The discovery of the vessel was made within a coffer dam installed to facilitate the digging of the orchestra pit for the new Arts Centre. The dammed area included part of an old stone quay which is recorded on an 18th century map of monastic land holdings. The find consisted of the lower part of the hull, one side of which has been truncated at about 2m above keel level and the other side which has collapsed outwards and extended to a distance of about 4m above the keel. The ship is believed to have been dismantled to the height of the quay before it was finally abandoned.
The main part of the hull consisted of 64 incomplete frames, 32 starboard and 16 port strakes or runs of planking. The ship was approximately 29m long and about 8m beam with planking edge-fastened by iron nails and square roves. Two sections of beam shelving were recorded on the starboard side. Half of what may be a deck beam has been recovered together with what may be a hanging knee. Evidence for the ship having reached the end of its working life has been noted from the split mast step; repairs to the planking using battens and lead tingles; square-sectioned pegs replacing riveted nails at some scarphs joints; and repairs to a rider. Treenails fixed the planking to the frame. Heavy, broad planks were scarphed and fitted as stringers inside the hull. Between these were fitted ceiling planks up to the deck beams. Forward and aft of the mast step was fitted with risers shaped from forked timbers. The mast step was 10m in length. Beneath it was found the bilge pump and the wicker basket-type strum box. The mast step was secured with chocks of wood the floors to prevent sideways movement. The chocks acted as struts to the bilge stringer. There is no evidence for a keelson.
Finds include leather shoes; textiles such as sail cloth and woollen clothing; rope and blocks; a mast parrel; cork; Portugese pottery and coins; stone cannon balls; barrel staves; two combs; a gaming piece; and an inscribed brass strap from a box with a quotation from Luke 4: 30. The partial skeleton of a man was also recovered from underneath the ship and has been dated to the Iron Age (approximately BC 170).

Event and Historical Information:
In the early summer of 2002, during excavations for Newport's new Arts Centre, the well preserved remains of a 15th century vessel were uncovered. Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust were contracted to record the vessel before its scheduled destruction by building works on 27 August 2002. The Newport Save our Ship Campaign questioned the proposed destruction and following widespread news coverage, the City Council arranged public viewing of the dismantling the ship before its move to temporary water tanks provide by CORUS at the decommissioned Llanwern Steel Works. The Welsh Assembly Government provided funding to assist the recovery. The post excavation research into the ship continues with the assistance of grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The timbers and finds are currently housed within the Ship Conservation Centre, Unit 22, Maesglas Industrial Estate, Newport.

Sources include:
Roberts, O , 2004, Llong Casnewydd: The Newport Ship - A Personal View, in International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (IJNA)
S. O. S. the Newsletter of the Friends of the Newport Ship, Nos. 3-5, 7-11

Maritime Officer, April 2008.