Page 7 - TVH 2000 Anniversary Shipwreck Project

Introduction Alex Hildred This report has been compiled during and shortly after the July/August 2000 survey and excavation of the wreck of the ship of the Dutch East India Company1 Vliegent Hart2. The vessel sank on February 3rd 1735 in the North Sea near the Scheldt River only a few hours after its departure for the East Indies from the Vlissingen Roads. Our aim was to have the bulk of the report written before the end of the project, with only conservation, interpretation, post excavation research and recommendations left for addition later. By checking that all information including the report of each dive be computerised together with survey data and photographic images, the main portion of the report grew daily. This required a number of elements for it to succeed. First and foremost hardware was required in the form of a number of computer stations linked together where the data could be entered. This was primarily supplied by the Oxford Maritime Trust, but additions from Sonardyne International Ltd. and several personal computers made the task easier. The decision on what was required of the database was decided in advance based on the archaeological and survey requirements, discussions with the Head of Documentation and the Conservator at the Vlissingen Museum, together with the HSE regulations for diving operations. The installing of the computer system and databases was undertaken by Peter Holt, tested by a number of team members and altered where necessary. Divers were required to commit their dive details to the database daily. This worked very well and divers cautious at first were soon contributing to the accumulation of data. This report is therefore a product of the whole team. 1 Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) 2 Also spelled Vliegend Hart -5-