Maritime archaeologists have recovered several gravestones from the UK’s oldest shipwreck.
The Mortar Wreck, named after the collection of marble mortars found on board, was discovered off the coast of Dorset, England in 2020 and was granted protected status in 2022.
Researchers have already brought objects including pottery and kitchen items to the surface, but a recent expedition by a team from England’s Bournemouth University recovered several carved burial slabs and stone mortars made for grinding flour, CBS affiliate BBC News reported .
Maritime Archeology from Bournemouth University
Dr. Derek Pitman, head of archeology at Bournemouth University, told BBC News that the 13th-century wreck was “really well preserved”. He believes the ship, which had a “relatively large load”, encountered choppy waters as it left the port of Poole in Dorset.
The stone found on board the ship was probably brought from southern England to Dorset, where it was loaded on board. For centuries the objects remained at the bottom of Poole Bay.
“It was full of stone mortars and grave slabs. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Pitman told the BBC.
Lifting the stone slabs required a “monstrous ship,” Pitman said. The “huge crates” were lifted onto the ship. Photos and videos of the operation show divers used machines to lift the heavy slabs that would have covered gravestones.
They and the mortars recovered from the wreckage will undergo conservation work and be put on display at the Poole Museum, according to the BBC.
