Discoverers of Norfolk's Mary Rose plan to open museum

The brothers, together with their friend James Little, are responsible for the discovery of HMS Gloucester - a 17th Century royal shipwreck dubbed Norfolk’s Mary Rose.

The Gloucester sank off the coast of Great Yarmouth on May 6, 1682, with James Stuart – the future King James II – on board.

It was en route to Edinburgh when it collided with a sandbank 45km off the coast of Great Yarmouth, sinking within an hour.

Up to 250 people died in the tragedy, but James Stuart – the Duke of York – was saved, later becoming King of England.

The shipwreck had laid hidden beneath the waves of the North Sea for more than three centuries before being unearthed by the brothers in 2007 - but the discovery was only made public last year.

Artefacts recovered from the shipwreck have been on display as part of an exhibition at Norwich Castle Museum – ‘The Last Voyage of The Gloucester: Norfolk’s Royal Shipwreck 1682’ – which will run until September 10 this year.

READ MORE: Visitor numbers revealed for blockbuster shipwreck show

Now, ahead of the first anniversary of the discovery, the brothers hope their charity – The Gloucester 1682 Trust – can raise funds to continue their research and one day open a permanent museum in Great Yarmouth.

READ MORE: 'So good to be back': Brothers revisit royal shipwreck Gloucester

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“We’ll always be known as the people who found the Gloucester, and no one can take that away from us, but we’re still working to continue telling this story,” Julian said.

“Now we’ve got this exhibition we need to build up the public profile of the discovery and get the public behind our fundraising campaign to continue to move forward.

“We’ve made it clear over the years that this is a Norfolk find. This is our story for Norfolk.

“We want to ultimately have a permanent museum in Great Yarmouth, here in Norfolk.”

Half of the ship remains buried beneath the seabed, but the pair are hopeful future trenching can unearth more of the ship’s hidden secrets and treasures.

Professor Claire Jowitt described it as “the most significant historic maritime discovery since the raising of the Mary Rose in 1982” - a historical event both Julian and Lincoln were inspired by.

“A big influence growing up was watching the Mary Rose come up – we both remember watching it on Blue Peter,” Lincoln said.

The brothers live in Wroxham, and have always been avid divers. They have followed in the footsteps of their father - a diver himself, who worked on the discovery of the HMS Association in the late 1960s.

Their sense of adventure and love of the sea was helped by family holidays growing up, which included a diving shark safari in South Africa.

READ MORE: From the Gloucester to Invincible: Shipwrecks found off the Norfolk coast

“Later in life we were diving in the North Sea and managed to get enough funds together to buy our own boat and then off we went exploring, trying to find wrecks,” Lincoln said.

“We always loved identifying them and doing the research to find out what happened to them.

“We both love the sea and became shipwreck enthusiasts.”

They said their lives have changed ever since going public with the discovery.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Lincoln added.

“The best bit is how lovely the public have been towards us and our story - it’s been really rewarding.

“People are loving it and it’s making them happy. That is the real buzz - seeing the public engage with it. We feel like you’re doing it for everyone."