Saint-Honorat 1

Country: France

Place: Between the islands of Saint-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat, off the coast of Cannes, in 4-6 m of water

Type: Merchantman, estimated 20-30 m long; possibly a Neapolitan grain ship

Identified: Not identified by name; possibly a ship from Naples carrying wheat for the Spanish and Genoese defenders of the Lérins islands during the Franco-Spanish War

Dated: Ceramic sherds suggest the latter half of the sixteenth or the first half of the seventeenth century; archival research tentatively associates the loss with the Franco-Spanish War (1635-1659), specifically the spring of 1637

Length Overall: Estimated 20-30 m

History of the shipwreck

Between the islands of Saint-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat off the coast of Cannes, France, lie the remains of a shipwreck originally reported in November 1990. The Saint-Honorat 1 wreck was first identified by an exposed cannon that was left in situ after it was discovered, still connected to surviving hull structure beneath. Due to the position of the wreck in 4-6 m depth of water, and situated in an area frequented by the local boating community, there was an immediate necessity for the wreck to be reburied for protection (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 125).

Archaeologists returned to the site in May 1991 to conduct a survey of the remains and excavate areas previously exposed by the original wreck finders. Conditions during the excavation did not allow the investigators to excavate as much of the structure as originally intended (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 126-7). What was found suggests that the shallow nature of the site allowed locals and others over time to systematically loot the site. Evidence of fire found on some of the hull structure also suggests that the ship was either burned when it ran aground or shortly thereafter (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 131-2).

The few artifacts uncovered included concretions, musket balls, fragments of wooden staves for a bucket or barrel, and a hazelnut (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 128-9). Archaeologists also recovered 128 ceramic sherds with decorations or forms that suggest manufacture along the Ligurian coast (including Pisa), as well as French workshops in Vallauris, Biot, and Marseille. Many of the sherds provide dates from either the latter half of the sixteenth or the first half of the seventeenth century (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 129-31).

Initial archival research suggests the ship might be related to a local episode in the Franco-Spanish War (1635-1659). Spanish and allied Genoese forces occupied the archipelago at the beginning of the war and were immediately blockaded by the French until 1637. Prior to the French amphibious assault to retake the islands that spring, a ship from Naples was dispatched carrying wheat for the defenders. This ship attempted to run the blockade before grounding and being lit on fire by the pursuing French. The recorded position for this ship fits the location of Saint-Honorat 1, although more archival work will be needed in the future to confirm this possible identity (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 137-9).

Only two weeks were spent excavating and recording Saint-Honorat 1, providing limited information about the hull besides estimating that it was 20-30 m long (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 128).

Description of the site

The wreck lies between the islands of Saint-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat, off the coast of Cannes, in 4-6 m of water — a shallow, accessible site that has left it exposed to looting by the local boating community over time (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 125, 131-2).

Cargo

No cargo survived to be recorded; the few artifacts uncovered included concretions, musket balls, fragments of wooden staves for a bucket or barrel, a hazelnut, and 128 ceramic sherds of Ligurian and French manufacture (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 128-31). If the tentative identification with the 1637 Neapolitan grain ship holds, the vessel would have been carrying wheat at the time of its loss (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 137-9).

Hull Remains

Keel

Archaeologists were able to expose an outside section of the keel, providing evidence that the garboards fit against chamfered top edges of the keel. The dimensions of the keel are not yet known. No other axial elements were uncovered or recorded during fieldwork (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 132).

Frames

Floor timbers are square, with roughly the same amount of space between frame stations. Instead of limber holes cut into the bottom faces of the floor timbers, investigators describe a gap naturally made between the frames, keel, and garboard. This arrangement is also seen on the Dutch East India Company's Mauritius (1609) and the wreck A/B de Saint-Vaast la Hougue (1692), which suggests that Saint-Honorat 1 has a shallow wineglass profile (L'Hour et al. 1990, 65-6, fig. 2).

Keelson

Above the keel and floor timbers, a keelson is rebated to fit over each frame. The keelson is bolted through the floor timbers to connect with the keel (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 133-6).

Ceiling, thick stuff and wales

Most of the internal framing is covered with transverse ceiling that terminated at the bilge stringer, ran atop an intermediate stringer, and fit into a rabbet on the keelson. The ceiling is fastened down using both iron nails and treenails. Elements for a bulkhead were also uncovered; this divider is mainly formed with planks butted vertically against each other and a stanchion partially inserted into the bilge stringer (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 133-6).

Planking

Only the exposed garboard provided a thickness for the planking (10 cm), but there is no more available information about fastening patterns (L'Hour and Richez 1993, 133-6).

Size and scantlings

Estimated overall length: 20-30 m. Garboard thickness: 10 cm. Floor timbers square, evenly spaced.

References

L'Hour, M., and Richez, F., 1993. “Sondage sur un site sous-marin”

L'Hour, M., et al., 1990.