Shipwreck: F53.31 Rock wreck

Site description

The F53.31 ROCK WRECK constitutes the remains of a small sailing vessel with a transom stern, of a dozen or so meters in length, clinker-built after 1831. The ship was built from oak wood from Gdańsk Pomerania. The ship sank near Gdynia Redłowo, 2.5km from the shore with a cargo of stones (rocks) of less than 1 meter in diameter. Taking into account the structure of the ship in the 1830s, the cargo might be interpreted as a transport of stones (rocks) from Redłowo area for the construction of shore reinforcement – a stone pier at the entrance to the port of Gdańsk. At that time, in the 1830s and 1840s, in Gdańsk port the wooden piers were replaced with more durable and more resistant to waves and sea currents stone piers, extended to 750 meters (eastern pier) and 800 meters (western pier). The estimated capacity of the vessel totals 20 - 30 lasts.

Most probably, a traditional clinker-built wreck constitutes the remains of a ship used locally in the Gulf of Gdańsk to reload goods (like a burdyna-type sailing ship) and to transport goods within the ports of that basin.Calculated under the wreck's 3D model, the mould of stones and rocks on the site, comprising mainly selected granites, amounts to ca 19 tons in weight and the total of ca 7m3 in volume. The calculations indicate that the vessel sank while transporting cargo significant in volume as for the vessel’s transporting capability.

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Circumstances of the discovery

The F53.31 wreck was discovered on 24 October 2012 by a team from the Maritime Office in Gdynia. At that time, a series of site images were performed with the use of a side-scan sonar. On 10 May 2013, the initial underwater identification works of the wreck were carried out from GUM-owned Hydrograf 10 ship, participated by the divers from the National Maritime Museum (NMM).

Location

The object lies at a depth of 12.5 meters, 2.5km (to the east) from the shore in Gdynia Redłowo.

Course of research

Underwater inventory research of the wreck was conducted in June and July 2014.

Chronology

The ship was built after 1831 from oak wood from Gdańsk Pomerania.

Provenance

Most probably, a traditional clinker-built wreck constitutes the remains of a ship used locally in the Gulf of Gdańsk to reload goods (like a burdyna-type sailing ship) and to transport goods within the ports of that basin.

Artefacts from the shipwreck

As a result of the works, the following items were recovered from the F53.31 wreck, e.g.: a corked stoneware bottle of Selters mineral water, a ceramic bowl, a stoneware jug, a copper kettle with evidence of previous repairs, 3 rigging blocks, including one double block and two single blocks, parts of glass bottles, bones and ceramic pottery, a leather shoe, two cleats, a tin salt cellar and a brass button.

• Selters bottle
• No name