French researchers will the search for the Cordelière, a huge warship that was sunk during an intense 16th-century battle with the biggest vessel in the English fleet, which also went down, reports The Guardian.
The Cordelière, pride of Anne of Brittany’s navy, exploded off the coast of Brest in 1512 after Henry VIII’s armada surprised her France-Brittany fleet during the War of the League of Cambrai.
“What we have under the water here are two of the most significant museums of the 16th century’s maritime history,” said Michel L’Hour, head of France’s marine archeology department. “It’s an underwater Pompeii.”
The search, set to run from 20 June to 14 July, will cover about 10 square miles stretching from the port at Brest to the promontory at Saint-Mathieu that gave its name to the battle.
Discovering the arrival of the much larger English armada on 10 August 1512, the bulk of Queen Anne’s fleet raced to safety in port. But the Cordelière, a 40-metre-long vessel armed with 200 cannon, turned to take on the Regent, fending it off for several hours before an explosion of unknown origin engulfed the French vessel, sinking both ships.
Nearly 1,500 people died and the sacrifice by the Cordelière’s captain and crew acquired mythic status in Brittany’s cultural history.