Earl Spencer helps find shipwreck that changed the course of British history Drowning of the heir to Henry I cast a shadow that led to generations of unrest – now the vessel on which he died may have been discovered 9 June 2021 • 9:00pm The sinking of the White Ship – a vessel which foundered in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur in 1120AD Credit: Chronicle / Alamy Stock Photo The wreck of a ship which changed the course of English history – after it sank 900 years ago with the heir to the throne on board – it believed to have been located as part of a project backed by Earl Spencer.