"Doubled with wood in every direction": The Hull Structure and Outfitting of a Royal Navy Ship of Polar Exploration

Summary

The largely intact wreck of HMS Investigator provides a unique opportunity to study the remains of a 19th-century Royal Navy ship of polar exploration. Purchased into the Navy in 1848 while still building on the stocks as a merchant vessel, Investigator was comprehensively modified for Arctic Service at Blackwall under the supervision of William Rice, Master Shipwright at Woolwich Dockyard. These modifications focussed mainly on reinforcing the hull to better withstand the destructive forces typically inflicted by ice. This paper will discuss these elaborate modifications, using archival information as well as the available archaeological evidence, to arrive at a better understanding of this unusually robust vessel contruction. These reinforcements also have clear implications for the long-term structural integrity of the hull as Investigator continues to capably withstand injury from sea ice even now that it lies exposed and vulnerable on the ocean floor.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• "Strengthened for Service in the Arctic Regions": The Wreck of Her Majesty’s Discovery Ship Investigator (1848-1854)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 732