Six Shilling Cays Shipwreck, C. 1550

Country: Bahamas

Place: Six Shilling Cays

Identified: Not identified by name

Dated: c. 1550 (per the title/site convention used in this entry; not otherwise dated in the source text)

History of the shipwreck

In October 1994, John de Bry of the Center for Historical Archaeology visited Mr. Maillis's residence on Russell Island, North Eleuthera, and examined and recorded several artifacts removed from the Six Shilling Cays wreck; the artifacts were kept immersed in the sea near Mr. Maillis's house. The next day, de Bry was taken to the wreck by Captain Bernard Sweeting, who had originally discovered the shipwreck in the late 1980s and mentioned it to Nick Maillis. Given a 4 m by 2 m depression in the ballast suggesting its removal, and the absence of ordnance and anchors on site, it is likely that the site was looted by treasure hunters; however, given its shallow depth, it is also plausible that it was salvaged soon after the wreck occurred.

Description of the site

The wreck rests on a hard-pan bottom with some coarse sand pockets, 300 yards south of Six Shilling Cays, between two rock formations. Visibility at the site is outstanding, about 100 feet, with a water temperature of 83°F. In October, winds of around 14 knots blow from the east, and a strong current flows north onto the bank.

Cargo

Several pottery sherds, described as an early type, are reported, along with a ceramic bead.

Hull Remains

Fragmentary wood was reported and sampled after removing a few ballast stones.

Caulking

Not described in the source text.

Ballast

The ballast mound is about 11 m long, 5 m wide, and 1.5 m high. It is composed of rounded river rock that may contain iron ore, as metal detectors and magnetometers react to it. Part of the ballast was removed in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

Guns

Mr. Maillis removed several artifacts from the wreck and kept them immersed in the sea near his residence: a single verso breech chamber with a defined handle, 30 cm long and 10 cm in diameter, similar to the type found on the Molasses Reef wreck; a single verso breech chamber with a poorly defined handle, 27 cm long and 10 cm in diameter, also similar to the Molasses Reef type; a conglomerate of two verso breech chambers fused around their handles, measuring 30 cm and 27.5 cm long respectively, both 10 cm in diameter, again similar to the Molasses Reef type; a bombardeta or cerbatana breech chamber, 52 cm long and 17 cm in diameter, with a single lifting ring (13 cm outer diameter, 5 cm inner diameter) and a lug at the center, with a possible breech recess; a possible verso tiller fragment; and an iron-cored shot weighing 210 grams, about 3.5 cm in caliber.

Three additional "suspected" verso breech chambers, all displaying a "beer stein" profile, were observed on site in 1994, along with another iron-cored lead shot.

A concretion probably encompassing two verso breech chambers was removed from the site by Maillis. Another concretion, probably encompassing two additional verso breech chambers, was found on site. A fourth potential verso breech chamber was cemented to the hard-pan seafloor 30 m south of the ballast pile.

Size and scantlings

Not described in the source text.

Wood

Not described in the source text.

References

De Bry, John (Center for Historical Archaeology). Maillis's Six Shilling Cay Wreck Trip Report. Presented to Ships of Discovery.