Maritime record MDO19919 - Swash Channel Wreck

Wreck of late 16th early 17th century. Designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act. Remains of wreck, currently identified as those of a 17th century Dutch or German armed cargo vessel, which appears to have foundered in the Swash Channel after 1630. Laden with pottery, possibly from the Rhine, she was a wooden sailing vessel. This site is designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.

The Swash Channel Wreck was discovered in Poole Harbour, Dorset in August this year. Two dive investigations by Wessex Archaeology have since confirmed the presence of a wooden ship of the early 17th century and cannon.
Designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act on 10 December 2004. Designated area lies in the Poole Harbour Approaches and includes a rectangle with corners at:
50 39.8971N 001 55.5905W, 50 39.9201N 001 55.5137W, 50 39.8225N 001 55.4414W, 50 39.7994N 001 55.5182W

The wreck site may be associated with that of the Studland Bay designated site nearby (see 1082101) or that of the SAN SALVADOR (see 900416). The wreck has been suggested to be the remains of the 1631 wreck of the Dutch vessel FAME OF HOORN (see 1616063).

DESIGNATED WRECK SITE - SWASH CHANNEL

Summary:

Probably an armed merchantman from around 1630, dated from a fragment of recovered Rhenish stoneware. The surviving structure is also consistent with that of a 17th century vessel. (1)

Designation History:

Statutory Instrument: 2004 No 3
Made: 9th December 2004
Laid before Parliament: 9th December 2004
Coming into force: 10th December 2004
Protected area: Within the rectangle
50 39.8971N001 55.5905W
50 39.9201N001 55.5137W
50 39.8225N001 55.4414W
50 39.7994N001 55.5182W (1)

Visits by Government Diving Contractor:

Wessex Archaeology with effect from 1st May 2003 -

Diving operations October and November 2005 (2)

Diving operations September and October 2009 (6)

Documentary History:

Discovered 2004 as a result of geophysical investigations by Wessex Archaeology on behalf of the Poole Harbour Commissioners and Poole Borough Council. A subsequent diving assessment by WA in November 2004 identified the site as probably that of an armed 17th century wooden vessel and therefore potentially of national significance. (2)

Current Interpretation:

Dated to circa 100 years after the nearby Studland Bay wreck [SZ 08 SE 15] and thought to represent the remains of an armed cargo vessel. (1)

The recovered fragment of Rhenish stoneware has decoration typical of circa 1630, a date consistent with the visible remains of the surviving vessel structure, which appears to be that of an early 17th century craft. (1)

The site represents the remains of an unidentified wooden sailing vessel lying to the eastern edge of the Swash Channel. Two large sections of the hull survive, including the rare survival of top timbers. The dimensions of the vessel have not yet been ascertained but it is thought it was at least 25 metres long, or even larger. The site may not be that of the loss itself, but of a debris site which is located at some distance from the actual wreck site. (5)

No cargo has been found and only a few cast iron muzzle-loading guns located, making the function and identification of the vessel and the circumstances of her loss difficult. The limited pottery evidence may indicate a date of loss in the mid 17th century, but the material may be intrusive. (5)

The vessel appears to have been clad in wooden sheathing, a practice introduced in English ships in the 16th century; because of the investment involved, this may indicate that the vessel was a long-distance trader, possibly in tropical waters.

The circular ports are thought to be more likely to be of southern European origin but northern-built vessels did have them [including the VASA]. The sole dendrochronological sample indicates that at least one of the vessel's timbers originated in Holland or Germany, although this is not necessarily conclusive.

If the pottery sherds are intrusive material then this vessel may be of 16th century date: the Studland Bay designated site is nearby. No comparative studies have yet been done, but it is possible that the Swash Channel site may represent a section of the same vessel. Another possibility is the SAN SALVADOR [SZ 08 SE 08], lost off Studland Bay in 1588. (5)

Bournemouth University has suggested that the vessel is possibly of Dutch origin, since the material culture of the site suggests possible Dutch connections, but this remains to be confirmed. (6)

Danni Seliger is mapping the wreck's visible timbers and combining this with a close measurement of retrieved timbers to build a 3D model of the vessel's appearance. The vessel was carvel-built and core samples from the wood indicate that the timbers originated from the Netherlands or Germany. (7)

Two timber samples were consistent with a felling date of 1628 when profiled against Northern European samples, consistent with the putative date range and origin of the timbers at this site, and narrowing down the terminus post quem. Analysis of a disarticulated timber found at Studland may possibly suggest that a hitherto unrevealed part of the Swash Channel wreck may lie at that site, since the felling date range for that timber lies within the time-frame of 1619-1639. (9)

Archaeological History:

07-OCT-2004: Site discovered by Wessex Archaeology while working on behalf of the Poole Harbour Commissioners, after investigating an anomaly discovered during a geophysical survey of the site. (1)

