Raising of bow may solve mystery of the 'Mary Rose'

One of the enduring mysteries of British naval history moved a step closer to being solved as archaeologists raised remaining parts of the Mary Rose.

Historians have been baffled as to why Henry VIII's flagship foundered and sank in the Solent off Portsmouth in 1545, watched by the monarch, as it set sail to repel a French invasion force. But after a painstaking two-year project to recover the central part of the ship's bow, which also resulted in the raising of its massive anchor, specialists will have one of the final pieces in the Mary Rose jigsaw. Until now, the design and shape of the front of the ship has been unknown.