Villefranche (Lomellina, 1516)

Country: France

Place: Villefranche-sur-Mer harbor, near the center of the port

Type: Genoese round ship; believed to have had three decks with a wineglass-form hull

Identified: Lomellina

Dated: 15 September 1516, lost in a storm while anchored in Villefranche; coins, Nuremberg tokens, and ceramic sherds provided a terminus post quem initially of 1503, later refined to 1509

Number of Masts: At least one; the mainmast step survives amidships

History of the shipwreck

Villefranche-sur-Mer became the French Mediterranean port of call for foreign ships in the nineteenth century. The dredging of the port to accommodate the increase in maritime traffic likely destroyed many early wrecks. Fortunately, not all of them were lost. In 1979, diver Alain Visquis stumbled across the remains of a shipwreck near the center of the harbor (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 38). Archaeologists began excavation in 1982 and continued over the next nine years to systematically remove the overburden, uncovering a significant assemblage of artifacts and hull structure. Coins and Nuremberg tokens provided an initial 1503 terminus post quem for the site. This observation was supplemented by ceramic sherds from a majolica cup attributed to a Montelupo workshop in Tuscany; similar surviving examples of this cup portray an image of Pope Julius II, pushing the date further forward to 1509 (Guérout et al. 1989, 127). Fish spawning pits on the wreck also suggested that it was lost in late summer.

Between a combination of ceramics, an overlapping growth of tree species from the same area identified in the hull components, geologic studies of the ballast, and chemical analysis of brucite (magnesium hydroxide) from a cannon, investigators found the origins of most of these components concentrated around Genoa (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 40-1; Guérout 2019, 4-6). Both a majolica fragment and a surviving section of an arquebus butt also displayed the Genoese Fregoso family crest. Delving into the Genoese archive, researchers were able to find several accounts about a ship lost in 1516 while anchored in Villefranche.

In that year, the Genoese round ship Lomellina entered Villefranche-sur-Mer. As with the Marinières shipwreck, this port and Nice were the Duke of Savoy's main connection to the Mediterranean at the beginning of the sixteenth century (Braudel 1995, 573). The port continued to grow in importance during the Italian Wars (1494-1546) for shipbuilding, careening, and as a good location for offloading French or Spanish armies and military supplies that used the Ligurian coastal road network into Italy (Guérout et al. 1989, 133). On 15 September 1516, a fierce storm arose that damaged multiple buildings surrounding the Villefranche harbor and the nearby fortified walls of Nice (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 41). Several ships anchored in Villefranche were also reported damaged from the storm, and contemporary accounts listed the Lomellina among those that sank.

Local salvors immediately descended upon the wreckage to recover anything of value. Roughly a week after the disaster, the Genoese ruling council was informed of the Lomellina's loss and illegal salvage. Letters were written to the rulers of Nice condemning the looting, and arrangements were made for a sanctioned recovery of the artillery that the ship was carrying (Guérout et al. 1989, 137-9). A visitor to the harbor two years later mentioned that the masts from the wreck still extended slightly above the waterline. Additional salvage work by locals in 1531 suggests the original recovery was incomplete; the materials from this latest attempt were ultimately confiscated by local authorities (Guérout et al. 1989, 139, 143-45). Since its archaeological investigation throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Lomellina remains one of the best archaeological studies of Renaissance-era Mediterranean shipbuilding.

Description of the site

The wreck lies near the center of Villefranche-sur-Mer harbor, France, the historic Mediterranean port of call for the Duke of Savoy and, in the sixteenth century, a shipbuilding and careening center connected to the Ligurian coastal road network into Italy (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 38; Guérout et al. 1989, 133).

Cargo

The ship was carrying artillery, recovered under sanctioned salvage shortly after the wreck, and additional materials salvaged illegally by locals both immediately after the loss and again in 1531 (Guérout et al. 1989, 137-9, 139, 143-45).

Hull Remains

Keel

The keel elements attached to the surviving hull structure remain intact and show a tall, rectangular profile. Between the main hull structure and the stern there is a missing section of the hull, but what has survived indicates that the keel is rabbeted throughout (Guérout et al. 1989, 23). Toward the bow, the keel is hook scarfed to the stem, while it butted the heel timber. Only a short fragment of the stem survives and shows a rounding curve on its forward end, with dimensions similar to those of the keel. The heel timber that survives increases the molded dimension of the keel toward the end of this component (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 41).

Sternpost

Part of the main sternpost survived, and the only evidence of it is on the heel timber, where the back end is rebated at 75-78° as half of a scarf (Guérout et al. 1989, 28-9). The bottom half of the scarf rests over the skeg built into the heel timber. Remnants of a stern rudder provide evidence for the steerage system. The rabbet terminates forward of the upper arm of the heel timber. Rebated into the top face of the heel timber is the bottom of the stern knee. On the forward end of the stern knee is half of a hook scarf, suggesting this timber continued forward, covering the butt seam between the heel timber and keel.

Frames

Framing consists of floor timbers dovetail scarfed to futtocks, and upper futtocks also scarfed together. Lower scarfs were cut with the widest part of the dovetail shape either on the inboard or outboard faces of the frames, depending on the frame station. Upper futtock scarfs are not consistent, as archaeologists record half, single, dovetail, double dovetail, or no scarf. These connections are all secured with two round iron nails. Except for the master frame with dual futtocks on each wronghead, all futtocks are attached on the floor timber face toward the center of the ship (most other archaeological examples are the opposite) (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 43).

