A shipwreck has been discovered on a beach in Orkney and is now being preserved and studied after its timbers were washed ashore during a storm. The wreck could potentially be Dutch and dating back to the 17th century according to researchers. The find is considered significant by marine archaeologist Ben Saunders, who noted the rarity of finding the wreck in such a condition. For the last six months, the Sanday Heritage Group covered the wreck in bed sheets and watered them weekly to maintain the timbers.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund awarded Orkney Islands Council £80,000 to construct an 8m stainless steel tank at the island’s heritage centre to keep the wreck preserved for two to three years while research is carried out into the ship’s identity and significance. The tank will allow researchers to understand more about historic shipbuilding techniques as they take samples from the ship’s frame to determine the construction date via dendrochronology, otherwise known as tree ring dating.
As the research team continues to work to identify the name of the ship from Sanday and Orkney island records, the island heritage centre hopes more details of the shipwreck will be revealed. Clive Struver, chair of the Sanday Development Trust, said that the shipwreck could be an archaeological attraction for the island and more research was “vital”.
Approximately 200 shipwrecks have been catalogued on and around the island dating back to 1596. This latest addition will help shed light on the maritime heritage of the UK
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