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The remains of a rare 19th Century dock built for Charles Darwin’s ship HMS Beagle has been recognised as a site of national importance, the BBC reports.<\/h3>\nThe remains of a rare 19th Century dock built for Charles Darwin’s ship HMS Beagle has been recognised as a site of national importance, the BBC reports.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
The BBC writes:<\/p>\n
The submerged mud berth on the River Roach in Rochford, Essex, will now be protected against unauthorised change.<\/p>\n
The ship, launched in 1820, allowed Darwin to make observations that led to his theory of natural selection.<\/p>\n
“We are glad to see this site in a quiet corner of Essex given national protection,” said Historic England.<\/p>\n
“This is a fascinating example of a rare piece of maritime history.”<\/p>\n
Paglesham mudflats, near Southend, was thought to be the last resting place of the Beagle and investigations into the site began last year.<\/p>\n
The team from Wessex Archaeology were able to reveal the outline of the dock using a drone fitted with a specialist camera.<\/p>\n
Historic England commissioned the team to research the area ahead of the bicentenary of the vessel’s launch this month.<\/p>\n
Darwin was aboard the ship on its second great voyage between 1831 and 1836 to survey the South American coast and the Galapagos Islands.<\/p>\n
Following the Beagle’s third and final exploratory voyage in 1843, it was refitted as a static watch vessel for the coastguard in 1845, until sold in 1870.<\/p>\n
Historic England said documentary evidence showed the ship was in the Rochford dock in 1870 and was likely dismantled there.<\/p>\n
The site has been designated as a scheduled monument by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.<\/p>\n
Rochford District Council also plan to build a new observation platform at the RSPB Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project, overlooking the River Roach where the ship was moored.<\/p>\n