Basque Shipwrecks Over Three Centuries: Building A Long-term View

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Canada has a remarkable record of Basque wrecks from the 16th to 18th centuries. On sites from Labrador to Chaleur Bay, archaeologists have investigated eight ships and four small boats built in different ports of the Basque Country. If we include earlier presumed Basque wrecks in Europe and the Caribbean, the record covers 300 years, from before 1468 to 1757. We may highlight the evolution of four aspects. First, wood study shows the peak of oak plantations in the 16th century, followed by increasing recourse to wild trees. Second, on a similar timeline, traditional geometric methods of hull design culminated, then lost favour to modern lines plans and battens. Third, carpentry techniques evolved from clinker to carvel planking, and from so-called “floating futtocks” to preassembled half-frames or “balisas”. Last, material culture shows increasing French influence in Basque transatlantic outfitting from the 17th century, paralleling the evolution of shipbuilding technologies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow