Gallo-Roman Ship (Asterix)

Guernsey's Roman ship, Asterix, is Britain's largest Roman object and believed to be one of only two of its type surviving.

A Romano-Celtic trading vessel, Asterix caught fire and sank in St Peter Port harbour around AD 280.  It was rediscovered on Christmas Day, 1982, by local diver Richard Keen, and raised between 1984 and 1986.  The original ship was around 22-25 metres long, of which some 17 metres of its lower part remain.  It is the only sea-going Roman ship to survive outside the Mediterranean, other than fragments. 

From 1999 to 2014 it underwent preservation work at the Mary Rose Trust.  Since its return to Guernsey, work is now underway to create a purpose built home for the Asterix.  The main timbers are currently on display in the grounds of the Guernsey Pearl and can be seen through a viewing window.  There is also a small display that explains more about the ship, how it was built and how it came to sink off Guernsey.