User:Chetsford/em
| History | |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts Bay | |
| Namesake | Elizabeth I of England and Mary I of England |
| Out of service | 1690 |
| Fate | sank |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 50-to-55-foot (15 to 17 m) |
The Elizabeth and Mary was a Massachusetts barque that formed part of Province of Massachusetts Bay's naval fleet during the Battle of Quebec in 1690. The ship sank in a storm during the withdrawal of Massachusetts forces, resulting in a loss of all hands. The wreck of the Elizabeth and Mary was rediscovered in a remarkably preserved condition three centuries later, in 1994. It is the oldest known shipwreck in Canada.
Description
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The Elizabeth and Mary was a 45 ton merchant ship built in New England. It was owned by Caleb Lamb.
Re-discovery and excavation
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On Christmas Eve of 1994, a recreational diver discovered the wreck of the Elizabeth and Mary, whose resting place in Baie-Trinité had been recently uncovered by storms in the St. Lawrence Estuary.[1] At the time of its re-discovery, the name of the of the Elizabeth and Mary was not known and excavation and preservation efforts began on the wreck without exact knowledge of its identity. The project became the largest underwater archeological excavation ever to have occurred in the western hemisphere and was led by Marc-André Bernier.[2]
Later archival research helped identify the shipwreck as that of the Elizabeth and Mary. The location and age of the ship made it probably a part of the Phips expedition, of which four ships were known to have been lost. And, some of the initials engraved on recovered artifacts matched those of the men enlisted in the Dorchester Company, the unit embarked on the Elizabeth and Mary.
At the conclusion of active excavation efforts in 1997, the ship's remaining hull structure – comprised of a 10 meter by 2 meter portion of its port flank – was dismantled and raised to the surface.[3] After being photographed, the timbers were moved to a nearby lake and reburied, to protect them from treasure hunters. The exact location of the burial lake has been restricted by Parks Canada.
Wreck of the Elizabeth and Mary National Historic Site
[edit]The Wreck of the Elizabeth and Mary National Historic Site is a Canadian national historic site designated on September 22, 1997.[4] It is located on the seabed of Anse aux Bouleaux, near Baie-Trinité, and marks the location where the Elizabeth and Mary was rediscovered. Though the hull of the ship is no longer located here, the status of the location is considered important due to the possibility of yet undiscovered artifacts from the ship and its historical significance as the place of the ship's sinking.
References
[edit]- ^ Bernier, Marc-André (2006). "To Dig or not to Dig? The Example of the Shipwreck of the Elizabeth and Mary" (PDF). Heritage at Risk. UNESCO. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ "Dorchester Illustration of the Day, no. 2122 Phips Expedition". dorchesterhistoricalsociety.org. Dorchester Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ L’épave du Elizabeth and Mary (1690) Fouilles archéologiques: Rapport d’activités 1997 (in French). Parks Canada. 2008.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "Wreck of the Elizabeth and Mary National Historic Site of Canada". Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada. Retrieved May 27, 2018.