A warship that sank off the Goodwin Sands near Deal centuries ago is now accessible to non-divers from their own homes.

The 70-gun Stirling Castle, which went down in the Great Storm of 1703, can now be seen through a virtual dive trail.

This has been commissioned by Historic England in partnership with tech companies TrenDive, AtasMedia Ltd and CyanSub.

It provides a fascinating insight into the resting place of this nationally important ship, now in a Protected Wreck Site.

HMS Stirling Castle was built in 1678 at Deptford, then in Kent, and was one of 20 of this kind constructed in a programme to regenerate the English navy.

It was done on the order of Samuel Pepys who was Chief Secretary to the Admiralty as well as a now-celebrated diarist.

The vessel fell victim to the Great Storm of November 1703, and only 70 of the crew of 349 were saved.

That storm also claimed other ships on the notorious shifting sands, including the warships Northumberland and Restoration, which are also in Protected Wreck Sites.

The Stirling Castle was found in 1979 by divers from Thanet, whilst investigating a fisherman's net fastenings.

It had been exposed by a dramatic movement in the sands and when originally discovered the hull and its contents were well preserved.

The wreck lies in about 15 metres of water in an area of fine sand which moves easily with the strong currents in this area.

The wreck of the Stirling Castle is designated under the ‘Protection of Wrecks Act 1973’ and a licence is required to dive the site.

Terence Newman, maritime archaeologist at Historic England said: “The Stirling Castle is a welcome addition to our growing library of virtual dive trails, that allows for wider public access to our important underwater heritage sites.

"The trail tells the fascinating story of the Stirling Castle and her crew before taking you below the waves to explore the wreck and the artefacts that have been recovered by the dedicated team over the years.”

The three-dimensional virtual tour has been created by using archaeological records including archival research.

It has also involved 2D plans, photographs, HD video, the latest geophysical surveys, and computer visualisation technology.

The journey follows the route from the warship's building to its loss and discovery.

It highlights the work of the former licensee, Robert Peacock and the current licensee, Douglas McElvogue, that has sought to tell Stirling Castle’s story through research, investigating the site and the recovered artefacts.

Mr McElvogue said: “ArtasMedia and CynaSub have done a fantastic job bringing Robert Peacocks team’s work and the story of the Stirling Castle to a wider audience through this web tour.

"Thank you to Historic England for their continued support throughout the project.”

The Stirling Castle virtual dive trail can be seen by clicking here.

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