Crane Designer Recalls Lifting the Mary Rose After Centuries Undersea

John Gray is 71 years old now. He has lived in Hook for 48 years. John had an impressive career at sea. He first went to sea in 1953. He was just 16 and worked as a deck officer.

John designed a special crane. The crane lifted the Mary Rose. The ship had been underwater for over 400 years. It sank way back in 1545. John is very proud of this work. The Mary Rose was raised in 1982.

John said lifting it was fascinating. It was great to be part of local history. He also helped with other sea projects. This included towing a huge structure. It was the biggest one in the North Sea. That structure earned a Guinness record.

John feels very proud of these achievements. He settled in Hook later in his life. He was one of the first to live at Roslin Place. It opened in April. John downsized from his family home. It was near Roslin Place.

He wanted to keep his sea memories. These included his travel log. It had notes from Nigeria, Africa, and New Guinea. He worked as an insurance surveyor. Later, he managed a shipping company.

John still loves to travel a lot. He recently took his family on a cruise. They explored the Croatian coast on a yacht. Roslin Place gave him more freedom. He now focuses on things he enjoys.

He turned a spare room into an office. There, he is writing his life story. It’s going to be an autobiography. He enjoys a great community feeling there. He lived in Hook a long time.

Yet, he met more people after moving. John enjoys the new friendships. He and others visit local pubs weekly. They have meals out together as a group.