Day 5: The cannon is raised

Cannon three is lifted from the water

At 4.28pm today the crew of Fourcault successfully raised a cannon from the Elizabethan wreck 30 meters below.

It was an event that rounded off a day of drama, beginning with the break down of a rib (powered dinghy) carrying the crew and members of the media from Alderney to the dive ship. Thankfully, the Fourcault skipper Pim de Rhoodes came to the rescue, towing the stranded rib with his spare, err...rib.

The news upon reaching the ship was disappointing; with choppy waters and no sign of a let up in the weather. Raising the cannon is such challenging conditions was looking increasingly unlikely.

Then a break in the weather coincided with another dive window, and the Belgian dive team to the task of securing ropes to the lifting straps already attached to the cannon.

The crew eagerly awaits as the cannon is lifted on to the deck

Chains rattled, ropes protested, and the ship leant at a slightly alarming angle (the cannon weighed in at well over a tonne), but after a very tense 40 minutes of slowly pulling the cannon and ship together, the ship's crane got to work hoisting the find onto the deck.

It touched down at 4.36pm, and project leader Mensun Bound and presenter Saul David wasted no time in cracking open the bubbly and addressing the assembled journalists, divers, friends and family.

"I'm delighted, and really, really relieved," Mensun beamed. "We've got the cannon, but we've also got the part of a gun carriage for the first time. There's also what looks like a helmet, a ceramic hand grenade, and some other elements I'm not sure of yet. But it's exciting."

Saul David and Mensun Bound examine the grand prize

The big question of whether this was part of a set of cannons has yet to be confirmed, but Mensun remains confident.

"The gun looks to be the right size, and the right calibre to the one we have in the museum. I think we're on the way to demonstrating that this ship was carrying possibly our first co-ordinated naval weapon system."

One way to prove this theory will be to raise a second cannon and compare the three for similarities, something that could happen as early as tomorrow.

Dive mission complete... well almost.

Published: June 2008