Sardinaux

Country: France

Place: Near the Pointe des Sardinaux skerries, Mediterranean coast of France, between Sainte-Maxime and Les Issambres, in 52 m of water

Type: Small open-decked coastal trading vessel, likely a tartane

Identified: Not identified by name

Dated: Originally dated to the end of the seventeenth century based on graffiti on a plate; re-dated to the first half of the sixteenth century following subsequent terrestrial excavations at Fréjus

Length Overall: Approximately 10-12 m

Number of Masts: At least one; recesses in four floor timbers forward of amidships suggest a mast step

History of the shipwreck

The Pointe des Sardinaux and its associated skerries are found on the Mediterranean coast of France between Sainte-Maxime and Les Issambres. The submerged rocky outcrop poses a danger to coastal shipping and has led to the loss of several shipwrecks since antiquity. Diving in this area is difficult, due to the low visibility from mud deposited by the Argens river near Fréjus and carried south by the bottom current. Nevertheless, divers found an unknown shipwreck 52 m deep in 1986.

The wreck was a smaller vessel, mainly packed with ceramics. The scatter trail on the bottom suggested the ship hit a rock outcrop and drifted 1,400 m before sinking (Joncheray 1988, 21-4). Over 4,000 individual ceramics were recorded in four layers, made up of cups, bowls, jugs, and various other shapes fitted into a 10-12 m long ship (Joncheray 1989, 131).

Subsequent analysis of the ceramic collection revealed that the cargo was probably from the nearby Fréjus workshops. Sixteenth-century documents mention coastal vessels carrying thousands of ceramics from Fréjus to Marseilles (Joncheray 1988, 40). Researchers originally dated the wreck to the end of the seventeenth century, due to a small plate with graffiti found beneath the glaze. The graffiti is interpreted as the coat of arms for the bishop of Fréjus, Luc d'Aquin (1681-97), or his nephew, Louis (1697-99), who succeeded him (Joncheray 1989, 108-10). Based on the late seventeenth-century date, archaeologists suggested the vessel was a tartane, an open-decked coastal craft that mainly carried cargos between adjacent ports (Joncheray 1988, 65).

The ceramic collection from the Sardinaux wreck represented a unique collection of Fréjus craftsmanship for several decades. Recent terrestrial excavations around Fréjus uncovered workshops with unfinished, broken, or discarded ceramics that expanded the seriation possibilities of these artifacts. Based on these findings, the Sardinaux collection was re-dated to the first half of the sixteenth century, fitting with the documentary sources mentioning similar coastal craft during this time (Amouric and Vallauri 2007, 57; Amouric et al. 2016, 16).

Description of the site

The wreck lies in 52 m of water near the Pointe des Sardinaux skerries, a submerged rocky outcrop on the Mediterranean coast of France between Sainte-Maxime and Les Issambres. The scatter trail on the bottom suggests the ship struck the outcrop and drifted 1,400 m before sinking; visibility in the area is poor due to mud carried south from the Argens river near Fréjus (Joncheray 1988, 21-4).

Cargo

Over 4,000 individual ceramics were recorded in four layers, made up of cups, bowls, jugs, and various other shapes, probably manufactured at the nearby Fréjus workshops (Joncheray 1989, 131; Joncheray 1988, 40). No evidence was found for any dunnage or packing materials employed in loading the vessel; the ceramics were simply stacked together in horizontal layers perpendicular to the keel. A single anomalous sherd located near the stern was identified as tableware for the crew, but its small size limits any further diagnostic information (Joncheray 1988, 41).

Hull Remains

Despite seemingly optimal conditions (pinned beneath several thousand ceramics and buried in muddy sediment), the hull remains for Sardinaux were limited.

Keel

Two sections of the keel survive; both suggest a rectangular shape with no evidence for a rabbet (Joncheray 1988, 44-5). Boards were fastened to the keel and garboards between floor timbers. The original interpretation for these boards suggests they were installed for the lowest row of ceramics in the hold; another interpretation is that they provided stronger reinforcement between the keel and garboard due to the absence of a rabbet (Joncheray 1988, 58, 60).

Stem and Sternpost

Only the foot of the stem survives, horizontally flat scarfed with two iron fasteners to the front end of the keel. No evidence for the sternpost survives; only the two pintles indicate that it held a rudder (Joncheray 1988, 44-5, 60-4).

Frames

Frame stations included a floor timber that is hook scarfed on either arm to a futtock. These frame timbers are fastened together with three or four square iron nails. Drawings of individual frames suggest most of these nails are blind, although a few may have pierced the other side and were clenched. The difficulty in determining the fastening pattern is complicated by the coating of pitch inside the entire hull and over all scarfs. Scantlings for the frame elements are relatively square, and each floor timber is fastened to the keel with two or three nails. Two frame stations amidships were identified as dual master frames. The hull section was characterized by a flat floor and round bilge (Joncheray 1988, 47-54).

Keelson

Due to the limited remains of the keel, it is not clear whether a keelson existed. The presence of a single willow treenail (3 cm diameter) inserted vertically into the keel between frame stations at the bow could be for an apron or the forward part of the keelson (Joncheray 1988, 44). Connecting the keelson to the keel between frame stations seems plausible, due to the small scantling of the floor timbers and the absence of any vertical bolt holes in them. The upper face of four floor timbers forward of amidships are rebated to receive a mast step; the pattern of these recesses suggests a mast step system similar to that seen on other wrecks, with the mast mortise built from step partners and chocks. Absence of any ceiling or deck support suggests the ship had an open plan, perhaps with a partial deck in the stern that is missing (Joncheray 1988, 58).

Ceiling, thick stuff and wales

Evidence for bilge keels was found outside the hull; the remains of these elements have a transitional shape that is triangular at the ends and closer to a parallelogram amidships. The inboard faces of these timbers are without any rebates, the bilge keels simply fastened against the outside of the frames. Fastener holes are described passing through the bilge keels, and a flat scarf between two pieces is also identified, but it is not clear whether they were connected only to the frames, the missing bilge stringers, or both (Joncheray 1988, 46).

Planking

Limited elements from the planking survive, suggesting thin boards (~3.7 cm) and modest widths (16.5-17.5 cm), as recorded from the garboards (Joncheray 1988, 58).

Caulking

The few seams between surviving strakes did not include any identifiable caulking, while pitch was found coating the inside and outside of the hull (Joncheray 1988, 58).

Size and scantlings

Estimated overall length: 10-12 m. Planking (garboards): ~3.7 cm thick, 16.5-17.5 cm wide. Treenail (possible apron/keelson element): 3 cm diameter.

Wood

A single treenail associated with a possible apron or forward keelson was identified as willow (Joncheray 1988, 44).

References

Joncheray, J.-P., 1988. “Un navire de commerce”

Joncheray, J.-P., 1989.

Amouric, H., and Vallauri, L., 2007.

Amouric, H., et al., 2016.