A gust, a turn, and an open question
Why she sank
Despite what you may have heard, the Trust says, the Mary Rose did not sink on her first time out of harbour. She was 34 years old when she sank, and had travelled hundreds of miles, from Scotland to the Atlantic coast of France. Mary Rose Trust
The only confirmed eyewitness, a Flemish sailor who escaped, claims that the Mary Rose had fired all her starboard side guns and was turning when her sails were caught in a strong gust of wind, pushing the gunports, which had been left open, below the waterline. Mary Rose Trust A Fleming among the survivors, van der Delft wrote, said the disaster was caused by their not having closed the lowest row of gunports on one side. Having fired the guns on that side, she was turning in order to fire from her other, when the wind caught her sails so strongly as to heel her over, and plunged her open gunports beneath the water. Mary Rose Trust Francois van der Delft, Imperial Ambassador and an eyewitness, wrote that towards evening, through misfortune and carelessness, the ship of Vice Admiral George Carew foundered, and all hands on board, to the number of about 500, were drowned, with the exception of five and twenty or thirty servants, sailors and the like, who escaped. Mary Rose Trust According to an eyewitness account, after firing at the French fleet, the Mary Rose was attempting to turn when it was blown onto its side by a gust of wind. The cannon openings had not been closed, causing the ship to fill with water and sink. Historians, however, disagree as to what caused the Mary Rose to initially roll onto its side. Nearly all of the crew died. Britannica
Greenwich says she was part of an English fleet trying to stop the French ships landing on the Isle of Wight, but sank before firing a single shot. Around 700 of her crew, including the captain, Sir George Carew, drowned. Only about 30 men were rescued. Royal Museums Greenwich
Had she fired, or did she sink before firing a shot?
The Trust’s only confirmed eyewitness, a Flemish sailor, claims she had fired all her starboard guns and was turning when a gust pushed the open gunports below the waterline. Van der Delft’s letter, quoted by the Trust, says the same: having fired, she was turning when the wind heeled her over. Britannica follows that eyewitness account. Royal Museums Greenwich says she sank before firing a single shot. These cannot both be right as settled fact, so both stay in view.
About 500, or around 700?
Van der Delft, quoted by the Trust, says all the 500 men on board were drowned save about 25 or 30. Royal Museums Greenwich says around 700 of her crew, including Sir George Carew, drowned, and only about 30 men were rescued. Britannica gives a crew of 400–500 and says nearly all of the crew died. Close on the survivors; not the same on how many were aboard.
While it’s often claimed that the gunports were cut too low, the Trust says there is no evidence for this. Scuppers along the main gun deck would suggest that they were a decent height above the waterline. Mary Rose Trust Studies of the size and shape of the Mary Rose, and the weight of the guns listed as onboard when she sank, suggest that while she was carrying a large number of guns for a ship of her size, it was still within the safe limit, the Trust says. Mary Rose Trust A French cavalry officer present at the battle stated that the Mary Rose had been sunk by French guns. A granite cannonball, similar to a type found in France, was found on the main gun deck — but in a shot locker, and the stone is also found in the English West Country. Mary Rose Trust
No one is sure exactly why the Mary Rose capsized, Greenwich says. We know that it was very overloaded, carrying 700 rather than the 400 crew it was built to carry. Once the ship began to tip to one side, after turning sharply, seawater poured in the gunports. Royal Museums Greenwich
Was she overloaded?
Royal Museums Greenwich says no one is sure exactly why she capsized, then: we know that it was very overloaded, carrying 700 rather than the 400 crew it was built to carry. The Trust, citing studies of her size and the listed guns, says that while she was carrying a large number of guns for a ship of her size, it was still within the safe limit. One page treats 700 as a known overload; the other does not treat the gun load as beyond a safe limit.
We do not treat a French hit as settled fact. The Trust presents that claim, and the doubts that sit beside it, on the same page.