Pointe de Pomègues, first half of the 1st century BC
Country: France
Place: Pointe de Pomègues, roadstead of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), at a depth of 21 m
Coordinates (approximate): 43.26, 5.29
Type: Large Roman Republican merchant ship with double planking
Identified: No
Dated: First half of the 1st century BC, based on the Dressel 1B amphorae.
Beam: Estimated at 6–7 m.
Keel Length: Unknown.
Length Overall: More than 20 m.
Number of Masts: Unknown.
History of the wreck
The Pointe de Pomègues wreck, of which only the starboard side survives, lies in the roadstead of Marseille. It was the subject of rescue excavations by DRASM in 1977 and 1978, which have not yet been published (Pomey 2002b: 11).1 During the wreck the keel was torn from the hull and disappeared completely. Its length exceeded 20 m and its beam was between 6 and 7 m, so it can be considered a large ship. The separation of the sternpost from the surviving hull fragment, with the loss of the keel, indicates a violent impact that broke up other parts of the ship, which sank almost instantly. In Pomey’s opinion (2002b: 12), the presence of a complex sternpost, together with the double planking, confirms the importance of this ship, which shows many analogies with the Madrague de Giens wreck.
Description of the site
The wreck lies at a depth of 21 m. Only the starboard side survives (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Summary plan of the Pointe de Pomègues wreck (plan drawing by Michel Rival, CCJ-CNRS, after Pomey 2002b: 12).
Cargo
A homogeneous cargo of Dressel 1B amphorae, stowed in at least two layers.
Ballast
Not reported.
Anchors
Not reported.
Guns
Not applicable.
Iron concretions
Not reported. No metal nails were used to fasten the frames.
Hull Remains
The ship has double planking. The starboard side survives, with the first and second strakes, the framing, a stringer and a ceiling plank; parts of the sternpost assembly were also found.
Keel, keelson and mast step
In the campaign carried out by Pomey and Guibal in 1991, within the research programme Dendrochronologie et dendromorphologie des épaves antiques de Méditerranée, an area already excavated in 1978 was located, where parts of the sternpost (Ulmus), 26.5 cm high and 15 cm wide, and its heel or skeg (Alnus glutinosa), 19 cm high, and a protective shoe 3.5 cm thick were found. All these after pieces were joined to a portion of the keel (Quercus), 16 cm high and 15 cm wide, by a trait de Jupiter (rayo de Júpiter) scarf.
Frames
In the framing, floor timbers and half-frames alternate (all of Quercus). They are fastened to the hull by wooden treenails, without metal nails, but never to the keel. The floor timbers are on average 9–10 cm sided and 35 cm moulded in their central part, decreasing to 10–11 cm away from the centreline. Their great height indicates that the hull section was very pinched, with a polygonal garboard strake à retour de galbord. The half-frames are 9 cm sided and 10 cm moulded (Figure 1).
Planking
The first and second strakes survive, 5 cm and 4.5 cm thick respectively. The main planking is 3.5 to 3 cm thick, of Pinus sylvestris, and the outer sheathing planking, 2.5 cm thick, is of Abies.
Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales
Of the internal longitudinal structure, a very robust stringer plank (Quercus) survives, 12.8 cm thick and 24.5 cm wide, with notches in its underside to sit on the frames, and a ceiling plank 3.5 cm thick.
Caulking
Not reported.
Size and scantlings
A large ship, more than 20 m long and 6–7 m in beam, with double planking, very tall floor timbers (35 cm moulded at the centre) and a very pinched hull section.
Table 1. Scantling of the timber remains of the Pointe de Pomègues Shipwreck
| Timber | Sided [cm] | Molded [cm] |
| Keel | 15 | 16 |
| Sternpost Skeg Shoe | 15 – – | 26.5 19 3.5 |
| Keelson | – | – |
| Maststep Mortise | – – | – – |
| Buttresses | – | – |
| Floor timbers | 9–10 | 35 (centre) 10–11 (ends) |
| Half-frames | 9 | 10 |
| Room-and-space At central frames | – | |
| Planking (main) Garboard Second strake Outer planking | – – – – | 3–3.5 5 4.5 2.5 |
| Ceiling Stringer Ceiling plank | 24.5 – | 12.8 3.5 |
| Main mast Ø Chock | – – | – – |
Planking and ceiling: sided = width, moulded = thickness.
Wood
Keel, frames and stringer: oak (Quercus). Sternpost: elm (Ulmus). Skeg: alder (Alnus glutinosa). Main planking: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Outer planking: fir (Abies).
Bibliography
Pomey, P. 2002b. Remarques sur la faiblesse des quilles des navires antiques à retour de galbord. In L. Rivet and M. Sciallano (eds), Vivre, produire et échanger: reflets méditerranéens. Mélanges offerts à Bernard Liou, 11–19. Montagnac: Monique Mergoil.
Notes
1 So the only information available in the literature is that gathered by Pomey in his 2002 article Remarque sur la faiblesse des quilles des navires antiques à retour de galbord.