Rockley Bay Research Project, 2013 Field Season: In Search of the Dutch Line of Battle

Summary

In 2012 the Rockley Bay Research Project (RBRP), a joint expedition of the University of Connecticut and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, began a long-term, large-scale underwater investigation of a 17th-century naval battle site in Scarborough Harbor, Tobago. In 2013 the RBRP expedition concentrated on the TRB-1 and TRB-2 wrecks. Based on earlier estimates of the position of the Dutch line, the preliminary reports of the late Mr. Wes Hall, the NAS report of a previous expedition to the site in 2000, and the presence of a possibly 17th-century cannon, it was hypothesized that TRB-1 and TRB-2 were part of the 1677 battle. The main goal for the 2013 season was to test this hypothetical identification of the two wrecks and obtain samples for dendrochronological analysis. The Expedition was also able to test three other sites for potential for future excavation. This paper presents the preliminary results of the 2013 season.

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• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-40,03