As one of the most ambitious and expensive projects in the history of maritime archaeology, the "Mary Rose" project broke new ground within this field in the UK. Besides becoming one of the first wrecks to be protected under the new Protection of Wrecks Act in 1973 it also created several new precedents. It was the first time that a British privately funded project was able to apply modern scientific standards fully and without having to auction off part of the findings to finance its activities; where previous projects often had to settle for just a partial recovery of finds, everything found in connection with the "Mary Rose" was recovered and recorded. The raising of the vessel made it possible to establish the first historic shipwreck museum in the UK to receive government accreditation and funding. The excavation of the "Mary Rose" wreck site proved that it was possible to achieve a level of exactness in underwater excavations comparable to those on dry land.