[MR] Wikipedia: Mary Rose featured article

[Garth G. Groff]

Noble friends,

Today's featured article on Wikipedia concerns the MARY ROSE, Henry 
VIII's famous flag ship which sunk in 1545 during action against the 
French in the Solent. The article is quite interesting, and there are 
many illustrations and photos of artifacts. See it here: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page .

And did the French sink the MARY ROSE? We may never know, but that the 
French holed the ship near the waterline is suggested by the fact that 
many of the skeletons of archers (known because the enlarged muscle 
attachment points on their left arms) were found in the below deck 
portion of the wreck when salvaged. They should not have been there 
unless they were trying to plug a dangerous hole in the hull. The French 
apparently swarmed the MARY ROSE with small boats mounting a single 
large calibre gun (and a suicidal gun crew), rowed by banks of convicts 
(who likely were chained, and had no wish to die for their king). Loss 
of the ship was a great blow to England and Henry Himself, and to admit 
it was sunk by the French would be a great propaganda blow. So the 
official reason was that the ship heeled over on a turn with her gun 
ports heroically open. Who says spin is something new?

Kind regards,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot