Hold Fast to Your Timbers: The Documentation and Analysis of the Wood and Iron Fastenings From the Late 18th Century Alexandria Ship.

Summary

In April 2016, members and volunteers with The Virginia Maritime Heritage Society, Alexandria Archaeology, as well as Underwater Archaeology Branch of Navy History and Heritage Command documented 141 treenails, and 67 iron fastenings to further study of the 18th century Alexandria Ship.  Archaeology staff and volunteers collected sample data from fastenings present on the surviving timbers to allow for a unique look at the life of this ship before its purposeful deconstruction.  The fastenings indicate a long life for the Alexandria ship before it was beached and broken, showing several common repairs to the wooden fastenings.  Further construction details are illustrated by the different wrought iron fastenings used in the ship’s initial construction, as well as later repairs to the lower hull, and her sacrificial sheeting.  This talk and paper illuminates the social aspects of constructing a large vessel in colonial America, and its long term repair and maintenance. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archeology Begins Along the Waterfront in Old Town Alexandria   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 434