which sank more than 340 years ago while carrying the future king James Stuart has been discovered off the east coast, in a find experts say is the most significant for a generation. The HMS Gloucester ran aground off the Norfolk coast on 6 May 1682, drowning up to 250 crew and passengers as it sank within an hour of hitting a sandbank. Since the 17th century the wreck has lain undiscovered - until it was found by two diving brothers from Norfolk after a four-year search over 5,000 nautical miles. They found the site - which lies 28 miles off Great Yarmouth - in 2007 but due to the time taken to confirm the identity of the ship and the need to protect an ‘at risk’ site, which lies in international waters, it is only now that its discovery can be made public. It has been described by a historian as the most important maritime discovery since the Mary Rose, the warship from the Tudor navy of King Henry VIII.

The sinking of the Gloucester - and the huge loss of life it caused - came about because of a dispute between James, then the Duke of York, and the ship’s pilot James Ayres about navigating the treacherous Norfolk sandbanks. James barely survived, having delayed abandoning ship until the last minute and needlessly costing the lives of many who, because of protocol, could not abandon the ship before royalty. The future king accepted no responsibility for the sinking, instead blaming the pilot and wishing him to be hanged immediately, though Mr Ayres was in fact court-martialled and imprisoned. James went on to reign as King James II of England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland from 1685 until 1688, when he was deposed by the Glorious Revolution.