Timber Boat. Image Credit: Wessex Archeology

16th Century Ship Found in a Quarry in England

Archeologists from Wessex Archeology found a ship buried in a quarry in Kent, England.

A quarry is a deep pit from which stones and other materials are excavated.

The ship was constructed using English Oak, a wood that is grown in Europe.

Archeologists working on the boat. Image Credit: Wessex Archeology

The archeologists have found more than 100 preserved pieces of timber (a block of wood) from this ship.

The timber from the ship’s hull dated back to 1558 and 1580, which was Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. This information was confirmed through dendrochronological analysis.

Dendrochronology is the scientific method of dating wood back to the exact year it was formed.

At the time of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, the construction of ships was going through a transitional phase. Instead of the clinker construction, the builders moved onto the frame-first build.

The clinker construction is when the edges of the hull of the ship overlap. Frame-first build is when the internal frame of the ship is built first and the planking is layered on afterwards.

What is Clinker Boat Building technique?

What is Frame-First Ship Building?

In this method, the overall frame is built first and the planks (wooden boards) are added towards the end. Its a little like building a skeleton first and then adding the other pieces.

This video illustrates the process somewhat.