Marsala B

Country: Italy

Place: South of modern Marsala, Sicily, near Lido Signorino, beneath 40 m of water

Type: Bottom-based vessel with a plank keel

Identified: Not identified by name

Dated: Originally dated, together with Marsala A, to the late eleventh to early twelfth centuries based on ceramic assemblages; recent reanalysis concludes the two ships were two separate losses, presumably both built in Sicily, with Marsala B lost at the beginning of the twelfth century

History of the shipwreck

After an intense storm off Sicily in 1983, reports of archaeological material exposed along the seabed south of modern Marsala, Italy, prompted swift rescue operations to prevent looting. The source of the uncovered artifacts was a shipwreck, later known as Marsala A, sunk beneath 40 m of water near Lido Signorino. Observations suggested that the wreck was a rich collection of materials with surviving hull remains often covered by shifting sand. Storms in the following years kept exposing the hull, but these same environmental effects would later bury the area in 2 m of sand (Purpura 1985, 129-30).

Interest from the Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum led to fieldwork to record and recover the Marsala A shipwreck for display. The museum was already home to an earlier Punic wreck, and officials were keen on expanding their collection to other periods of Marsala's history, with the hope that the museum would become a regional center for archaeological and conservation expertise. Investigations on Marsala A during the 1985 field season led to the discovery of a second, smaller wreck site nearby: Marsala B.

Between the 1985 and 1986 field seasons, Marsala B was recorded, its contents recovered, and the hull remains collected. The smaller size of Marsala B and its fewer wooden remains made it easier to recover than the nearby Marsala A, whose hull remains were never retrieved (Ferroni and Meucci 1996, 286).

Original dating and provenience of the ceramic assemblage found on Marsala B, together with that of Marsala A, suggested that the ships were from the late eleventh to early twelfth centuries, associated with western Sicily and North Africa. Recent reanalysis of the assemblages emphasizes two ships lost at different times and by coincidence in the same area; both were presumed to be built in Sicily, with Marsala B lost at the beginning of the twelfth century (Tisseyre 2015, 147; Pisciotta and Garnier 2018, 169).

Description of the site

Marsala B lies south of modern Marsala, Sicily, near Lido Signorino, beneath 40 m of water, close to the nearby wreck of Marsala A.

Cargo

Not described in the source text beyond the ceramic assemblage recovered from the wreck, used to date and provenance the site (Tisseyre 2015, 147; Pisciotta and Garnier 2018, 169).

Hull Remains

Marsala B is a bottom-based vessel that relies on a plank keel the same thickness as the other strakes. The poor state of preservation prevents any further understanding of how the plank keel was attached to endposts, or whether these were present. Framing is composed of alternating L-shaped floor timbers with shorter accompanying futtocks; these two elements overlap without clear evidence of whether scarfs were used, besides an indication on several that two nails were part of the connection. Both the floor timbers and futtocks are square in dimension (Ferroni and Meucci 1996, 292-4).

Floor timbers are connected to the keel plank with nails, and evidence from surviving fragments of the rebated keelson indicates this timber was also bolted to the keel plank between frames. Limited evidence survives to indicate whether stringers were present at the turn of the bilge. Planking was installed with square iron nails, two per frame station, without any use of treenails. Preliminary reconstruction for Marsala B suggests a similar profile to Serçe Limanı, except without the deadrise (Ferroni and Meucci 1996, 296-7).

Size and scantlings

Floor timbers and futtocks square in dimension; planking fastened with two square iron nails per frame station.

References

Purpura, G., 1985. [full citation not given in source text];

Ferroni, A. M., and Meucci, C., 1996. "I due relitti Arabo-Normanni de Marsala" [full citation not given in source text];

Tisseyre, P., 2015. [full citation not given in source text];

Pisciotta, F., and Garnier, N., 2018. [full citation not given in source text];

Bonino, M., 2007. "Appunti sul Relitto Medioevale" [full citation not given in source text].