Cannons raised from the wreck of a sunken Elizabethan ship by Oxford archaeologist Mensun Bound are proving a hit with visitors to the Tower of London this summer.

But none were more impressed with the finds than the Duke of York, who visited the Tower to view the Elizabethan guns.

They were found in the wreck of a ship that sank off the Channel Islands in 1592. It is considered the most important Tudor naval find since the Mary Rose, which was recovered from the Solent in 1982.

The Duke, a former Royal Navy officer, is patron of the underwater excavation project, led by Mr Bound, a fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford.

In April, the Duke hosted a fundraising dinner at Buckingham Palace to support the painstaking work, which has seen the Elizabethan ship, found off Alderney, giving up an array of treasures, including muskets, swords and armour. More than £120,000 is needed to allow work to continue this year.

Mr Bound, who lives in Horspath, was on hand to tell the Duke about the guns, which will be on display until September, and the progress of the excavation. Other artefacts from the ship are also on show.

It was carrying munitions and dispatches from Elizabeth I's minister, Lord Burghley, to the English army in France.

Mr Bound said: "The Duke was due to stay for half an hour but he ended up staying far longer. He was very well informed about our work."

When the cannons leave the Tower they will go on display in York. Mr Bound's other underwater finds include a Greek ship from 600BC, discovered off Italy.