A 16th-Century Spanish-Basque Batel (Ship's Longboat) Excavated at Red Bay, Labrador, Canada.

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Among the more obscure discoveries to have come to light from the extensive Parks Canada underwater excavations conducted at Red Bay, Labrador from 1978 to 1985, are the rare, if not entirely unprecedented remains of a 16th-century Iberian batel (ship's longboat). Attributable to the Spanish-Basque period of commercial whaling along the Labrador Coast, the identification of these isolated and partial small craft remains came relatively late in the archaeological research process, many years in fact after the initial fieldwork concluded. As such, the identification of the batel could only be briefly touched upon in the final site report.

The longboat was an integral part of any large seagoing ship's equipment, serving in kedging and towing, lading cargo, and embarking/disembarking crew. The re-constructed hull form and assembly details of the Red Bay batel are diagnostic of both its clear Basque origin and architectural conception as the ship's essential service boat.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2023 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow