Further investigations of the wreck of the "Porcelancer"

It took nearly 50 years to carry out archaeological research on the wreck of the “Porcelanowca” from the first half of the 19th century lying on the bottom of the Gulf of Gdansk. In 1965 the ship, whose name refers to the cargo it carried, was discovered at a depth of 16m by the crew of M/S “Czapla” belonging to the Polish Salvage Ship.

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The surveys were carried out this summer using innovative research techniques that could not have been used in the past by archaeologists from the Polish Maritime Museum. At that time, both underwater archaeology in Poland and the technology used in it were just emerging.

Interestingly, when years later they wanted to re-examine the remains of the sailing ship, difficulties arose in locating it. All because the discoverers gave inaccurate coordinates regarding the position of the wreck. Search teams made unsuccessful attempts to find the Porcelanow ship in 1979, 1983 and 1984, until 2009, when it was found by the Navy.

This year, as part of the project “Inventory of the wreck F53.27 “Porcelanowiec” from the Gulf of Gdansk”, it was determined exactly what period the wreck comes from. According to the analysis carried out by experts, the ship probably transported fragments of pottery and English faience. It is also assumed that its part was dug out from the wreck in the 1960s. Some fragments of the plates bear the inscription “JC and Son”, indicating a manufacturer from Staffordshire, England, who traded in the Baltic region.

During the expedition, dendrochronological research was also carried out, which showed that the ship was built of pine and spruce. This is quite strange, as structural elements made of spruce are something uncommon in our waters.

At the end of the year, we will be able to see a photogrammetric 3D model of the entire underwater site. Thanks to this, we can say that the “Porcelanowiec” will rediscover its secrets from us.

Source: trojmiasto.pl
Photo: cmm.pl