The ship soon became a popular attraction, and public open days were very well attended. The queue (right) stretched back along the riverside.

chests or coffers, and the text may have originally read:

IHESUSjIHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORUM IBAT

(But Jesus, crossing over, went through the midst of them.)

This was a popular medieval charm against thieves, the biblical text (Luke Ch. 4 v. 30) often being combined with the Angelic Salutation, and therefore appropriate for chests containing precious belongings.

Among the organic finds were numerous leather items (including shoes and boots) and fragments of textile and wool. One of the larger pieces of wool is clearly hemmed, and may be part of a jerkin. Two wooden combs were found, along with a round wooden counter, similar to modern draughts pieces. There were many barrel staves, possibly the remains of a cargo or supplies for the crew. Fibres from the clay filling have been identified by Kate Hunter of Newport Museum as raw flax, which was a major export from Ireland during the medieval period. Evidence has also been found for pumps on the ship, with a composite wood and leather pump handle located near the bow, and three probable pump holes cut into the timbers, two of which were lined with wicker baskets, known as strum boxes, which acted as filters .

• The campaign While the preliminary excavations were hinting at the significance of the find, Newport City Council worked relentlessly behind the scenes to try to find the money to excavate the ship fully. A 'Save Our Ship' campaign was launched by local citizens who feared the ship would not be saved. The local media supported the campaign and 10,000 people signed a petition calling for the entire ship to be lifted. A 24-hour vigil was held outside the site for a three-week period while the fate of the ship was decided, and one evening, a flotilla of boats sailed up the River Usk to salute the Newport ship. Several websites, including ones hosted by the Council for British Archaeology and Chepstow Archaeological Society, spread the news across Britain and beyond, and specialists and public figures added their voices to those of the people of Newport, demanding that the ship be saved.

Newport City Council arranged public open days and people patiently queued for a chance to view the ship, whilst all the time Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust continued to excavate and record the remains, working with Newport City Council and the building contractors (E Turner and Son) to release the site so that construction work could continue. A viewing platform was created so that people could watch progress on a daily basis. On Friday 23rd August the National Assembly for Wales announced that funding would be made available to lift, conserve and display the exposed parts of the ship.

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