The Dor D Shipwreck and Holy Land Wine Trade

The Dor D shipwreck off Israel is a 6th-century AD scattered site on which Cypriot ballast stones seal hull planking and fragmentary cargo amphorae manufactured in southern Palestine. Petrological studies of the domestic assemblage and roof tiles indicate a Cypriot provenance for the ship, which was apparently returning empty amphorae to Palestine for recycling at a time when consumer demands for Holy Land wines stretched from Yemen to southern Britain. The ship post-dates the Justinianic plague of AD 541 and, therefore, provides important evidence for trade continuity in a period traditionally defined as one of economic decline.     

The Lead Ingots from the Wreck of the Zuiddorp (1712), Western Australia: a report on their provenance and manufacture

The Dutch United East India Company ship Zuiddorp vanished on its way to Batavia in 1712 – its last port of call was the Cape of Good Hope. After its wreck was found on the Western Australian coast, archaeological investigations resulted in the retrieval of 21 lead ingots. Recent study of this artefact assemblage, comprising both great pigs and pieces, suggests that they were of north English origin. Historical records indicate that the Dutch procured large quantities of lead from English sources and maritime trade links between English and Dutch ports were well established at the beginning of the 18th century. © 2012 The Authors     

Florida's Mystery Wreck

During the summer of 2005 the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary investigated an unusual shipwreck in 6 m (20 ft) of water off Marathon in the Florida Keys. Known locally as the 'Mystery Wreck' it remained relatively undisturbed for over two decades until State of Florida and Sanctuary archaeologists conducted a research project to learn more about this fascinating early shipwreck. This paper presents a summary of field investigations and a preliminary interpretation of the shipwreck.
© 2006 The Authors     

Shipwreck Evidence from Kilwa,Tanzania

This article reports on the artefacts and environment of marine ballast and pottery sites identified through inter‐tidal and underwater survey around Kilwa, Tanzania, one of the most important medieval sultanates along the east African coast. An inter‐tidal site on the limestone fringing reef on the approaches to Kilwa Kisiwani Harbour and an underwater site within the harbour have been dated from associated pottery to c.8th–10th century and the 13th–16th century respectively. The presence of exotic basalt ballast is discussed as an indicator of wreck‐sites.     

Analysis of the Aft Ballast Pump Onboard the American Civil War-era Submarine H.L. Hunley

Since its discovery and raising offshore of Charleston, Warren Lasch Conservation Center scientists have conducted extensive research on the contents and components of the American Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley, the first successful combat submarine. Recent conservation of the aft ballast pump has led to greater focus on the function and configuration of the ballast system and how it pertains to the submarine's sinking. This article relays the latest interpretation on design and use of the ballast system onboard the Hunley; findings from historical research on the components, operation and design of the aft pump, and avenues for further research. Understanding the ballast system and pump may prove highly relevant in answering questions regarding the loss of the vessel and her crew.     

Report on the first research campaign on the Napoleonic brick, Mercure, wrecked off Lignano, Udine, Italy in 1812

During 2001, the NAUSICAA office organized a research campaign on the site where two carronades had been retrieved by a fishing boat. Side-scan sonar research led to the discovery of a mound and six more carronades. The mound was composed of iron ingots, cannon balls, and tools reused as ballast. After the cleaning of a carronade, it was possible to read the name of the foundry, Du Creusot , and the date, 1806. This evidence was sufficient to identify this as the wreck of the Napoleonic brick, Mercure , lost during the Battle of Grado, fought between an English and French fleet in February 1812.