A CANNON raised from Alderney’s Elizabethan wreck attracted hundreds of residents to the island’s commercial quay.
The 400-year-old artefact was displayed alongside similar finds on dive vessel Commandant Fourcault. It will head for the Tower of London today, where experts will assess it.
Archaeologist Mensun Bound directed the excavation to raise the cannon last week. He said it was wonderful to see so much interest in the wreck. ‘More than a hundred people were waiting for the ship as we came into harbour and many more have visited since.’
Alderney State’s president, Sir Norman Browse, praised Mr Bound and his team of divers and said the London exhibition could prove a great advert for the island. ‘Mensun and his team have done a wonderful job and it’s exciting to think all these artefacts are on their way to London,’ he said.
‘It’s wonderful for the divers that their work is going to be displayed in this way but it’s also good news for Alderney as this could really put our island on the map.’
Various artefacts, including two cannon, a breastplate and navigational dividers, will stay in London until 31 August.
Experts in York will then test them before returning to Alderney in three years’ time.
The wreck, which was discovered by local fisherman Bertie Cosheril in 1977, has been described as the most significant maritime discovery since the Mary Rose.
It is said to mark a significant shift in Britain’s military history, from bows and arrows, to firearms.
* Visit www.alderneywreck.com for further information.
Article posted on 17th June, 2008 - 11.30am
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