Page 46 - TVH 2000 Anniversary Shipwreck Project

Feature 5 – White casts which appeared to contain concreted remains of what was in barrels resting on bricks. Structural Indicators Trench 3 Although few structural elements were found within any of the areas designated as outboard, a loose knee (A0518) and rigging block (A0519) were recovered. These elements were mixed with nearly complete china cups (A0540, A0505) and lead rolls (AO490, 1-11). The concreted columns excavated in areas W5A and W8A do suggest that the sand area represents the sediments outside the ship, with the columns being the migration of the iron heads of the hull bolts into the sand. It is possible that the broken elements noted in trench 2 are portions of the side of the vessel which are detached and lying in part to the west (CP4, CP5). The sand infill to the east of the bricks between sectors 5 and 8 combined with the lack of significant structure suggest that the vessel has broken open at this point. This does not necessarily mean that the ship has broken between the bow and stern, as the angle of the bulk of the brick cargo along its north/south axis does not appear to change. There would however appear to be damage to the port side in this area, with sand entering the vessel. This is not surprising as items of trawling gear was present in large quantities just north of CP9. One of the thousands of wine bottles carried for the journey - 40 -