Have you experienced a Train Ferry? Perhaps you think that Train Ferries are uncommon, but especially in earlier times, you would be wrong. Volunteer Roger Burns takes you through from the beginnings to the present day, and you might be surprised at how many there were worldwide, and how many are still in use. The [...]

Shipwrecks have always fascinated humankind. Even over 3000 years ago, Homer’s Odyssey figured the titular character’s shipwreck as central to its narrative arc and Virgil portrayed Aeneas’ maritime adventures to found Rome as they elicit an undeniable excitement from the audience. The mystery and grandeur of a well-built ship being overpowered by the force of [...]

The Silver War Badge was awarded in specific circumstances to those serving in the military and to merchant sailors for service in the First World War. Here MAT volunteer Roger Burns explores the service men and women eligible for the award with additional information about those aboard ships featured within the Forgotten Wrecks of the [...]

Volunteer Andrew Daw explores the story of the Irishman and its possible origins. One of several wrecks and hulks within the reaches of Langstone Harbour is the vessel Irishman. It lies at 5048.33N 01 01.41W (Ref: Wrecksite #19213) and it was lost on May 8‘" 1941, after having struck and detonated a magnetic mine dropped [...]

All vessels, except for sail-alone boats and water jets, have propellers. Despite being a crucial component of nautical engineering that allows ships to move, they are normally out of sight, and they can be arranged in different configurations. Have you ever thought about when they were invented and how they evolved into the sophisticated examples [...]

People have always needed to move around the Solent area, using the watercraft available at the time. From the logboats of the Mesolithic times, to multi-decked sailing vessels of the Middle Ages. In this blog, volunteer John Davies shows the development of these watercraft, some meeting their final resting place in the Solent, others only passing [...]

As the waterline rises, the tide engulfs further archaeology and keeps its secrets for centuries.  In this blog, Fathoming The Future volunteer Benita Yue, gives a brief insight into several projects undertaken by the Maritime Archaeology Trust. Each project telling the story of several eras lost under the waves. Figure 1: A painting showing the [...]

MAT volunteer Roger Burns has created another crossword to test your maritime and nautical knowledge. As before, the clues, ranging between the easier to the more difficult, are a mixture of maritime and nautical knowledge, with some “linking” words.   This month, the MAT are giving away three prizes, family tickets for a day at the [...]

 A total of six steam powered lifeboats for the Royal National Life Boat Institution (RNLI) were built and put into service by the RNLI between 1890 and 1900. MAT volunteer Roger Burns takes us through the background behind the introduction of these craft, describes two very different propulsion systems, summarises their service histories, and touches [...]

There are more than 37,000 known shipwrecks in England’s water, and thousands more around the Scottish, Welsh and Irish coast. Yet only 57 in England, and precious few in Scotland and Wales, are legally protected for historical, artistic or archaeological importance (Allen, 2021). Wrecks are threatened by natural forces and commercial exploitation of the sea [...]