The Jeanne-Elisabeth, 1755

Summary

Merchant vessel of Swedish nationality, the Jeanne-Elisabeth was driven ashore by a storm in November 1755 on the coast of Pavalas, in Southern France. When it went down, this vessel carried a cargo of wheat from Cadix as well as 24 000 Spanish piastres coined in America. Nothing could be saved of this cargo despite attempts in 1756 to recover the silver. However, divers have located the wreck in 2007 and have begun pillaging it until the intervention of the Département français des recherches archéologiques sous-marines (DRASSM) that allowed to arrest them and to bring before a court of law. Since then, the wreck has seen five excavation campaigns that have shown the site’s importance and the excellent state of preservation of the remains. The sediment that covered the wreck has notably preserved the hull structure as well as numerous components of the rigging, the armament, the tableware and the shipboard material. The study of this collection now provides an important contribution for our understanding of maritime communities in the context of global trade that took place in the 18th century between the American colonies, Northern Europe and the Western Mediterranean.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Bringing French Shipwreck Historical Archaeology to the Next Level   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-45,07