Slaveship Archeology
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During a reconnaissance trip to East Caicos in February 2003, at least three
shipwrecks were seen during a helicopter survey of the reef. During the 2004 survey, one massive debris field
of an iron-hulled ship, several anchors and chain, ballast stones, an iron mast, a
small wooden ship, and a modern wooden yacht were found in the search area.
How can we identify any of these as Trouvadore’s remains?
What specific artifacts might we expect to find? Unfortunately, the smugglers kept few records due to their potentially incriminating information. Little was written about the ship itself other than that it was wrecked at Breezy Point. The construction of the ship itself will provide important clues. At this stage we know very little about Trouvadore other than that it was described as a brigantine, and that it set sail from the coast of Africa with more than 200 slaves and a crew of about 20. A typical 19th-century brigantine was a two-masted, square-rigged ship with a gaff sail aft of the main mast and stay sails on both the main and fore masts. In order to carry a cargo of 200 or more slaves, Trouvadore was probably at least 30 m long with an 8-10m beam, a typical mid-sized ship of the day. Hull remains alone, however, will not be the best identifier. Brigantines and
schooners were both used in the slave trade; the main difference between
them was their rig, not their hulls. To further confuse things, only a slight difference in rigging
could turn a schooner into a brigantine, so other artifacts associated with the ship will be of more help in its
identification. In 1841, "wrecking" was a well-established practice in the islands, and records indicate that extensive salvage was undertaken by local salvers. Recovered items included sails, rigging, chain cables, and personal effects. What might remain today are items of little value at the time, but that might help identify the wreck as a slave ship.
A list of “paraphernalia” derived from the “equipment clause”
in the Anglo-Dutch anti-slavery treaty of 1822 may prove the most useful in identification of the
wreck. The presence of the items in the equipment clause–even when slaves were
not on board–was considered sufficient evidence of a vessel’s involvement in the slave trade,
therefore it was subject to capture and condemnation.
This equipment included extra bulkheads and spare lumber, iron
manacles and chains, oversized iron cooking cauldrons and mess tubs, large quantities of victuals,
extra water casks, grated instead of closed hatch covers, and an overabundance of
Absent these items, the best clues to the identity of Trouvadore would be glass and pottery. The ship sailed to and from Spanish and Portuguese ports with a Spanish and later Portuguese crew. The belongings of the crew and the containers that held the ship’s stores should reflect their origin and ports of call. If found, the Trouvadore will be the first slave ship ever investigated that was actually carrying slaves at the time it sank. Its recovery would provide a rare opportunity for the scientific community to study aspects of the African slave trade that can only be realized by the hands-on study of a working slave ship. |
firearms
and other weapons.
© 2006 Windward Media / HoustonPBS