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Shipwreck Databases Western Australian Museum

The Barrel Wreck a preliminary assessment of its hull remains

Author/s Wendy van Duivenvoorde

Year of publication 2012

Report Number: No.288

The “Barrel Wreck” names an unidentified ship that sank off Robben Island near Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Located in the shallow waters of Table Bay, the wreckage known as the Barrel Wreck consists of a partially intact wooden vessel, an anchor, cannon and other ship’s fittings. It carried a cargo in barrels, possibly of goods such as spices, tar, beer and wine. 
The wreck has yet to be positively identified, but preliminary archival research by Vanessa Maitland narrowed the list to six possible vessels known to have sunk in this area—all dating to the 1800s. The most likely contender was a 19th-century German vessel with a cargo of glass plates. Although archaeologists observed such glass cargo, more recent archaeological work seems to be pointing towards two French ships dating to 1756 and 1786. Dendrochronological investigations discussed in this report confirm that the ship was built after 1754 and, therefore, may support the latter theory. The ship hull remains on the site, however, can be easily mistaken for a construction method more typical of northwest European shipbuilding of early 17th century. 
Nautical Archaeology Society students surveyed the site in February 2011 and January 2012 (Sharfman, 2011: 9–10). During the 2011 and 2012 conservation field schools, Jon Carpenter and Vicki Richards from the Western Australian Museum, photographed the ship’s exposed structural elements and collected timber and hair samples—mixed with a resinous substance—from the ship’s hull. The timber samples were taken on 10 February 2011 from the sacrificial planking (or wooden sheathing), two layers of hull planking (outer and inner layer of hull planking), a treenail from the inner layer of hull planking, a frame, ceiling planking, possibly an inner floor or cargo floor to protect ceiling planking, and the keel. In January 2012, Jon Carpenter and Vicki Richards set out to take an additional timber sample for dendrochronology from the hull structure investigated in the previous year. However, sediments had covered up areas of the shipwreck site exposed in 2011, and they were unable to access the previously visible timber structure. The timber for dendrochronological investigation came from hull planking that was easily accessible for sampling.