Le Dragon Wreck 2019 Project
The Wreck Site Continued.
With only 8 cannons located there are a number to find. Using the gradiometer we are able to locate large magnetic variations which are caused by large iron objects like cannons and anchors. However as the lower hull was re-ballasted with iron ballast bars and then rock and shingle, this causes problems. During the geophysical survey, a number of hits which could be canons or swivel cannons in fact were clusters of iron ballast bars. The only way to know is to uncover them and document what we find.
Dr Spooner checking Connor Grzesiak’s underwater drawings with Director Francis Soto watching.
The team with great care loads two pieces of bottom planking with horsehair and copper sheeting supported with modern planks, into the van, for transportation to the Centre.
Dr Louis Desvernay pleased that the days diving went well and that the two pieces of bottom planking were safely recovered, for forensic examination.
Connor Grzesiak and Dr Florence Prudhomme pleased with their success on the bottom planking.
Bob Yee locates another iron ballast bar concreted with ballast stones which is recorded and then removed and placed with the other iron ballast, to clear the area of magnetic signatures.
The team uses the archaeological water dredge to uncover the sand on a gradiometer target to find out what it is. The target had a high enough reading to be a small cannon.
Steve Abell working on carefully uncovering the gradiometer hit which turns out to be a large concretion of iron ballast bars.
A new gradiometer hit large enough to be a swivel cannon which would be exciting revealed a large concretion of iron ballast bars thrown someway from the wreck site by the explosion.
The concreted iron ballast bars are deeply buried and is a number of bars concreted in a mangles mess. There are pieces for charred timber which are in the concretion, probably caused by the flash and heat of the explosion, setting instantaneous burning, before being put out by the seawater.
The Team relocating the concretion to the pile of iron ballast blocks. Once relocated the area will be surveyed again to check if there are any other ferrous artefacts.
I think we need a larger van….. a days equipment being: 20 tanks, 8 sets of dive kit, geophysical equipment, survey equipment, photographic and filming unit equipment, food, water, coolers, medical kit, O2, 8 sets of weights, 10 gallons of petrol, and some of the Team!
Steve Abell’s scale drawing on two sections of copper sheeted bottom planking.
