June 2021

The team at the Conservation Research Lab is continuing their work on the digital and physical models of the three ship remnants found at the Robinson Terminal South Site (44AX235). The digital model of Ship #3 (Feature 159) and the model of Ship #1 (Feature 200) are nearly complete. The process of creating a digital model entails piecing together individual timber scans to recreate the archaeologically recovered ship remnant. It is a time-consuming process to ensure that the timbers align correctly and produce a faithful digital model for future study, interpretation, and education. The digital model of Ship #2 (Feature 155) was completed last summer.

The team’s model maker is making a great deal of progress on the physical models and expects to have them completed by the end of this year. Creating the model for Ship #2 (Feature 155) has exposed an interesting feature associated with the ship’s construction. There is a bump in the planking on the starboard side of the vessel. This is because the ship’s carpenters accidentally made five floor timbers too flat in this area but noticed their mistake when they started planking the vessel. To compensate for this, the carpenters had to form the hull planking around this bump, creating a “S” shape. This defect probably affected the vessel’s sailing ability because the bump would have disrupted the hull’s hydrodynamics. This 200-year-old foible is not particularly significant in the larger picture, but it does speak to the human capacity to both make and compensate for mistakes.