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NORFOLK
Royal wreck discovered after 340 years
The wreck of a royal warship that sunk while carrying the future King James II has been discovered off the coast of Norfolk, writes John Greeves. The wreck of the Gloucester has lain half-buried on the seabed for 340 years, about 30 miles off Great Yarmouth. It was found by three divers, Norfolk printer brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell and friend James Little. The wreck’s rough position was suspected, but it took four years of searching an area of 5,000 nautical miles before the discovery was made in June 2007.
Further time was needed to establish what the wreck was – eventually the ship’s bell identified it as the Gloucester – and the site needed to be formally protected. The announcement was made publicly in June this year.
Professor Claire Jowitt, a leading authority on maritime cultural history, said: “The discovery promises to fundamentally change understanding of 17th century social, maritime and political history.”
In 1682, the 50-gun Royal Navy frigate was selected to carry James, then Duke of York, to collect his pregnant
