Cannons brought up from a sunken Elizabethan ship by Oxford archaeologist Mensun Bound have offered up new secrets of English naval successes in the Age of Drake.

Mr Bound recovered two guns from an Elizabethan ship that went down in 1592 off Alderney in the Channel Islands, while carrying munitions to an English army fighting in Brittany.

After conservation work, one of the guns has now been replicated and tested to reveal the true firepower of English ships.

And the results left Mr Bound and his team declaring the guns our “first weapon of mass destruction”.

Mr Bound, a fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford, said: “No gun of this type and period had ever been tested before and the results were surprising.

“Muzzle velocities were achieved that were almost the speed of sound and the shot that was fired was able to punch through 4in of oak with ease. The weapon was also remarkably accurate and was able to hit the target every time.

“In addition to round shot, different types of long shot were also found on the wreck that was used for ripping through rigging, rending sails and killing and maiming people.”

The testing was carried out at a quarry where the police send specialist units for explosives training.

The project has shown how far naval warfare advanced from the time of the Mary Rose, which sank only 47 years before.

Mr Bound, , said: “The Mary Rose style of fighting was to grapple, clap sides, storm across and then fight it out toe-to-toe.

“What we have here is the beginning of stand-off naval warfare. These guns represent the beginning of broadside warfare in which fighting ships, as gun platforms, arranged themselves in line-ahead formation and delivered an entire battery of shot at the same time.

“The results were devastating.”