The most complete sighting to date of the uncharted wreck of a 17th century ship discovered recently off Bull Island in Dublin Bay was made yesterday by archaeologists at low spring tide during dredging operations.
"Conditions were perfect," said the site's archaeological director, Mr Lar Dunne of Tralee based consultants Eachtra, who holds the licence for exploring the site under the 1998 National Monuments Act - and who was seeing the exposed hull of the underwater wreck for the first time.
"We were called in to apply first aid and assess the risks involved in recovering the underwater wreck for excavation. Up to this I did it all by touch, using electronic lasers to determine what exactly we had on our hands."
Eachtra's Mr Simon O Faolain has been monitoring the site since the wreck was found several months ago on the Sutton side of Bull Island, when timber indicating its presence was recovered during dredging operations.
The Tralee firm was enlisted by Mr Donal Boland, of Tullamore-based Management for Archaeology Underwater Ltd, who is the overall archaeological consultant attached to the 11 km pipe-laying project across Dublin Bay.
Optimum exposure during low tide at 6 a.m. yesterday revealed "a large section of the hull of a very large vessel" that could be about the same length as the Jeannie Johnson - about 150 feet - but considerably older, Mr Dunne confirmed.
"What we see is wide 12 inch planking of oak, two inches thick, butt-joined and fixed by `trennels' (three nails) onto ribbed beams," he said. At this stage it was not known whether the ship foundered or "was left as a hulk to rot", he said. "These things are time capsules." Forensically, the oak hull contained many tiny holes, evidence of sea lice, "indicating it participated in international trade in warm seas".
This would seem to underline the importance of Dublin in terms of sea linkages and trade routes, he emphasised.
Of particular significance, said Mr Dunne, was the fact that Dublin Corporation has given a written commitment to the underwater unit of Duchas to carry out a full excavation of the site.
The excavation is scheduled to begin next year.
"It's unique," said the archaeological director. "We don't have an excavation for any other wreck for this period."