After more than 250 years hidden in the waters of the English Channel, the wreck of the Northumberland, in Goodwin Sands, has once again been exposed off the coast of Kent
In the depths of the English Channel, beneath the choppy waters off the coast of Kent, a team of maritime archaeologists is racing against time. The goal is to explore and document the remains of the Northumberland, an English warship that sank in 1703, before the sand and time erase forever the traces of a naval tragedy that marked British history. You may be interested in: New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope classify an exoplanet as an “ocean world”.
According to CNN, the recent exposure of this shipwreck, after centuries hidden under the shifting dunes of Goodwin Sands, has opened a unique window into the secrets of life on board and shipbuilding in the Stuart era, but the threat of its disappearance is imminent.
The sinking of the Northumberland: tragedy in the Great Storm of 1703
The Northumberland, built in 1679 at the Bristol shipyards, was part of a transformation of the English navy driven by Samuel Pepys, a key figure in naval modernisation and known for his diaries. This warship, armed with 70 cannons, was in service when the Great Storm of 26 November 1703 hit south-east England. The storm, one of the most devastating recorded in British history, sank the Northumberland along with three other warships: the Restoration, the Stirling Castle and the Mary. You may be interested in: First proof that a fungus can stop the Argentine ant, one of the 100 worst pests in the world
Historical records suggest that approximately 250 crew members lost their lives on the Northumberland during the shipwreck. The magnitude of the tragedy is part of a context of massive naval losses, leaving an indelible mark on the maritime memory of the United Kingdom.
Discovery and conservation: a treasure hidden beneath Goodwin Sands
For more than two and a half centuries, the remains of the Northumberland lay hidden beneath the shifting sands of Goodwin Sands, an extensive sandbar off the coast of Kent. It was not until 1979 that the wreck came to light, after becoming entangled in a fisherman’s net. Since then, the site has presented constant challenges for researchers, as the dynamics of the underwater dunes alternate between periods of exposure and burial, making access and conservation of the remains difficult.
The Northumberland lies at a depth of between 15 and 20 metres, covering a vast area of the seabed. Sand and sediment have played a crucial role in preserving the structure and artefacts, protecting them from deterioration over the centuries. However, this same protection becomes an obstacle when the movements of the dunes re-bury the wreck, sometimes under five or six metres of sand, causing it to disappear for decades.
Hefin Meara, a maritime archaeologist at Historic England, explained to CNN that Goodwin Sands is ‘a very dynamic site’ where the dunes are constantly migrating. ‘A shipwreck is completely exposed for a while and then the sand covers it and buries it under another five or six metres of sand, disappearing completely for a decade or more,’ Meara explained. This alternation has marked the recent history of Northumberland, which since its location in 1979 has undergone several cycles of exposure and reburial.
The exposure of the Northumberland at Goodwin Sands allows artefacts to be recovered and life on board to be reconstructed before the sand erases its legacy.
Threats to heritage: time and the environment as enemies
Historic England has warned that the Northumberland’s situation is critical. The organisation stresses that the wreck is not only threatened by imminent burial under the sands of Goodwin Sands, but also by environmental factors such as strong currents and the action of xylophages, marine organisms that degrade wood. These conditions can make the structure unstable and cause rapid decomposition of organic and metallic materials.
Meara, speaking to CNN, emphasised the importance of taking advantage of the current window of access: ‘The team is planning further geophysical surveys while trying to figure out how to make the most of this window before the sand reclaims Northumberland or it begins to degrade due to exposure to oxygen and other environmental factors.’
The urgency of documentation and study is shared by the entire archaeological community, which sees Northumberland as a unique opportunity to expand knowledge about 17th-century naval life.
New geophysical surveys seek to map and record the wreck site before the window of exploration closes permanently.
Historical value: a Stuart time capsule
The Northumberland represents an archaeological find of the first order, as it has value as a testimony to a time of transformation in the British navy. As Meara explained to CNN, ‘these shipwrecks are an incredible resource because they sink and the loss occurs in a single event. This is a snapshot of life aboard a warship and everything is preserved there, so there is a great opportunity to learn about what was happening during this exciting period of naval expansion.’
Historian and documentary filmmaker Dan Snow, who made a documentary about the Northumberland for the History Hit platform, compared the wreck to other iconic wrecks in British naval history.
In the Historic England statement quoted by CNN, Snow said: “The Northumberland is “The” missing link. Built approximately halfway between the Mary Rose and HMS Victory, this wreck could reveal crucial details of shipbuilding and life at sea at that pivotal moment in our history. We have the Mary Rose, the “Tudor time capsule”, and here we have a Stuart time capsule to place alongside it.”
The comparison with the Mary Rose, sunk in 1545 during the reign of Henry VIII, and the HMS Victory, the oldest warship still in service in the world, highlights the importance of the Northumberland as a key piece in understanding the evolution of the British navy between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Faced with the threat of the Northumberland becoming buried again or suffering irreversible damage, the Historic England team announced that new geophysical surveys would be carried out to map and document the site as accurately as possible. The priority is to record all accessible details before the window of opportunity for exploration closes.
