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Seaton Carew Wreck : In-depth Information On Wednesday, September 4th, 1996, Tees Archaeology were contacted by two local residents of Seaton Carew, Mr. Derek Hodgson and Mr. Joe Howey, who reported that the remains of an “old” wooden shipwreck had recently been exposed on the beach at Seaton by the action of the sea during a storm, which had washed out a considerable amount of sand from one particular area of the beach. Over the next two months or so, volunteers from the Nautical Archaeology Society North-East’s recently established Rapid Response Register joined staff from Tees Archaeology to record the wreck before it was lost once again beneath the sands. Although conditions on-site varied considerably from day to day, the survey established the vessel was 25.1m long (80 feet) and 7.07m broad (21 feet), with a total of 91 starboard frames and 71 port frames visible, together with the stem and sternposts. The number, position and orientation of these frames indicated that the surviving structure of the vessel was substantially intact. The frames all showed evidence of treenail fastenings, whereby cylindrical wooden ’pegs’ or treenails, typically of oak, are driven through the planks and frames of a vessel to fasten them together. This method of construction had been in use for centuries in wooden shipbuilding. In addition, the frames had all been sawn off at a level sometime after the vessel had been wrecked, probably as part of the salvage attempts or to disperse the wreck as a danger to other inshore craft. In December 2003, major sand loss from within the vessel’s hull revealed much of the inner planking and the keelson, complete with two mast-steps. Over the next two months the sand gradually returned, once again completely reburying the vessel. Periodically, sand loss from the beach here reveals the tops of some of the frames, though never to the same extent as that of 2003. Conclusions Towards the end of the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain heralded a dramatic increase in demand for coal. Meeting this demand required a large number of vessels to transport the coal from the major coalfields of the North to London and the Continent. These vessels were generically referred to as ’colliers’ or ’collier brigs’. From the Seaton Carew wreck’s dimensions it is reasonable to assume that this medium-sized wooden shipwreck is one of these ’colliers’. The vessel had clearly either been driven ashore by bad weather, or deliberately run aground, perhaps as a last resort to save the lives of the crew. The survey revealed that several frames on the port quarter were missing, perhaps indicating damage from a collision at sea leading ultimately to the vessel coming ashore. It is perhaps more likely however that they were removed during the salvage operations that clearly took place following the wreck. The salvage operators in the Hartlepool area regularly advertised the sale of timber, stores, materials and cargo from the many wrecks that occurred there. The Seaton Carew Wreck is an exceptional maritime find, proving to be the most substantially intact wooden shipwreck yet discovered on the North-East coast of England. As a measure of the local and national importance of this wreck it was given Historic Wreck Designation in August 1996 and is one of only two such designated sites between The Wash and the Orkneys. The site continues to be regularly monitored by Tees Archaeology. |
Seaton Carew Ship Wreck
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