''Holigost'' (sometimes rendered as ''Holy Ghost'') was a

carrack A carrack (; ; ; ) is a three- or four- masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal. Evolved from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for European trade fr ...

of the English navy rebuilt for

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

. Originally a Castillian vessel called ''Santa Clara,'' she was captured –14. She served until 1422 and later sank at her moorings. Her wreck is believed to have been found in the

River Hamble The River Hamble is located in south Hampshire, England. It rises near Bishop's Waltham and flows for through Botley, Bursledon, and Lower Swanwick before entering Southampton Water between Hamble Common and Warsash. The Hamble is tidal fo ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, near the wreck of her larger contemporary, the '' Grace Dieu''. The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England.

Description

''Holigost'' was a carrack, measuring in excess of length and beam. She was measured at 760 tons

Builder's Old Measurement Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship bas ...

. The ship had a crew of about 200 sailors. She also carried up to 260 troops. Armament was seven cannon, 102 gads (iron spears), bows and arrows, spears and poleaxes.

History

''Holigost'' was the second of the four "great ships" commissioned by Henry V, and which also included the ''Trinity Royal'', ''Jesus'', and '' Grace Dieu''.Hattendorf, JB and Unger, RW. (2003)
War at Sea in the Renaissance and Middle Ages
Boydell Press: Woodbridge, UK. She was originally a Castillian ship, ''Santa Clara'', which was captured in 1413–14 and subsequently rebuilt. ''Holigost'' "joined the royal fleet" on 17 November 1415. She saw action in at least two battles during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

. She participated in a naval battle off Harfleur in 1416. Following repairs to damage received there, she participated in a battle off Saint-Denis-Chef-de-Cove in 1417. ''Holigost'' was withdrawn from service in 1422 — the year of Henry's death — and laid up in the River Hamble,

Southamptonshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire is ...

. Repairs made in 1423 by Davy Owen may be the earliest recorded use of a diver in ship repair in England. It is believed that she eventually sank in the Hamble due to a lack of maintenance.

Wreck

In 2015, it was announced that it was thought that the wreck of ''Holigost'' lay in the River Hamble. The site is close to that of , another of Henry's ships. The wreck had been identified on an aerial photograph taken in the 1970s. Historic England is taking steps to protect the wreck before it is surveyed. A lack of funding is the reason behind the 40-year delay between the discovery of the wreck and work to survey the vessel beginning. The survey will include the use of

dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...

, drones, remote sensing and

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

External links

"Grace Dieu and the possible site of the Holigost" National Heritage List for England

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holigost Carracks 15th-century ships Ships of the Castillian navy Ships of the English navy Individual sailing vessels Shipwrecks in rivers History of Hampshire

Description

History

Wreck

See also

External links

References