0:00:07 > 0:00:08This is Blue Peter, but mini.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Expect epic adventures, bakes, makes, badges, pets,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14presenters and your post.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18We've only got five minutes, so get ready for your Blue Peter adventure.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25So, Team Blue Peter have told me that today I'll be helping
0:00:25 > 0:00:28unlock the mysteries of the deep blue sea.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30That's because I'm in Portsmouth,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34to see a ship that dates back to Henry VIII!
0:00:34 > 0:00:36That's the 16th century!
0:00:36 > 0:00:39So I have come prepared.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41It's the wrong era!
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I'm here to set eyes on what is simply one of the most
0:00:44 > 0:00:46famous ships in history.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52That ship behind me is the Mary Rose and it was King Henry VIII's
0:00:52 > 0:00:54favourite warship.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56It was launched in 1511
0:00:56 > 0:01:01which, incredibly, makes it over 500 years old.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07The Mary Rose is so famous because, 34 years after launching,
0:01:07 > 0:01:08she sank in battle.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12She then spent over 400 years at the bottom of the sea
0:01:12 > 0:01:16before being rediscovered in the 1970s.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20It took another 11 years for her to be lifted from the seabed
0:01:20 > 0:01:22and that's where we came in.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Blue Peter covered the efforts to raise the wreck
0:01:25 > 0:01:27from start to finish,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and we played a big part in getting her out of the water.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34Since then, scientists have been restoring the Mary Rose
0:01:34 > 0:01:36and it's been painstaking work.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38The ship was sprayed with water,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41then waxed before it was slowly dried.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47Which means the wreck has never been seen in its entirety until now.
0:01:47 > 0:01:53After 34 years of conservation, the ship has been fully revealed.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55And just look at it!
0:01:55 > 0:01:56And it's only here,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59in this purpose-built museum in Portsmouth's historic dockyard,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02that you can get an up-close-and-personal look at
0:02:02 > 0:02:04this colossal piece of history.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I almost feel like I could step on board the ship.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Well, actually, I'm now going to take an even closer look.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16I've been given exclusive access to get to see parts
0:02:16 > 0:02:18of the restored ship most people won't.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20And it's fascinating.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25This is Dr Alex Hildred,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29she was part of the original diving team that raised the wreck.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34At one time, this was buried under the seabed.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37How did the ambition even start to raise it out and to bring it here?
0:02:37 > 0:02:38Well, once we exposed it
0:02:38 > 0:02:41we realised the wealth of objects that were inside it.
0:02:41 > 0:02:4519,000 objects that tell us about life in the 16th century.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47We realised we had to preserve it for the nation
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and the only way we could do that was to bring it ashore
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and create a museum, which is exactly what we've done.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Is there anything I can see close up?
0:02:55 > 0:03:00- Sure, I'll come and show you how we maintain objects.- Fantastic.
0:03:00 > 0:03:01The ship is restored
0:03:01 > 0:03:04but many of the objects found on the Mary Rose aren't,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08and it's in this room that the scientists are slowly working
0:03:08 > 0:03:10to uncover what was found onboard.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Each one an incredible piece of history.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Whatever it is we see here, or that you find generally,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19that could have been on the boat,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22used by people who actually lived and worked on the ship?
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Oh, absolutely, yeah. Touched by somebody 500 years ago now.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31And even though these historical treasures are around 500 years old,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34I'm being allowed to help out.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36We're going to allow you to excavate it.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40You've got one chance only, just don't mess it up!
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Wow! Talk about pressure.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Uh, so this could be a new find.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It could be a Blue Peter exclusive, or it could be...
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Well, let's find out.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51If you knock somewhere around here
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- you might be able to get this block off.- OK.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I'm going to knock your block off!
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Here comes the science bit. Concentrate.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I'm chipping away at a layer of calcium carbonate
0:04:02 > 0:04:06that's built up, having been underwater for so long.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Look at that! Look at that.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13I'm going to be honest, I've no idea what I'm looking at.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Now you've exposed enough for us to say that it's a cat hook,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19so that and the bronze sheave that makes the other part of it
0:04:19 > 0:04:23was used to help raise the anchor. It was found near an anchor
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and it's the only one we've got, so you've not only discovered history,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28but you've discovered one object
0:04:28 > 0:04:30that we've never had before on the Mary Rose.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31Incredible.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35This hook would have been used to hold the Mary Rose's giant anchor.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40And it's amazing to think it would have last seen the light of day
0:04:40 > 0:04:42way back in the time of Henry VIII.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Well, that right there is a Blue Peter exclusive.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49- Alex, thank you so much.- You're welcome.- David, thank you so much.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And if we were to do the entire concretion, how long would it take?
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Probably looking about Christmas 2017 to finish.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Yeah, I'll just probably look around the... Just look at the...
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Join in every Thursday on CBBC.