Mary Rose, Museum ship in Portsmouth, United Kingdom

The Mary Rose was a carrack built for Henry VIII's Tudor navy, launched in 1511 and rebuilt in 1536. The surviving lower hull, about half the original ship, is displayed in the Mary Rose Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The dark oak timbers, with metal support rods and a sign reading "transom", are lit against a dark background.

Built from 1510 and launched in July 1511 at Portsmouth, the Mary Rose served Henry VIII's navy for 34 years, including the 1512 battle of Saint-Mathieu and the 1522 taking of Morlaix. Rebuilt in 1536, she sank on 19 July 1545 while attacking a French invasion fleet in the Solent. The wreck was located in 1971 and raised on 11 October 1982.

The ship reveals how Tudor sailors worked and lived, with tools and personal belongings still visible today. These objects tell the story of daily life aboard and the conditions crew members faced.

The hull and artefacts are displayed at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, where the wreck has been on show since the mid-1980s. The museum was built specifically to hold the ship and its recovered objects, so allow time to move between the hull viewing and the artefact galleries.

The ship was preserved underwater, keeping the wood and many organic materials in surprisingly good condition. This preservation method made it possible to keep items like clothing and food remains that would normally disappear over time.