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King Henry Viiis Mary Rose
346 pages of excellent text, filled with great photos and illustrations. A fascinating account of one mans' quest to search for and find King Henry VIII's flagship, which sank and has been buried 12 feet under the seabed for 460 years. First Edition.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
About the author
Alexander McKee
54 books14 followersAlexander McKee was no "yes-man", he dared to criticise many military, political, economic, media and academic icons and he always kept an open mind. He was fanatical about making his works as accurate as he possibly could. He was ever alert to plain-wrong, biased, distorted or sloppy reports and hidden agendas; wickedly delighting (the more so as a self-educated man) in criticising and exposing assertions that did not fit the evidence. Among his targets were those who tended to emphasise media-image-managment, the accumulation of personal wealth and career progression over both personal integrity and respect for other people's contributions. He gleefully highlighted all the many lapses of integrity that he found. Equally, many established experts, often highly educated people and indeed experts regarding the theoretical aspects of their disciplines, but whom he considered scandalously remiss when they complacently failed to complement such theoretical understanding with practical knowledge as a way to test their theories empirically. Consequently, some of them came in for some harsh criticism on occasion. One gets the impression from his work that some of them appeared reluctant to venture outside the academy at all; out into the "real world": let alone to mix with ordinary people. Implicitly, he urged them to converse with the fishermen, the builders, the soldiers, the doctors, the nurses, the shipwrights and the firemen to glean practical understanding from these practical people, who had to be willing and able to carry out the ultimate tests on their theories to provide demonstably working solutions in order to fulfill their typical working roles. Then he urges such experts in the theory to re-test their theories against the empirically derived knowledge gleaned from their excursions among the working classes, and to do so conjunction with their own senses, out in the "real world": rather than limiting themselves and risking their reputations on the results of thought experiments alone. He dug deep into eye-witness testimonies and spent countless hours searching libraries and museums for the documentary evidence surrounding each his-story. One may find this slightly comical that viewed against the background of established caricaturisations, when the elevated "pillars of wisdom", went "building castles in the air" around about the "ivory towers" and he found strong contradictory "real world" evidence he often lambasted them mercilessly, although it does sometimes seem to be overdone. In contrast, he made the point that some of the sloppy documentary historical works such as that of Sir Robert Davis, that temporarily led his own research astray (and much to his annoyance caused him to repeat untruths in public lectures) while causing the propagation of serious errors until he uncovered them, were nevertheless probably a consequence of the pressures of work, owing to the high quality of the rest of the publication.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 19, 2017
This is a fantastic read, of years of swimming, diving and sailing in the Solent, working away at finding and unearthing the wreck of Henry VIII's flagship Mary Rose.
We get the history of the mighty ship and how she fought in various battles, being refitted and with greater armament loaded. Then tragically as she faced battle once more, a turn with gun ports open (low for balance) brought water in the open ports and she heeled over and sank very fast. Only about 35 men were recovered from several hundred aboard. As time went by a few items were recovered but she was not salvaged and only in the 1800s when iron-helmet divers went down were any more sightings of the wreck made.
Alexander McKee who never hesitates to share the praise around his fellow enthusiasts led the renewed hunt for the ship whose location had been forgotten again - some other wrecks nearby had been blown up as hazards to shipping. Diving and underwater archaeology were still in the process of development. There was no money, especially early on when all there was to see was mud.
Much later the Duke of Edinburgh and later Prince Charles got involved and the publicity meant that big firms lent or gifted equipment and money was provided to pay for boat hire, air cylinders, fuel and so on. Then artefacts from cannons to combs had to be conserved to stop them falling apart as they met air. This allowed much information to be gained about life and artefacts in Tudor times.
The decades of work end in the book as Mary Rose is about to be lifted out in 1982, emptied of all her items and bones. She is now on display in Portsmouth, from where she last set sail. I believe the whole world owes these brave, dedicated ship-lovers a favour.
I like that women partook of much work in the book, from diver supervising to recording to archaeology, and diving too. Sadly the person we heard of dying on the site was a young woman who choked underwater. I also enjoyed reading the various logs of all involved. The photos and drawings are a wonderful accompaniment throughout.
If you like ships, history, diving and treasure hunts, or unusual memoirs, grab this book!
I read a copy dated 1982 from the Royal Dublin Society Library. This is an unbiased review.
We get the history of the mighty ship and how she fought in various battles, being refitted and with greater armament loaded. Then tragically as she faced battle once more, a turn with gun ports open (low for balance) brought water in the open ports and she heeled over and sank very fast. Only about 35 men were recovered from several hundred aboard. As time went by a few items were recovered but she was not salvaged and only in the 1800s when iron-helmet divers went down were any more sightings of the wreck made.