May/June 2005: Diving operations by Wessex Archaeology to produce a detailed plan of visible archaeological features. (5)

Sept/Oct 2009: Diving operations by Wessex Archaeology to recover dendrochronological samples; temporarily stabilise parts of the site with sandbags; and undertake a visual condition survey. (6)

The sand covering the wreck has been shifted by changing currents and tides since study began in 2006 by Bournemouth University, leaving the timbers exposed to bacteria and boring by shipworm. The easiest and most effective way to protect the vessel would be to rebury it, but this would create a mound on the seabed which could be a potential navigational hazard. Parts of the vessel will therefore be recovered and the remains reburied. The main piece to be raised will be six metres of the bow section, to be displayed eventually in Poole Museum.

Survey and excavation in 2010 by Bournemouth University was filmed for a BBC2 series, "Britain's Secret Seas". (8)

Environmental and Archaeological Remains:

A fragment of Rhenish stoneware with decoration typical of the period circa 1630 has been recovered from the site. The site is currently eroding and is near a shipping channel.

There are two visible sections of hull, respectively circa 14 metres and 13 metres long, with an intervening gap of approximately 15 metres where there is no visible structure. The remains therefore comprise at least 27 metres of structure, or if the structure continues beneath the gap, 42 metres. The apparent breadth of the remains is approximately 10 to 12 metres. (1)

The site is also described as one or more sections of wooden structure within an area measuring approximately 40m x 12m, orientated SW/NE. The first area appears to contain a single large section of a hull, 20-24m long, the second area, to the SE, being apparently the remains of some top timbers. A third area to the north-east of area 1 also contains hull structure, although it is unclear whether this is a continuation of the same structure or one or more discrete sections. The rudder may be in this section. (5)

Some timbers are heavily eroded and colonised by marine growth, whilst others appear to be pristine and show evidence of details of construction, tooling, and maker's marks. This may be evidence that the majority of the remains have only recently been subjected to exposure. The timbers and much of the site itself appear to be undergoing fairly rapid exposure and degradation. (1)

Some outlying timbers and a separate 5.5 metre long wooden structure lie some 50 metres away and are thought to have originated from this wreck, and may represent the remains of the rudder. (1)

Three cannon are visible, two within the wreck structure itself and one lying to the north. (1)

An area of ceramic building material, cemented in place, is thought to represent the remains of a gallery hearth, indicating that much of the overall assemblage remains in situ or with relatively little disturbance. A millstone is present, as is cordage, in a very good state of preservation, indicating an archaeologically secure context within the main structure of the vessel, with little later intrusion. (1)

44 concretions were recovered during operations October/November 2005 (2)(4)(5) and are [at the time of the report, May 2006] in temporary storage at Wessex Archaeology. A large composite wood/concretion artefact was moved from Area 5 as illustrated in the report to a position north of the site, and three smaller timber fragments were removed from the same Area, and reburied in Area 1. 300 sandbags were laid within Areas 1 and 2 as a temporary protective measure. (2)

Search of Area 5 on map in report retrieved 44 finds deemed to be at risk from dredging activity, all of which appeared to be metal, probably iron, artefacts, and very heavily concreted. (2)

A number of timber fragments retrieved from Area 5 and reburied in Area 1. A large composite timber and metal artefact was also relocated within the site. This appears to consist of two longitudinal hardwood timbers side by side with an extensive iron concretion. They also appear to be separated where they are joined by a narrow metal plate, which is not concreted. (2)

There is some dissociated debris on this site, including two spent shell cases of post-1900 date and a small anchor lost in the 12 months prior to the site visit [autumn 2005]. (2)

Most of the concretions proved to be unidentifiable, with the exception of a hexagonal bolt, modern in appearance; and an iron bar or bolt, broken at one end, overlain by a number of bricks, probably hearth or galley bricks. (2)

Initial dendrochronological indications from the samples taken are that one trimber produced a date showing that the tree it had come from was felled in or after 1585, from Holland or Germany. (2)

A pottery sherd, possibly 17th century; German stoneware, glazed with mottled grey-brown salt glaze with dabs of cobalt blue recovered from a partially buried wreck in the approaches to Poole Harbour, on the edge of the channel to the harbour, in position 50 39.885N 001 55.537W. (Droit 300/04) (2)(3)

44 metal concretions, described as of small to medium size, possibly ferrous, recovered from the Swash Channel designated wreck site, and thought to date from the mid to late 17th century. 35 out of the 44 items have been x-rayed, of which 2 contained identifiable metal objects, one a hexagonal bolt, and the other a small piece of rectangular bar, and could possibly be interpreted as pieces of modern debris on this site.

