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HMS London was a 17th-century warship, built under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, and part of the fleet which transported King Charles II back to England in May 1660, during the restoration of the Monarchy. A few years afterwards, the vessel sank in the Thames Estuary following a mysterious explosion which tore the ship apart, close to where the city's pier now stands. Until 2005, the shipwreck lay undiscovered for 360 years near Southend, but now its story is being pieced back together. Mark Hardie hears from those involved in the shipwreck's rediscovery. Picture: A bronze sundial compass recovered from the HMS London shipwreck. Credit: Steve Ellis/Historic England.