Alexander McKee who never hesitates to share the praise around his fellow enthusiasts led the renewed hunt for the ship whose location had been forgotten again - some other wrecks nearby had been blown up as hazards to shipping. Diving and underwater archaeology were still in the process of development. There was no money, especially early on when all there was to see was mud.
Much later the Duke of Edinburgh and later Prince Charles got involved and the publicity meant that big firms lent or gifted equipment and money was provided to pay for boat hire, air cylinders, fuel and so on. Then artefacts from cannons to combs had to be conserved to stop them falling apart as they met air. This allowed much information to be gained about life and artefacts in Tudor times.
The decades of work end in the book as Mary Rose is about to be lifted out in 1982, emptied of all her items and bones. She is now on display in Portsmouth, from where she last set sail. I believe the whole world owes these brave, dedicated ship-lovers a favour.
I like that women partook of much work in the book, from diver supervising to recording to archaeology, and diving too. Sadly the person we heard of dying on the site was a young woman who choked underwater. I also enjoyed reading the various logs of all involved. The photos and drawings are a wonderful accompaniment throughout.
If you like ships, history, diving and treasure hunts, or unusual memoirs, grab this book!
I read a copy dated 1982 from the Royal Dublin Society Library. This is an unbiased review.
April 9, 2022
I have really enjoyed reading this fascinating and well-written book. The late Alexander McKee was an accomplished writer, as well as an amateur diver. He had about 26 books published in his lifetime.
The first part of the book tells of the building of a 600 ton wooden warship for Henry VIII in 1510-11 and its later upgrading to a 700 ton 'battleship' fitted with additional heavy guns in 1536. She led the warships defending Portsmouth against a French naval force in 1545 when a wind caused her to heel over, fill with seawater through open gunports, and sink rapidly with few survivors. Some salvage from the wreck was attempted soon afterwards and in the 1830s some Tudor-period cannon were found by divers salvaging from a nearby sunken 18th century warship. After that the remains of the Mary Rose were unknown, with differing and erroneous opinions about where in the Solent she might have sunk. There remained almost no trace of the wreck at the seabed.
McKee belonged to a local amateur diving group, the Southsea branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club, and had long had an ambition, bordering on obsession, to find and excavate the remains of the Mary Rose. The main part of the book is his personal account of how he persuaded some other members of the club to make a determined effort to reveal the wreck. The book includes accounts written by his colleagues as well as his personal experiences. It is profusely illustrated, McKee having taken many of the photographs. When the wreck had been located, it was difficult and dangerous work to excavate what remained buried in the mud. Visibility in British waters is notoriously poor, compared to some underwater archaeology elsewhere. Sometimes visibility was almost zero and excavation was done more by touch than eyesight. It was also dangerous, with bad weather, sickness, strong currents in the Solent. Big ships passed overhead to and from Portsmouth and Southampton, until the team were able to secure the site as an important historic wreck. One young diver did die while excavating. McKee had some narrow escapes and there is a moving account by one of his colleagues of how he had to accept the likelihood of his death by drowning when his air supply developed a fault. Fortunately he was rescued and resuscitated just in time. McKee reflects on the emotions and fate of the hundreds of Tudor crew who were unable to escape from the sinking ship.
When the local amateur divers began their project in 1965 it was all voluntary work. All gave up their time, sometimes taking unpaid time off work, and they paid what they could themselves to buy what was essential. Lack of funds was always a major problem, and the group had to scrimp and borrow what they could. Eventually when it was clear that they were successful it was easier to get funding and loans of major equipment. In the later stages the organisation became more bureaucratic. Spectacular finds of Tudor cannon, weapons, human skeletons, personal items and a complete set of surgical/medical implements raised awareness and eventually led to the building of a special museum in Portsmouth to house the remains of Henry VIII's warship and the thousands of recovered items.
The book ends when, in 1982, the excavated hull was about to be raised from the seabed for preservation in its new museum. At this stage the project had changed from an amateur underwater search to a major expensive venture in which Dr Margaret Rule played a leadership role. She had joined the Southampton team as a professional archaeologist in the late 1960s.
I recommend this book for its interest, personal recollections, and good writing. Try to find a copy if you can!
