IDM-001
Country: Mozambique
Place: Ilha de Mozambique
Coordinates: Lat. 15º 01’38.3”S; Long. 40º44’36.5”E
Type: Unknown
Identified: No
Dated: C. 1600. Tentative dating based on the characteristics of the few objects found alongside with historic research
Beam: Unknown
Keel Length: Unknown
Length Overall: Unknown
Number of Masts: Unknown
History of the shipwreck
According to the salvage company report that surveyed this site (Mirabal 2001), it was found during systematic visual survey around Ilha de Mozambique on May 15th of 2001. In the course of its reconnaissance and assessment 24 dives were made, making up the total of 29.45 hours.
The wreck was tentatively dated to the early XVII century because of the characteristics of the artifacts found. The salvage company expert hypothesized that this site could correspond to one of the following recorded shipwrecks.
1. The Portuguese vessel Tigre, 1566, which Captain was Bartolomeu de Vasconcelos. It was coming from India and it was lost in Mozambique on anchor. There is no further information as to salvage: “e o mesmo succedeo a Bartolomeu de Vasconcelos que ao entrar da barra se perdeo” (Biblioteca Nacional de Lisboa; Reservados; Caixa 26, nº 153).
2. There is also an hypothesis of a Portuguese Nau, San Francisco, lost in September 1st of 1607, Captain D. Francisco de Lima which stranded in the sand near Nossa Senhora do Baluarte (Fort of Mozambique Island) and everything was saved “As she was declared not seaworthy, her main masts were cut and the cargo and her artillery taken out” (Torsten 2014: 58)
3. The last tentative recognition of the identity of this wreck is another Portuguese vessel named Nossa Senhora de Nazaré, lost in 1656 near the Fort of Mozambique as the one described above. Some of the merchandise was saved and other plundered by local officials.
Figure 1. Site Location
Description of the site
The wreck is located at a depth of 7 m and consists of a ballast mound of small stones with an average size of 20 cm. Some of the objects, like fragments of Chinese porcelain and some coarse ceramics, were found some centimeters under the sediment of thick sand and shell remains. The debris field continues further north of the wreck site, into the channel where ceramics and glass bottles were found. The depth of the sediment is considerable and the report recommends that more reconnaissance be performed on this site for proper assessment. The primary sketch and site plan were still in progress at the time of the report.
Cargo
A small intact olive jar was found in the site and recovered for identification purposes alongside with some timbers that were visible on the surface. Fragments of Chinese porcelain and some coarse ceramics were found badly fragmented some centimeters under the sediment. Also some more ceramics were found in a channel of debris north of the wreck site together with glass bottles. The visible objects on the site are one iron rudder pintle, a scattering of ballast stones, one wood timber (some still with the lead sheathing attached) and a small fragment of white/blue Chinese porcelain.
Ballast
Ballast mound is made of smallish stones with average size of 20 cm.
Anchors
No anchors were found associated with this wreck.
Guns
No guns were found associated with this wreck.
Iron concretions
No iron concretions were found associated with this wreck.
Hull remains
There is no mention that the wooden timbers observed belong to the hull although one test pit performed showed a large amount of ballast stones lying over the ship timbers, some still with lead sheathing attached.
Wood
Some timbers are visible on the surface but no further analyses were made.
References
Mirabal, A., 2001. Interim Report of the Marine Archaeological Survey performed in Ilha de Moçambique, from May to July 2001. Arqueonautas Worldwide.
Torsten, A., 2014, Shipwrecks of the “Carreira da Índia” (1595-1623) - Sources for the Study in Portuguese Maritime History, Masters Dissertation in Maritime History presented to Faculdade de Letras of Universidade de Lisboa