Wreck of historic warship is tobe subject of a day-long seminar

The remains of HMS Anne, Pett Level. 13-2-13

HMS Anne was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett II at Chatham Dockyard and launched in 1678.[1]
She took part in the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690, but was burnt after the battle.[1] The remains, on the low water mark of the beach near Pett Level,East Sussex, were designated under the British Protection of Wrecks Acton 20 June 1974. ENGSUS00120130213102048 — The remains of HMS Anne, Pett Level. 13-2-13 HMS Anne was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett II at Chatham Dockyard and launched in 1678.[1] She took part in the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690, but was burnt after the battle.[1] The remains, on the low water mark of the beach near Pett Level,East Sussex, were designated under the British Protection of Wrecks Acton 20 June 1974. ENGSUS00120130213102048

It takes place on the 325th anniversary of the Battle of Beachy Head which saw the allied fleet of English and Dutch warships defeated by the French who chased the fleet up the Channel past Hastings.

The Anne a warship of Charles II was the only loss to the English fleet and her remains can still be seen on the beach at Pett Level where she was towed and then eventually burnt to stop the French seizing her.

The seminar has been organised by the Shipwreck Centre at Hastings and takes place in the historic setting of St Clements Church, in the Old Town, and runs from 9am - 4pm.

During the morning Dr David Davies will present a lecture on Samuel Pepys’s Navy and Dr Ann Coats will be talking about Chatham dockyard in the 1670’s.

In the afternoon Richard Endsor will talk about building the Ann, while Dr Peter Marden will explore the history of the warship.

There will also be a talk entitled The Normans Bay Wrecks and Prof Robert Stone will explore a virtual reconstruction of the ship.

Jacqui Stanford, from the Shipwreck Museum, said: “This is a big event for Hastings, and is bringing people from all over the country to attend.”

The wreck of the English 70-gun warship, lies in the beach just beyond the eastern end of the shoreline houses of Pett Level. She was run ashore in July 1690 after being seriously damaged by the French navy in the Battle of Beachy Head.

She was ordered to be burnt by her Captain John Tyrrell to stop her being taken as a French prize.

She was one of the 30 ships programme supervised by Samuel Pepys and she was visited by King James II in 1687, before she carried a German princess to Lisbon to be the bride of King Pedro II of Portugal. It is believed that she was named after James II’s daughter Anne who later became Queen.

2,300 trees were used to build her at a cost of £16,000.

The Anne is owned by the Warship Anne Trust, a subsidiary of the Nautical Museums Trust that owns the Shipwreck Museum, and it is there that her story is told, with photographs and reconstruction paintings of the ship, and artefacts from the wreck. Amongst them is part of an early iron grenade.

The wreck can be seen at Pett Level at extremely low tides. The bottom is buried about four metres deep in the sands. The Anne is owned by the Warship Anne Trust.

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