Wreck with an intact cargo discovered by sports divers

In 1975, a wreck was found by sports divers in a waterway in the Oosterschelde river in the Netherlands called the Brabantsche Vaarwater by sports divers. The wreck was described in an article that also includes a few pictures of the cargo of the wreck. The cargo of the ship at that time was almost intact. Clearly visible was the way the cargo was stacked and packed for the voyage with hay and pieces of wood between it to keep the cargo in place.

Batavialand Lelystad

The cargo of tiles still in situ , photo by H. van Vlimmeren, 1976.

The name François Narp was found on a ship's bell, along with the year 1739. It is assumed that this is the name of the ship. Other finds in the vessel confirm the dating to the middle of the 18th century.

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A jar of the Westwald type found in the wreck.

The fact that the cargo was so intact was extra special due to the fact that de rest of the ship was badly damaged. the cargo of the ship existed mainly of floor and wall tiles, but also eartheware, bottles of wine and more. The sports divers mentioned the discovery of two wooden chests with iron fittings and one of these contained a bag with spices: cloves and nutmeg. They did not attach any value to this find so they threw it away.

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One of the Delft Blue tiles found in the wreck.

Tile 2.

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Another tile with a floral motive found in the wreck.

Length: ca. 50 meters

US Naval Institute

The Hermione, a replica of a French 18th century frigate, sailing into the port of Baltimore.

The wreck was completely salvaged between its discovery in 1975 and 1982, when it was researched for the first time by an maritime archaeologist. Very little of the hull structure remains - this had already degraded before the discovery. The cargo had been completely removed between 1975 and 1982.

PAN

The ship's bell providing the name and date of the wreck.

• Maarleveld T. (1981).
  Een jaar archeologie in Nederlandse wateren.
  Academia.edu.
• Manders,M./W. Kuijper (2015).
  Shipwrecks with botanical cargo.
  Analecta Praehistorica Leidensia 45.
  pp 156.
• Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands.
  Francois Narp.