After discovery, the ship was dismantled and the remains were excavated piece-by-piece and stored in large freshwater containers to prevent decay.
A total of 1,700 ship timbers and over 600 associated timbers were retrieved and catalogued. With the help of AHRC funding, each individual timber was painstakingly recorded using 3-D recording arms to produce a digital record of the ship's key structural elements.
Three years to rebuild!
Each of the waterlogged timbers has been chemically treated to remove contaminants such as iron and sulphur. Once treated, the timbers are put in a giant freeze dryer to get rid of the water. After drying, finished by 2014, it will take another three years to rebuild the ship.