Six-hundred-year-old Henry V warship ‘found in English river’

A solid object found buried under the mud of a Hampshire river could be a warship used by Henry V during the Battle of Agincourt in the 1400s, historians believe. Used in the English campaign against France between 1416 and 1420, in the midst of the Hundred Years War, the Holigost (or “Holy Ghost”) was found using aerial photos of a region where Henry’s flagship, the Grace Dieu, was previously uncovered in the 1930s.

After Dr Friel’s discovery Government heritage agency Historic England has taken steps to protect and investigate the wreck.

Historic England said it will conduct future studies, such as sonar and aerial imaging, at the site of the wreck.

“It holds the possibility of fascinating revelations in the months and years to come”, he added.

Friel told The Guardian that “the Holigost was never as spectacular as the Grace Dieu, but in a few ways it is more important – an identifiable medieval ship, that fought in known engagements, would be an incredibly rare thing to find anywhere in the world”. It had a significant role in two battles that allowed Henry V to conquer France in the early 15th century.

The Holigost was built using repurposed materials from a captured Spanish ship called the Santa Clara. To investigate a ship from this period close to the 600th anniversary is immensely exciting.

A historian is believed to have found a 600-year-old English warship lying in mud in a river in southern England.

The vessel was built for Henry V to help him wage the war against France in the 15 century. The ship had a crew of 200 and reportedly carried the largest number of soldiers to war.

It was the flagship of the Duke of Bedford at the battle of Harfleur in 1416 and in the thick of the fighting off the Chef de Caux in 1417. Records indicate that she may have been the first English ship to be repaired underwater, showing that a “dyver” named Davy Owen carried out work on her in 1423.

The wreck discovered in the River Hamble is likely to be the Holigost – the second of four “great” ships which were built for the King’s royal fleet. However, after suffering serious damage, the ship was docked in the naval anchorage in the River Hamble and abandoned.

News said the Holigost was part of Henry V’s military that fought the French. Historic England has moved to protect the ship and will soon begin further research.