Wrecked All Over the Place: The Identification of Disarticulated Context-Free Ship Remains from the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia

Abstract

This article shows that it is possible to identify a vessel from disarticulated ship remains missing their original depositional context. By studying a dispersed collection of timbers, fasteners, and hull sheathing from a previously unidentified shipwreck on the Gold Coast, Australia, the authors were able to identify the remains as most likely from the colonial schooner Heroine. In this instance there were several possible identifications for the disarticulated ship remains, so historical research, detailed artifact recording, and timber and metal analyses were used to study the ship elements. The results showed a range of timbers preferred by New South Wales shipwrights and copper sheathing of a datable metal composition, generating new knowledge of the material selection and techniques used in Australian colonial shipbuilding in general. While disarticulated or context-free shipwreck remains are often only able to provide a generic cultural or type affiliation, this study shows that through detailed analysis it is possible to ascribe a ship’s name to the dispersed structural elements.