Calanque de l’Âne 1, late 1st century AD
Country: France
Place: Roadstead of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), at a depth of 18 m
Coordinates (approximate): 43.27, 5.30
Type: Roman merchant ship
Identified: No
Dated: Late 1st century AD.
Beam: Estimated at 6 m.
Keel Length: Unknown.
Length Overall: Estimated at 25 m.
Number of Masts: One main mast step is preserved.
History of the wreck
The wreck, located in the roadstead of Marseille, was discovered in 1956 and excavated in 1998 (Ximénès and Moerman 1998). It is dated to the end of the 1st century AD.
Description of the site
The wreck lies at a depth of 18 m. A large part of the hull is preserved in good condition, over a length of 13.40 m (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Summary plan of the excavations of wreck I of the Calanque de l’Âne (after Ximénès and Moerman 1998: 301).
Cargo
The ship carried an unusual cargo of tegulae and imbrices.
Ballast
Not reported.
Anchors
Not reported.
Guns
Not applicable.
Iron concretions
Not reported.
Hull Remains
A large part of the hull is preserved in good condition, over a length of 13.40 m, including the framing, the longitudinal assembly of two sister keelsons and a central keelson-mast step, the ceiling, part of the stem and a wale (Figure 1).
Keel, keelson and mast step
The internal longitudinal structure consists of three pieces: two parallel sister keelsons supporting a central keelson that also serves as the mast step. The sister keelsons, of oak (Quercus sp.), are 9.10 m long, 11 cm wide and 9.5 cm high. They have notches for a better fit with the frames, as well as some fastening treenails. The central keelson is 9.10 m long, 42 cm wide and 29 cm high (Pomey 1992: 20–21, fig. 19). Its section is completely rectangular, unlike the mast steps of wrecks such as Saint Gervais 3, Laurons 1, 2, 3 and 4 or Port Vendres I, which have a hollow or recess for a better fit over the two sister keelsons; mechanically, this arrangement distributes better the lateral forces exerted by the foot of the mast. The completely rectangular shape of the mast step of the Calanque de l’Âne explains why, at the level of the foot of the mast, this timber is reinforced perpendicularly by another piece of triangular section,1 120 cm long, with a maximum height of 14 cm where it meets the sister keelson and a width of about 31–32 cm, which has a circular mortise to house a stanchion 10–11 cm in diameter (Figure 2). The rectangular section of the mast step, without any recess to seat it on the sister keelsons, could be an earlier stage of this technique, or it could be an error of interpretation and/or recording.
The mast step has a classic arrangement, with a mortise cut with a bevel to facilitate the stepping of the mast (with a votive coin), two lateral mortises for the boards that prevent transverse movement of the mast, and another that fixes it longitudinally. Two mortises for stanchions flank the mast fore and aft.
The stem of the ship was also recorded, with 1.60 m preserved, a width of 25–30 cm and a height of 30 cm.
Figure 2. Axonometric view of the mast step and the buttress of triangular section (after Ximénès and Moerman 1998: 302).
Frames
The Calanque de l’Âne is characterised by very robust framing, almost entirely of oak (Quercus sp.), with a very tight room-and-space (malla), in which the space between the frames is the same as their sided dimension, between 10 and 12 cm (Figure 1). Their moulded dimension varies between 14 and 16 cm near the keel, decreasing progressively away from it to 7.5–9 cm in the highest preserved part of the hull. The frames are between 4.40 and 4.80 m long, and there is a single complete half-frame, 3.75 m long. The planking bears carpenter’s marks for the positioning of the frames.
In the after part of the hull, which is less well preserved, there are two shorter sawn frames that create a central space over the keel. Their comparison with the Laurons 1 and Laurons 3 wrecks suggests the hypothesis that the ship’s bilge pump was located here, its existence being confirmed by lead drainage pipes like those documented in the Saint-Gervais 3.
Planking
The hull planking is of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and bears carpenter’s marks for the positioning of the frames.
Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales
The ceiling of the hold consists of fixed stringers and removable ceiling strakes, the fixed ones being thicker. A wale made of two superimposed pieces was recorded, one 12 cm and the other 7.5 cm thick, one of them of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis).
Caulking
Not reported.
Size and scantlings
With a large part of the hull preserved (13.40 m), the ship’s length is estimated at 25 m and its beam at 6 m.
Table 1. Scantling of the timber remains of the Calanque de l’Âne Shipwreck
| Timber | Sided [cm] | Molded [cm] |
| Keel | – | – |
| Stem | 25–30 | 30 |
| Keelson (sister keelsons) | 11 | 9.5 |
| Maststep (central keelson) Stanchion mortise Ø | 42 10–11 | 29 – |
| Buttresses | 31–32 | 14 (max.) |
| Frames | 10–12 | 14–16 to 7.5–9 |
| Futtocks | – | – |
| Room-and-space At central frames | 10–12 (space) | |
| Planking | – | – |
| Ceiling | – | – |
| Wale | – | 12 + 7.5 |
| Main mast Ø Chock | – – | – – |
Frame dimensions are ranges for all frames: moulded 14–16 cm near the keel, decreasing to 7.5–9 cm in the highest preserved part of the hull. The wale consists of two superimposed pieces.
Wood
Frames and sister keelsons: oak (Quercus sp.). Planking: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Wale: one of its two pieces of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis).
Bibliography
Pomey, P., Long, L., L’Hour, M., Bernard, H. and Richez, F. 1992. Recherches sous-marines. Gallia Informations 1992.1. Paris: CNRS.
Ximénès, S. and Moerman, M. 1998. Fouille de l’épave de la calanque de l’Âne (Marseille). Archaeonautica 14: 299–302. doi: 10.3406/nauti.1998.1221.
Notes
1 It recalls those of medieval or post-medieval construction used to reinforce mast steps, as seen for example in the Galea di S. Marco at Boccalama (Venice).