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In 1544, Henry VII had invaded France trying to win back some of the land England had once ruled. In the same year,
Parliament granted Henry the title of “Defender of the Faith”, although this time it was defender of the faith of the Church of England.
In 1545 France set out to invade England with a fleet of ships sailing across the channel. Henry launched his fleet to attack the French. When he
had become King in 1509 England had a navy of just 15 ships. He arranged the building of a naval dock at Portsmouth and established the Navy Board to run the
service. By 1545, the navy comprised 45 ships and they were fitted with all the latest guns.
Henry was confident that his ships could now rival those of
France and Spain. However, when adding these extra, heavy guns the designers had made a mistake. As Henry watched from on shore, his fleet set out, led by his
greatest ship, the Mary Rose. Suddenly, “the wind caught her sails so strongly as to heel her over, and plunge her open gun ports beneath the water, which
flooded and sank her.” Within minutes the ship sunk and over 400 men were lost. The French, however, were defeated.
In 1971 the wreck of the Mary Rose was discovered and, in 1982, it was brought to the surface and is now in a museum in Portsmouth. I remember
watching breakfast television as the wreck of the ship broke the surface of the water. It was a massive event. I wonder what history-making events you will
get to see in your lifetime.
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