Samuel Pepys’s Navy Preserved In Situ?

Abstract

This paper will focus on the wreck of the Stirling Castle, which was one of four ships of the line to perish on the Goodwin Sands during the Great Storm of 27 November 1703. The Goodwin Sands lies off the south-east coast of Kent between Dover and Ramsgate. These sands are famously known as the ‘Ship Swallower’. This paper will discuss what has been learnt from the site’s investigations, the heritage management issues of preservation in situ, and offer a strategy for the future management of the site.