Ordered in 1416, Grace Dieu was completed by in 1418 and at the time was one of the largest ships in England. Her weight was estimated to be 1,400 tons
_____________________________________________________- The remains of Grace Dieu suggest that it was built in a hurry as some of the planks and ribs are roughly finished.
_____________________________________________________ - At 218 feet long and 50 feet wide, the Grace Dieu was twice the size of the Mary Rose.
_____________________________________________________ - The ship was designed with a clinker build, a technique popularly used by the Norseman. The Victorians originally believed the wreckage to be a Viking ship due to the build of Grace Dieu.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ - Despite originally being built for battle, Grace Dieu was no longer needed by the time it was operational in 1420. She made only one voyage, which ended very quickly after leaving Southampton when most of the crew mutinied.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ - Two other ships, Valentine and Falcon, were also built to escort Grace Dieu.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ - After the failed voyage Grace Dieu was moored in the River Hamble, where she remained until she was struck by lightning in 1439 and burnt to the shoreline.
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- The Grace Dieu was already stripped of equipment by the time she burnt in 1439. This led to a local rumour the shipkeeper burnt the ship on purpose after stripping and selling materials from her, and blamed a bolt of lightning as a cover up.
_______________________________________________________ - When the wreckage was identified as Grace Dieu in the 1930’s, the rightful ownership lay with the British Crown. This was until 1970, when the University of Southampton bought it for £5, and it then became one of the first sites to be designated as a protected wreck site.
___________________________________________________________________________________________ - 50 metres from the wreck of the Grace Dieu is believed to be the remains of the Holighost, another vessel that was comissioned by Henry V.
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