Old Shipwrecks and New Dredging: An Elizabethan Ship in the Thames

Abstract

Seafaring in the Thames Estuary stretches back several millennia, serving London and the coasts of Kent and Essex. The Thames Estuary continues to be hugely important for shipping, and is the responsibility of the Port of London Authority (PLA). Shipping routes in the outer estuary are restricted to channels between many large and dynamic sandbanks. The PLA has been seeking to improve access to the south by dredging one of these channels, Princes Channel, to make up for sand movements that are blocking previouslyfavoured channels.