An Irish Merchant Ship Was Lost Off The Coast Of Norway During The 18th Century, But Since Finding Its Wreckage, Researchers Have Gleaned New Insights About The Vessel
In the 18th century, a ship was lost off the coast of Norway under interesting circumstances. Around 300 years after it sunk, researchers discovered the wreck of the Providentz in late 2020 near the town of Mandal, which is located in the south of Norway.
This year, new investigations were conducted, which have yielded fresh information about the vessel.
The Providentz was an Irish merchant ship. On September 22, 1721, it sailed out of Cork harbor in Ireland and headed for its destination of Arendal, Norway.
At the time, the ship belonged to the extremely influential Lavit family of Cork. It was packed with a cargo of butter, corn, malt, and grain, according to archaeologist Sarah Fawsitt.
The vessel arrived close to Mandal on October 16. Before making the rest of its journey, it stopped to wait for better weather conditions to continue sailing. A couple of weeks later, a local pilot helped guide the ship back out to sea, a practice that was totally normal back then.
On the early morning of November 9, despite favorable weather and plenty of moonlight, the Providentz strayed into the islets and reefs off Mandel, ripping a gaping hole in its port side. The vessel sank quickly, but the crew managed to escape unharmed.
Later that month, a court trial was held to get down to the bottom of what caused the ship to sink. The Norwegian pilot never showed up to the trial.
Instead, he sent a letter stating that some of the crew members, including the ship’s mate, were drunk when the accident occurred. Therefore, they had been unable to steer the vessel properly.
However, the crew blamed the pilot for the sinking. They claimed that he had issued an incorrect command in which he had mixed up the starboard and port.
Lillian – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Jørgen Johannessen, a marine archaeologist with the Norwegian Maritime Museum, explained that while some of the crew members may have been drunk, the pilot’s navigation error was mostly to blame for the ship’s sinking.
For centuries, the Providentz lay undiscovered until December 2020. Johannessen and colleagues went out to explore the wreck shortly after its discovery. They identified it as the remains of an 18th-century ship.
“We knew that an Irish merchant ship sank in 1721 in the area,” said Johannessen. “The initial research was done to pick up a few objects that were vulnerable to looting. Also, we wanted to understand more about the hull and the construction. Lastly, we wanted to verify if this really was the Providentz. It surely was, as we found two clay pipes with the stamp ‘Cork’—the port that the ship came from.”
The research team also aimed to figure out whether the ship was built in English or Dutch style. They took wood samples from the hull to determine when and where the boat was built.
Their analysis revealed that the ship was likely constructed around the year 1700 with oak from northern Germany. It was built according to Dutch tradition due to the extensive use of nails and iron rivets in the hull.
Johannessen said that the Lavit family had been using the Dutch ship to sell Irish merchandise so they could purchase timber in Norway. Overall, the Providentz wreck pointed to a larger network of trade in Western Europe than previously thought.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News