The first part of the book tells of the building of a 600 ton wooden warship for Henry VIII in 1510-11 and its later upgrading to a 700 ton 'battleship' fitted with additional heavy guns in 1536. She led the warships defending Portsmouth against a French naval force in 1545 when a wind caused her to heel over, fill with seawater through open gunports, and sink rapidly with few survivors. Some salvage from the wreck was attempted soon afterwards and in the 1830s some Tudor-period cannon were found by divers salvaging from a nearby sunken 18th century warship. After that the remains of the Mary Rose were unknown, with differing and erroneous opinions about where in the Solent she might have sunk. There remained almost no trace of the wreck at the seabed.
McKee belonged to a local amateur diving group, the Southsea branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club, and had long had an ambition, bordering on obsession, to find and excavate the remains of the Mary Rose. The main part of the book is his personal account of how he persuaded some other members of the club to make a determined effort to reveal the wreck. The book includes accounts written by his colleagues as well as his personal experiences. It is profusely illustrated, McKee having taken many of the photographs. When the wreck had been located, it was difficult and dangerous work to excavate what remained buried in the mud. Visibility in British waters is notoriously poor, compared to some underwater archaeology elsewhere. Sometimes visibility was almost zero and excavation was done more by touch than eyesight. It was also dangerous, with bad weather, sickness, strong currents in the Solent. Big ships passed overhead to and from Portsmouth and Southampton, until the team were able to secure the site as an important historic wreck. One young diver did die while excavating. McKee had some narrow escapes and there is a moving account by one of his colleagues of how he had to accept the likelihood of his death by drowning when his air supply developed a fault. Fortunately he was rescued and resuscitated just in time. McKee reflects on the emotions and fate of the hundreds of Tudor crew who were unable to escape from the sinking ship.
When the local amateur divers began their project in 1965 it was all voluntary work. All gave up their time, sometimes taking unpaid time off work, and they paid what they could themselves to buy what was essential. Lack of funds was always a major problem, and the group had to scrimp and borrow what they could. Eventually when it was clear that they were successful it was easier to get funding and loans of major equipment. In the later stages the organisation became more bureaucratic. Spectacular finds of Tudor cannon, weapons, human skeletons, personal items and a complete set of surgical/medical implements raised awareness and eventually led to the building of a special museum in Portsmouth to house the remains of Henry VIII's warship and the thousands of recovered items.
The book ends when, in 1982, the excavated hull was about to be raised from the seabed for preservation in its new museum. At this stage the project had changed from an amateur underwater search to a major expensive venture in which Dr Margaret Rule played a leadership role. She had joined the Southampton team as a professional archaeologist in the late 1960s.
I recommend this book for its interest, personal recollections, and good writing. Try to find a copy if you can!
December 9, 2023
This was a really fascinating and well-written book about the Mary Rose, a Tudor warship that went down in the English Channel in 1545, and then Alexander McKee's journey to find it. The first part is the Tudor story of the ship as an active war vessel, and gives you a really good feel for how McKee was captured by the Mary Rose's story. He does a great job of bringing her (and the men who would have sailed on her) back to life. The rest of the book is his story: how he and a group of fellow divers gave up their days and searched for the Mary Rose, how they worked with others to develop the underwater archaeology that would serve best in the Channel (since the work being done in the Mediterranean was totally different conditions and everyone figured out that wouldn't work here!), and the trials and tribulations along the way. McKee is great about spreading the praise to all the team members and using their own words to help tell the story (even if they aren't complimentary to him), and the reader gets an amazing feel for how this discovery happened.
This book definitely makes me want to go to the Mary Rose museum in Southhampton in England and see the artifacts they found and learn more of the story of how it was raised, as well as see the actual ship and learn more about the conservation work that had to be done. I think anyone interested in history or archaeology will want to give this a try!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This book definitely makes me want to go to the Mary Rose museum in Southhampton in England and see the artifacts they found and learn more of the story of how it was raised, as well as see the actual ship and learn more about the conservation work that had to be done. I think anyone interested in history or archaeology will want to give this a try!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
January 2, 2024
This is a new edition of the original telling of how the Mary Rose was found. Written in the first person, it’s a detailed account from the person who originally organised the salvage.
The book starts with a description of the Mary Rose going down before detailing previous rescue attempts. It then shares all of the trials and successes of the most recent attempt. Interspersed with the narrative are diary entries from other divers who worked on the dig. These are clearly broken up in the book so you can see who is speaking.
As mentioned this book is extremely detailed, describing a lot about diving, archaeology, maritime information and the geography of Portsmouth. This may be a bit overwhelming to some but if you have a great interest in the Mary Rose project it definitely won’t be.
