Elizabethan wreck for Stoney

The remains were salved from London’s River Thames in 2004 and transported to Horsea Island lake in Hampshire, were they were stored before the decision to move them to Leicestershire.

There are, says the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS), “five huge sections” which are to be sunk at Stoney on 1 June in a depth of just 6m.

Tree ring analysis of the ship’s timbers have suggested that it was built around 1574.

Housed at the Royal Armouries museum at Fort Nelson in Hampshire are cannon from the wreck, including a gun bearing the insignia of Sir Thomas Gresham (1500-1579).

Other finds from the Thames wreck site have included iron bars, lead and tin ingots, pottery, leather footwear, pewter and copper vessels, and a silver spoon.

Archaeological survey and excavation in the Thames was co-ordinated by archaeologists at University College London and the University of Southern Denmark.

The Government’s maritime archaeological survey group Wessex Archaeology conducted much of the work.

Funding was provided by Port of London Authority, which discovered the remains in 2003 while clearing a navigation channel.

The sinking at Stoney Cove is being coordinated by the NAS.

"The largest section is over 8m in length and weighs some 8 tons, so it's not going to be easy," says Mark Beattie-Edwards, Programme Director.

“Once we get the hull sections into the water at Stoney Cove, we'll be using lifting airbags to help float them across the lake to get them into their new positions.

“I've hand-picked a team of eight divers to work on this difficult task. They are all very experienced, so I'm sure that we can sink the pieces in the right place at the right time.”