Archaeologists trawl Thames for wrecks

3:47pm Tuesday 26th August 2008

By Lesley Bates

MARINE archaeologists from Salisbury-based Wessex Archaeology are among a team of divers who have been trawling the bed of the River Thames to recover the wrecks of ships that have foundered in the river over the last 400 years.

The results of their research are being televised in a two-part documentary called Thames Shipwrecks: A Race Against Time.

The first part will be shown on BBC2 tonight (Tuesday) and the final episode will be shown next week. The documentary explores the stories behind the wrecks.

In what is described as one the biggest marine archaeological operations mounted in the country, seven wrecks have been salvaged, ranging from a 17th century warship to small boats that secured the Thames during the Second World War.

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