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What caused the ships to sink in such close proximity in the open mouth of the harbour?
RDF
13th century trading ships unload their cargoes in a medieval coastal town.
National Maritime Museum

In the entrance to St Peter Port in Guernsey lie the earliest wooden wrecks ever found in British waters. But the spinning propellers of ferries that uncovered these medieval treasures are now threatening to destroy them with their constant passage into the Channel Island port. Archaeologists and the Wreck Detectives have a race against time to study these remains before they are lost forever.

The investigation in Guernsey had difficulties as the team competed with the ferries for the use of the harbour entrance. Further archaeological work on the wrecks confirmed they were mid-13th century trading vessels, taking wine and other products along the Atlantic seaboard. They may have been sunk either by a fierce storm or by raiding French ships from Brittany.

Watch video – Miranda and site archaeologist Jon Adams discover a 13th century vessel's huge timber knee in the silt