Bermuda

The view from our dive barge. - © 2011 Douglas Inglis

In 1619 the English Galleon Warwick sank in fierce Atlantic hurricane. Her loss was disaster for early Jamestown and the Virginia Company. Four centuries later, her remains still lie on the bottom of Castle Harbor, Bermuda. Underwater Archaeologists from around the globe have joined local Bermudians in investigating this important and incredibly well preserved wreck. (Read about our team…)

At the start of 2010, we had no idea how much of Warwick remained. Excavations began at the stern, in an area previously uncovered by famous Bermudian diver Teddy Tucker. As the timbers emerged from the sand, we were overwhelmed by their massive scantlings. Warwick had been heavily built. We were excited to discover she had three layers of hull planking, designed to impede the attack of shipworm. The most significant artifact from the 2010 excavation was a delicate navigational tool.

Piotr excavating the Wrongheads - 2011 © Jon Adams

In 2011, we moved to a previously unexcavated section of the hull, buried deep beneath heavy ballast stones. Within this ballast pile we discovered numerous artifacts: an intact pipe, personal artifacts, ceramics, barrels staves, cow bones and fragments of roman pottery probably dredged from the Thames. We also found an arsenal of ordinance: cannon balls, spike shot, bar shot, musket balls and powder charges. The ship timbers were beautifully preserved, and included knees, beams, waterway, spurketing and deck planning.

Click here, to learn more about the history of this shipwreck.