Archaeologists working on a construction site in Alexandria, Virginia have discovered part of a scuttled 18th century sailing vessel that was used as the framework for a landfill build along the city’s waterfront into the deep channel of the Potomac River, according to reports.
City researchers, along with a team from Thunderbird Archaeology, discovered about one-third of the 50-foot ship’s hull at the Indigo Hotel construction site, which is located at 220 S. Union Street, city officials announced on Wednesday. The vessel was described as “sturdily built” and “well preserved”, and its discovery could shed new light on ships of that era.
Excavation crews are using 3D laser scanning equipment to record the hull, Archaeology noted. They plan to dismantle it and store in a wet environment while experts study it. Further research could shed new light on how ships were built in the 1700s, and reports suggest the vessel might represent a type of ship yet to be fully documented through archaeological study.
“It’s very rare,” Thunderbird Archaeology field director Dan Baicy told the Washington Post. “This almost never happens. In [the] 15 years that I’ve done this work, I’ve never run into this kind of preservation in an urban environment where there’s so much disturbance.”
Ship’s identity is currently unknown
According to the Post, naval archaeologists arrived at the scene on Monday to help city officials and the Thunderbird Archaeology crew dismantle the timber. As they take the hull apart, they’re also looking for artifacts or markings that could identify the currently unknown vessel, revealing where it sailed and what it might have carried during its voyages.
City officials reported that the find was not totally unexpected, as archaeologists had indicated that the remains of ships used as part of the waterfront filling process could be uncovered during construction on the hotel. The hull, which was open for public viewing on Tuesday, was also to be documented through pictures, drawings, and measurements before being dismantled.
No documentation of the ship existed in the city’s records, according to the Post, and principal archaeologist John Mullen said that the discovery was “like the jewel in the crown for us right now.” He also speculated that the ship was used either as a military ship, or to transport heavy cargo, and officials are hopeful that they will be able to eventually re-assemble the craft.
The vessel is just the latest in a long line of recent archaeological finds in the area. Two months ago, the foundation from an 18th century warehouse believed to have been the city’s first public building was discovered on the same block, the newspaper said. A six-foot long privy, ceramics, glass, bones, and other debris have also recently been found in the same area.
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Feature Image: Alexandria Archaeology Museum
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