By: Derek Chang

A ship that sank over 300 years ago has been found by Julian and Lincoln Barwell off the coast of Great Yarmouth. This ship was HMS Gloucester, and it had been carrying the Duke of York.

The ship sank because the duke started arguing with the captain about what path they should take. The duke forced the captain to take a path he was not familiar with, and as an article in Twinkle NewsRoom states, “The ship then hit some sandbanks and at 5:30 a.m., it started to sink.”

200 people died when the ship sank. This was partially because there was a rule where no one could leave the ship until the duke left. The duke left the ship at the last moment. This was because he didn’t like the pilot, and wanted him dead. We have proof of this because later, after the captain survived, the duke wanted him to be executed.

The find was awesome because nothing was able to be saved from the ship when it sank. The find uncovered a lot about life in the 17th century. Professor Claire Jowitt exclaimed that the find was “the single most significant historic maritime discovery since the raising of the Mary Rose in 1982.”

Some items were found on the ship and are on display today.