Page 225 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

12 Clues to Internationalism in the Manila Galleon Wreck … 197

Fig. 12.9 European form
sounding lead from the site

Fig. 12.10 This small
“splash”, or dribble, of lead
from the site

dribble of lead appears to have been made by pouring the left-over lead from a
crucible onto a hard surface after casting lead shot or other lead objects
(Fig. 12.10). The lead is poured out to save it for future use. This “splash” suggests
that lead casting was done on the galleon, presumably by the armorer.
The compass gimbals are practically identical to the !ve other ones known from
English and Basque shipwrecks and a Dutch explorers’ site dating from 1545
7
through 1596 (Fig. 12.11). Their similarity suggests that they may have been made
in one place, likely Antwerp or Amsterdam, and were trade items within the
European nautical world. Because some of the other compasses had wood pre-
served, it was possible to have replicas made of it and of the sounding lead
(Fig. 12.12).

7
The details of the compass gimbals are in Von der Porten’s “The Compass Gimbals.” The
standard source for sixteenth-century navigation techniques is Waters (1958). For compasses, see
pp. 20–30. Another history is Gurney (2004). The Mary Rose’s compasses are described in
Gardiner (2005, pp. 267–271). The San Juan’s compass is described in Grenier et al. (2007, vol. 4,
pp. 150–151). The Nova Zembla compass is described in Braat et al. (1998, pp. 161–163).