Scantlings emphasize a rectangular shape for all frames, specifically because the ship has a wineglass form with deadrise at the master frame. Space between frame stations varies between two and three times the width of the widest floor timber. Every other floor timber is bolted to the keel, except at the frame stations surrounding amidships and the placement of the mast step, which are all fastened. Frame station W70, toward the stern, one of the last surviving lower hull assemblies, is bolted to the keel twice (Guérout et al. 1989, 42).

Keelson

The keelson is recessed over the frames only in the center of the hull and not at the ends. The garboard for the Lomellina is a much thicker plank that was carved to fit once it was placed in position. At least one section of the garboard is fastened to the keel and counter keel with round nails. Investigators question whether the keel and garboards were assembled together prior to adding any frames to the axial timbers (Guérout et al. 1989, 62-3).

The mainmast step consists of two mast step partners resting on either side of the keelson without any recesses to fit over the frames. The top face includes two dovetail rebates for keys to connect the mast step partners together. A series of rebates are also present for riders and ledges to cover this area and create a raised platform with longitudinal planking. Eight mast-step buttresses sit over accompanying floor timbers, with their outboard ends supported by the lowest stringer and the opposite resting against the faces of the mast step partners. The mortise for the mast is created with the space between the two keys and the installation of a chock to fill the gap left over after the mast was installed (Rieth 1991, 180-1; Guérout 2017a, 11-12). A pump well surrounds this area for protection, along with a similar enclosed area further aft to protect the pumps.

Ceiling, thick stuff and wales

Due to the excellent preservation, which includes most of the portside of the hull, several consecutive stringers survive. The pattern for stringers is that two cover the overlap either between the floor timber and first futtock or the crossing of upper futtocks. Near the center of each set of futtocks is a single stringer for reinforcement. All stringers are rebated, like the keelson, to increase longitudinal support (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 43). Longitudinally oriented ceiling is spiked to the frames between the stringers, from the keelson up to the main deck. Since the ceiling continues from the keelson up to what remains of the main deck, it is unclear if any sill or filler pieces were inserted between futtocks at each deck to seal off access to the bilges.

Planking

Lower strakes are slightly thicker (12 cm) than those closer to the waterline (10 cm), while the deadworks consist of planks half their thickness (4-5 cm) (Guérout et al. 1989, 63-7). Each strake is attached to the frames using two or three iron nails, and there is no evidence of treenails.

Deck

Based on the surviving remains, it is believed that Lomellina had three decks, with the orlop consisting of only heavy beams rebated into shelf clamps. Several beams also had an additional standing knee resting above, hook scarfed into a secondary beam that crossed the hull; the knee included a longer arm that ran over the ceiling up the side of the hull. The orlop deck does not appear to be planked, as some of the stowed cannons were tied to the exposed beams (Guérout et al. 1989, 48-9).

An internal reinforcing castle rider covered the ceiling and overlapped with the upper arms of the orlop knees. The castle riders went through the next deck and are only found at the bow and aft of amidships. Lower castle riders were then replaced with another set of robust knees situated on the main deck (Guérout 2017b, 3-7). The main deck consists of beams and ledges, dovetailed into shelf clamps covered with longitudinal planking. Whereas the orlop deck beams were simply fitted between the two lower stringers, the main deck consists of the shelf clamp and a waterway covering the dovetail connection (Guérout et al. 1989, 54-8). Each deck was held up by a system of stanchions mortised into floor timbers, stringers, or deck knees, depending on the location.

Caulking

Both the interior and exterior of the hull were covered in pitch, while the keel and garboards were also covered in a brown mastic material and vegetable tow. Lead sheathing is also present, protecting the keel and garboards (Guérout 2016, 3-5).

Ballast

Geologic studies of the ballast contributed to identifying the origins of the ship's components as concentrated around Genoa (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 40-1; Guérout 2019, 4-6).

Size and scantlings

Sternpost scarf angle (on heel timber): 75-78°. Frame station spacing: two to three times the width of the widest floor timber. Planking: lower strakes 12 cm thick, strakes near the waterline 10 cm thick, deadworks 4-5 cm thick, fastened with two or three iron nails per frame station. Mainmast step: eight buttresses.

Wood

An overlapping growth pattern among tree species identified in the hull components indicates a common origin concentrated around Genoa (Guérout and Rieth 1998, 40-1; Guérout 2019, 4-6).

References

Guérout, M., and E. Rieth, ‘The wreck of the Lomellina at Villefranche sur Mer’, in Mensun Bound (ed.), Excavating Ships of War, vol. 2 (Oswestry, England, 1998), 38-50;

Guérout, M., E. Rieth, J.-M. Gassend, and B. Liou, ‘Le navire Génois de Villefranche, un naufrage de 1516?’, Archaeonautica 9 (1989), 5-171;

Braudel, F., The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II, vol. 1 (Berkeley, 1995);

Guérout, M., ‘Epave de la Lomellina (1516) - Doublage de la coque’ (Sorbonne, 2016);

Guérout, M., ‘Epave de la Lomellina (1516) - L'emplanture du grand-mât’ (Sorbonne, 2017a);

Guérout, M., ‘Epave de la Lomellina (1516) - Structures internes de soutien des châteaux avant et arrière’ (Sorbonne, 2017b);

Guérout, M., ‘Epave de la Lomellina (1516) - La soute à poudre’ (Sorbonne, 2019);

Rieth, E., ‘L'emplanture du grand mât de l'épave du début du XVIème siècle de Villefranche-sur-Mer: Un exemple d'emplanture de tradition méditerranéenne’, in Christiane Villain-Gandossi, Salvino Busuttil and Paul Adam (eds), Medieval Ships and the Birth of Technological Societies, vol. 2, The Mediterranean Area and European Integration (Malta, 1991), 179-96.