Lately we've made a series of dives on an 18th century wreck that lays in what was once the harbor of Rotterdam in the middle ages (it is now a lake). Locally it is known as the "touwwrak" (rope wreck) because of the large bundles of hemp rope found on deck, probably related to the rigging. Below you can see a video of the wreck.
If you know what you're looking at, you can clearly see that it is a caravel class ship probably 40 odd meters in length, possibly a little larger. C14 tests date it to about 1750 or so, which corresponds to some of the design features. One of the artifacts found on board was a set of iron cleats that could be attached to a shoe, presumably to allow for grip on an icy deck.
For this reason and combined with the fact that this particular ship is unusually robustly built, a local historian has identified the ship as "probably a whaling vessel". The assumption is that the cleats point to it having been used in northern waters and the robust design seems to indicate that it was not a normal cargo vessel. Before you ask, no it is not a war ship. There is no evidence of cannon or any design features that would be typical of a war ship.
The question in my mind is if the conclusion that it is a whaling vessel is justified based on these factors alone. Does anyone have an idea of 18th century shipping from the Netherlands north to, say, the Baltic, or is there any other plausible use for a heavily built caravel in that era?
Here's the video:
R..
If you know what you're looking at, you can clearly see that it is a caravel class ship probably 40 odd meters in length, possibly a little larger. C14 tests date it to about 1750 or so, which corresponds to some of the design features. One of the artifacts found on board was a set of iron cleats that could be attached to a shoe, presumably to allow for grip on an icy deck.
For this reason and combined with the fact that this particular ship is unusually robustly built, a local historian has identified the ship as "probably a whaling vessel". The assumption is that the cleats point to it having been used in northern waters and the robust design seems to indicate that it was not a normal cargo vessel. Before you ask, no it is not a war ship. There is no evidence of cannon or any design features that would be typical of a war ship.
The question in my mind is if the conclusion that it is a whaling vessel is justified based on these factors alone. Does anyone have an idea of 18th century shipping from the Netherlands north to, say, the Baltic, or is there any other plausible use for a heavily built caravel in that era?
Here's the video:
R..
