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Good Morning Motlies.
As I mentioned in a previous episode (think James Earl Jones saying "Previously in History on your Doorstep"),I grew up in small South Wales town, now city called Newport.
Unsurprisingly, due to its name, the town was an historic port, due to its location at the top of the Bristol channel, and also to its 39 feet tidal rise and fall allowing large vessels to enter at high tide. Another advantage was its location close to the South Wales coal fields, and for centuries, it imported iron ore for its iron works and exported coal and steel.
During excavations for a new community and sports centre on the banks of the river in 2002, the remains of a large ocean going shipwas found entombed in the silt. On examination,it was discovered that the ship was from around 1450, and the remains were the most complete ever found of a ship from this era. To put this in context, this ship was built around the time that Columbus was born, and 180 years before the Mayflower sailed.
Here is a video about the restoration.
and there is a local nonprofit dedicated to its preservation.
From their website
Evidence suggests it was a merchant ship trading along the seaboard of the western Atlantic as far south as Spain. It also seems likely that the Ship was built in south-west France, the Basque country, Asturias or Portugal.
We are able to date the Ship’s construction to around 1450 and its dismantling to the period 1468-1470. However, the dismantling process was interrupted; we can’t be sure how or why. The Ship was left to partly sink into the riverbed before being covered by accumulated sediment. This preserved the vessel for around 532 years before its discovery in 2002.
Now the project is suffering from funding issues. The irony is that if you google "Newport Ship" you get directed to either this project, or photos of US Aircraft carriers costing $4.5 billion a pop.
What´s on your mind today?