The items were recovered under licence by Wessex Archaeology and the Poole Harbour Commissioners ahead of dredging operations in the Swash Channel. (Droit 005/06) (2)(4)

At least two large sections of the hull survive, including the rare survival of top timbers. The surviving structure includes circular ports and at least one decorative carving. The artefact assemblage is thought likely to be small, but includes evidence of a brick hearth.

The site is currently unstable owing to the limited depth of burial and may be vulnerable to hydrodynamic changes. Given the current level of vulnerability it would appear that the vessel has been more deeply buried until relatively recently. The cause for this instability cannot be fully ascertained but may possibly be ascribed to the dredging of the Swash Channel, among other factors. (5)

The site remains unstable and has deteriorated since 2005, with sediment erosion leading to further exposure of archaeological material which is in turn being eroded and beginning to break up. Fresh un-eroded timber can be seen in place, suggesting that the exposure process is ongoing, and many features surveyed in 2005 could not be relocated. A Bournemouth University report states that "Since 2006 sediment levels across the site have been reduced by an average of 120mm (up to a maximum of 260mm) resulting in the loss of c.300 cubic metres or c.500 tons of seabed sediment from the site". [Palma and Parham 2009: 16]

Gribble and shipworm attack has been observed at an advanced stage across the site and a shipworm not indigenous to UK waters has been detected.

11 samples of dendrochronological material were retrieved and exposed portions of the site were sandbagged in 2009. Full dendrochronological reports are not yet available but one futtock sample has produced a bark-edge felling date of 1628.

A previously unrecorded small wooden barrel was recorded just to the west of the rudder and its exposure may be related to minor scouring that may have resulted from covering the rudder with sandbags.

Other minor timber features were also noted as well as two concreted iron guns previously recorded by Bournemouth University.

Sample scantling measurements were taken in 2009 but were only approximate owing to the erosion of the timbers, so the 2005 measurements remain more accurate. (6)

Hull approximately 40m long. (8)

A redware pot fragment; a pewter spoon; a piece of clinker; a block cheek; 2 butchered animal bones (cattle ribs); the bottom of a small modern wine glass; a small hand bell; a wooden tool handle; a timber sample; a large greyware strap-handled pot; a Dutch maiolica alborello; a wooden carving of a merman; 3 concretions; a pulley sheave; a piece of silver birch bark; a copper alloy skillet; organic hair/straw matter; a wooden gun carriage cheek and fragment of bed; lead shot and a tile recovered from the Swash Channel wreck. (Droit 275/09) (10)

680 artefacts including: 20 ballast; 259 concretions; 2 sections of galley structure; 2 glass objects; 13 large timbers; 1 lead object; 4 leather objects; 3 modern objects; 32 pottery fragments; 19 rope fragments; 1 piece of roundwood; 63 samples; 44 sections of ship structure; 169 small timbers; 45 small finds; 3 stones. The material was all recovered from the 'SWASH CHANNEL WRECK'. (Droit 003/11) (11)

<1> Site designation (Scheduling record). SDO20566.

<2> Scott, G, 2005, Poole Harbour Channel Deepening and Beneficial Use Scheme. Swash Channel Designated Wreck: Mitigation Works (Unpublished document). SDO15112.

<3> Receiver of Wreck, Receiver of Wreck Droit, 2004 (Unpublished document). SWX6384.

<4> Receiver of Wreck, Receiver of Wreck Droit, 2006 (Unpublished document). SWX6384.

<5> Scott, G, 2006, Swash Channel, Poole Harbour Approach, Dorset. Designated Site Assessment: Archaeological Report (Unpublished document). SDO15149.

<6> Wessex Archaeology, 2010, Swash Channel, Poole Harbour Approach, Dorset: Designated Site Assessment (Unpublished document). SDO20660.

<7> The Guardian, Postgraduate Courses supplement, Tuesday 16th November 2010 p 2 (Serial). SDO17283.

0, interview with Danni Seliger, Bournemouth University, by Stephen Hoare

<8> Independent on Sunday, online edition, Sunday, 8th May, 2011 (Serial). SDO20659.

<9> Nayling, N, 2010, The Swash Channel Wreck, Dorset. Tree-Ring Analysis of Ship Timbers (Serial). SDO14938.

<10> Receiver of Wreck, Receiver of Wreck Droit, 2009 (Unpublished document). SWX6384.

<11> Receiver of Wreck, Receiver of Wreck Droit, 2011 (Unpublished document). SWX6384.

<12> Palma, P, and Parham, D, 2006, Swash Channel Wreck; 2006 Season Report (Unpublished document). SDO14694.

<13> Dunkley, M, 2007, Swash Channel Wreck, Poole Bay, Dorset. Conservation Statement and Management Plan (Unpublished document). SDO18724.

<14> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1408546 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 8 2024 2:24PM