Thursday, January 05, 2023

Quarry workers stumble upon remains of rare 16th-century English ship, researchers say

Layla Nelson
January 3, 2023




The remains of a rare 16th-century ship were unexpectedly unearthed along the English coast by quarry workers last year, archaeologists said.

Workers from CEMEX, a building materials company, were dredging a quarry near Kent in April when they came across the remains of the wooden ship and contacted experts, according to a December 30 press release from Wessex Archaeology.

“Very few English-built ships from the 16th century survive, making this a rare find from a fascinating period in maritime history,” said archaeologists.

The remains, including 100 English oak logs dating from 1558 to 1580, were found about a quarter of a mile from what is now the coast, archaeologists said. Experts believe the site was once on the coast and that the ship was likely wrecked or discarded.

The wooden remains are “really significant” because they allow for a broader understanding of trade and shipbuilding during the Elizabethan era, which lasted from 1558 to 1603, archaeologists said.



The era was a transitional period for shipbuilding, as shipbuilders were thought to have moved from a traditional building practice — like that observed with Viking ships — to a multi-part process of building the inner frame first, archaeologists said.

After the ship has been photographed and laser scanned, it will be reburied in the quarry so the silt can continue to support the wooden beams, archaeologists say.

“Finding a late 16th-century ship preserved in the sediment of a quarry was an unexpected but very welcome find,” said Andrea Hamel, marine archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, in the press release.

A spokesman for Wessex Archeology did not immediately respond to a McClatchy News request for comment.



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