This book only takes us up to the end of the dig & doesn’t even cover the salvage. I feel like we could now do with a follow up of raising her from the sea bed & the conservation project into the museum.
Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.
The book starts with a description of the Mary Rose going down before detailing previous rescue attempts. It then shares all of the trials and successes of the most recent attempt. Interspersed with the narrative are diary entries from other divers who worked on the dig. These are clearly broken up in the book so you can see who is speaking.
As mentioned this book is extremely detailed, describing a lot about diving, archaeology, maritime information and the geography of Portsmouth. This may be a bit overwhelming to some but if you have a great interest in the Mary Rose project it definitely won’t be.
This book only takes us up to the end of the dig & doesn’t even cover the salvage. I feel like we could now do with a follow up of raising her from the sea bed & the conservation project into the museum.
Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.
February 6, 2024
How We Found the Mary Rose by Alexander McKee was packed with so much information about the famous Mary Rose and I was one of the lucky people to see it surface in October 1982, I was a 12 year old girl on my grandad's tug boat watching it surface in the Solent......An amazing day and one I will never forget.
Mary Rose was Henry VIII's beautiful flagship that dramatic sunk during an engagement with the French fleet in July 1545. This happened under the very eyes of King Henry VIII. Over 400 years later Mary Rose was finally bought to the surface off the coast of Portsmouth.
Sadly this book had no photo's or illustrations within this book, which made this book too long and plain Jane kind of book.......A memorial day that needs to be celebrated........Sadly, This book did not do this - it was just Black and white throughout.........A book that would not catch my eye - only if I wanted to learn more about Mary Rose! But some photo's would have made this book a 5 star book...........The cover is beautiful but did not match the inside of this book!
Big Thank you to Netgalley and Sapere Books for my Arc.
Mary Rose was Henry VIII's beautiful flagship that dramatic sunk during an engagement with the French fleet in July 1545. This happened under the very eyes of King Henry VIII. Over 400 years later Mary Rose was finally bought to the surface off the coast of Portsmouth.
Sadly this book had no photo's or illustrations within this book, which made this book too long and plain Jane kind of book.......A memorial day that needs to be celebrated........Sadly, This book did not do this - it was just Black and white throughout.........A book that would not catch my eye - only if I wanted to learn more about Mary Rose! But some photo's would have made this book a 5 star book...........The cover is beautiful but did not match the inside of this book!
Big Thank you to Netgalley and Sapere Books for my Arc.
September 3, 2025
I really loved this. Ive become obsessed with reading books about shipwrecks. I adore how this author told the story. The rich details and excerpts of the time period. While I know quite a bit of Tudor history, this felt like a new revelation. I never paid much attention to the naval battles or what ships were called. If those things weren't enough, the way he talked about diving and finding the Mary Rose was so interesting. I could read Alex's words forever. It wasnt boring. I felt so invested in this moment in time and history. Love love love how this narrative and story was told
December 19, 2023
Fascinating read.
Intriguing and inspiring read.
Looking back 40 years after the raising of the Mary Rose this book reveals the foresight and determination of Alexander McKee.
Sadly he passed before many of his predictions as to the research value of the artefacts and remains came to fruition.
I hope he would be gratified by the interest there is today in the Mary Rose and all she contained.
Intriguing and inspiring read.
Looking back 40 years after the raising of the Mary Rose this book reveals the foresight and determination of Alexander McKee.
Sadly he passed before many of his predictions as to the research value of the artefacts and remains came to fruition.
I hope he would be gratified by the interest there is today in the Mary Rose and all she contained.
October 21, 2024
A vivid image of the Mary Rose and her discovery
This is an excellent read, covering in clear detail the life of the Mary Rose and her sinking, and the efforts since to find and recover her. The book brings alive both the Tudor characters who sailed her and the courageous divers who explored her, written by “Mad Mac” McKee himself, who found and uncovered the wreck and managed her discovery. Highly recommended.
This is an excellent read, covering in clear detail the life of the Mary Rose and her sinking, and the efforts since to find and recover her. The book brings alive both the Tudor characters who sailed her and the courageous divers who explored her, written by “Mad Mac” McKee himself, who found and uncovered the wreck and managed her discovery. Highly recommended.
May 1, 2024
It would be a five star book to me but for the rather sudden end. It's a fascinating recounting of the discovery and excavation of the Mary Rose and the evolution of the project over the many years it took. And then the tale ends in 1982 just a few months before the ship was raised. I enjoyed reading the book, but it just didn't quite feel like the story was complete.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews