Expert knowledge has been very useful in the study of the Mary Rose and her crew in the processes of raising the ship, examining the human remains on board and investigating what the physical appearances of the crew would have been. Experts in various fields of archaeology, anatomy and forensics have played a crucial role in uncovering some of the mysteries surrounding the famous flagship of Henry VIII and her crew.
Expert knowledge has been useful in physically raising the sunken ship from the sea floor. Divers stumbled upon the wreckage of the Mary Rose in 1971 and later a project was started in 1979 to raise the Mary Rose to the surface by the Mary Rose Trust in one of the most complex and expensive projects in the history of maritime archaeology. An extensive team of engineering experts were involved in this process and over a three-year period, began the task of raising the ship. In order to raise the ship, the engineers devised a way to haul the ship to the surface using steel wires attached to structural points throughout the ship, mainly to load bearing beams. This design was successful and in 1982, the Mary Rose was successfully lifted to the surface.
Expert knowledge has also been useful in identifying and examining the various skeletal remains of the crew found on board the ship. An expert knowledge that has been used in this study of the crew is Osteoarchaeologists. Through the study of the bones of the crew, Osteoarchaeologists have been able to identify the various types of physical labour an individual would have performed on the ship due to the distinct impresssions and scars left on their bones. For example, an archer on board the ship could be identified by a specific shoulder bone impression. This expert knowledge has provided deeper insight into the activities that were performed on the ship and to the crews various roles on board.
Finally, expert knowledge has been useful in the investigation of the physical