Cedar on the reef : archaeological and historical assessments of the Eighteenth-Century Bermuda Sloop, exemplified by the wreck of the Hunter Galley

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine whether the remains of a shipwreck lost on the reefs, near Hogfish Cut, south of Pompano Flats, approximately 600 yards off the southwest shore of Bermuda represent a Bermuda sloop. The wreck, identified in the 1950s as the Hunter Galley by Bermuda salvage diver Teddy Tucker, perhaps represents the only identified Bermuda-built sloop in the archaeological record. Eighteenth-century merchants and mariners labeled the Bermuda sloop as one of the best sailing vessels of its time. Briefly examined by graduate students from East Carolina University's Program in Maritime Studies in 1997, the wreck site was revisited in 1998 for detailed mapping, partial excavation, and analysis in a joint East Carolina University and Bermuda Maritime Museum field project. Structural remains of the vessel are mostly limited to disarticulated timbers and planks. A small portion remains intact with broken framing attached to hull planking. Examination of the remains identified the framing and fastening pattern used, as well as wood specie for various structural components. Excavation units in the site area yielded an assortment of artifacts including ceramics, glass, organics, metal, and wood. Both the hull construction and limited artifacts recovered during excavation suggest that the wreck is an early to mid eighteenth-century Bermuda-built vessel. This supports its identification based on documentary evidence as the Hunter Galley. Comparison to other archaeologically documented, eighteenth-century sloops, reveal design elements that likely contributed to the high regard placed on Bermuda sloops versus their contemporaries. Regardless of a positive identification for the vessel remains, the detailed examination did allow for speculation concerning characteristics of a typical Bermuda sloop in the eighteenth century.