A Life Less than Ordinary: The Schooner Ocean (1821\u20131865)

Julian Whitewright,Jack Pink

doi:10.1007/s41636-021-00322-3

Abstract

The East Winner Bank Shipwreck takes its name from the southern sandbank on Hayling Island near Portsmouth, UK. Examination of the wreck indicates a 19th-century carvel-built vessel. The sandbank is an active environment, meaning the wreck is rarely exposed to its full extent. Discussed here is work completed on the site before and during the social-distancing restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Documentary sources and previous detailed surveys suggest a possible identification for the wreck. The site appears to be an example of an everyday 19th-century coastal trading vessel, rarely explored archaeologically in the UK, with potential to contribute to discussions of the maritime technologies and maritime cultural landscape of regular folk. The investigation represents an excellent example of combining historical and archaeological data sets to further the interpretation of both sources, revealing details about the ship and its lasting impact on this stretch of coastline.

Highlights

Emerging from the sand of the East Winner Bank like the ribs of a great leviathan are the remains of a shipwreck (Fig. 1)
The port side of the vessel is visible; the starboard side, if still attached to the keel, remains buried within the sandbank to the west. It is clear from the material published by the Maritime Archaeology Trust and site visits for this project that the wreck is a 19th-century carvel-built ship, potentially of a type rarely recorded by archaeologists in the UK
The ship is likely a working vessel, one of the small ships involved in coastal trade around the British Isles that were integral to Britain’s 19th-century maritime world

Summary

Introduction

Emerging from the sand of the East Winner Bank like the ribs of a great leviathan are the remains of a shipwreck (Fig. 1). It is clear from the material published by the Maritime Archaeology Trust and site visits for this project that the wreck is a 19th-century carvel-built ship, potentially of a type rarely recorded by archaeologists in the UK. The ship is likely a working vessel, one of the small ships involved in coastal trade around the British Isles that were integral to Britain’s 19th-century maritime world.

Results

Conclusion