Revealing Reward: a Brixham Trawler in Saltern's Creek

Revealing Reward: A Brixham Trawler in Saltern’s Creek Courtesy of Sue Edden INTRODUCTION “Culture” is a term commonly used today to describe different aspects of a group of people, to describe different beliefs and customs as their ‘culture’ or way of life. But underlying the culture and values of every group of people is heritage: national heritage, local heritage and family heritage. Commonly manifested as artifacts – material objects from the past that still exist today – heritage serves to remind people about their past, where they came from, and who they are. Heritage artifacts therefore contribute to the formation and understanding of identity, whether on a family, local or national level. Worldwide, people surround themselves with objects and artifacts of identity: images of deceased relatives, pictures or objects serving as a reminder of a past experience, and symbols of religion or patriotism. Such artifacts and images are deemed socially important, and may become protected and preserved by institution. How they are valued, however, may differ. Some objects will be conserved or reproduced and placed in a public location to serve as a reminder of the past and social identity, whereas others may be placed in a publicly accessible but strictly regulated location to ensure their survival for future generations. We see some of these objects and sites every time we pass a monument, a historic building, see a flag, or enter a museum. But the objects themselves are merely a tangible and symbolic reminder of heritage; they cannot speak and do not tell their story by merely existing. Rather, their history must be revealed and understood in a broader context to cultivate meaning. One such heritage artifact is the skeleton of an old wooden ship resting on the foreshore of Saltern’s Creek in Fareham, Hampshire. Directly adjacent to a park and path well- trodden by locals, the identity of the ship has peaked the interest and inquiry of many locals. Some merely wonder about her remains as they walk past at low-tide, seeking no further information, whereas others inquire to the broader community, talking amongst themselves and posting queries in local magazines such as Fareham Past & Present. Sometimes, however, the artifact will peak the interest of students and researchers who dedicate much time, effort and resources to revealing the true history and broader significance of an object. The wooden ship in Saltern’s Creek has done just that, initially peaking the interest of my classmate Johanna Saladas, and leading her to get fellow researchers and classmates such as myself involved in the revelation of her true history. Four classmates – Johanna Saladas, Courtney Jenkins, Marissa Kings, Mehvash Arslan – and I began our exploration into the history and archaeology of the Saltern’s Creek hulk in January 2008. Beginning on the banks of Saltern’s creek, talking to the locals, the exploration would take us to local libraries, Brixham Heritage, the National Maritime Museum in London, other archives, and ultimately face-to-face with the daughter of the Rear Admiral who last owned the vessel – providing answers to events of the past only available through first-hand knowledge. Field Survey Report 2 May 2008 SITE LOCATION Located in the intertidal zone of Saltern’s creek (aka. Fareham Creek) in Fareham, Hampshire, the wreck is almost completely covered at high tide, and completely exposed at low tide. She rests and is partly covered by a muddy creek floor of sand, shingle and mud. The majority of her structure and surrounding creek bed is covered by algal growth. Residing in a dynamic environment, her structure is severely degraded and scattered. GPS coordinates for her location are: 50o 50’ 32.5” N, 01o 10’ 32.55 W. Field Survey Report 3 May 2008 Fig 1: Maps showing location of wrecksite in Fareham, Hampshire, England. Map, aerial image and satellite image courtesy of Google, © 2008 Tele Atlas. RESEARCH PURPOSE Our project aims to shed light on the importance of smaller vessels in maritime society and to show that they can also be of great interest. The remains of an old wooden ship lie in the inter-tidal zone of Saltern’s creek in Fareham. The locals pass it everyday, yet most know nothing of its history, despite a rich local maritime heritage. Between January and May 2008, our group set out to conduct an archaeological survey on the hulk in Saltern’s Creek. Through analysis of our survey material, combined with historical research, we hoped to reveal the type and identity of the vessel lying in the creek. Our theory - based on preliminary site investigation and communication with locals - is that the vessel is the Reward, a Brixham Trawler built in 1905. By comparing measurements of the hulk to those of other Brixham Trawlers, and correlating physical remains with historical data, we hoped to determine whether or not the hulk is in fact the Reward. FIELD SURVEY Health and Safety Health and safety on site included dressing appropriately, knowing a difficult environment and moving cautiously in it, bringing sufficient drinking fluids, and being prepared for accidents. Group members were required to wear Wellington boots at all times, and no one was allowed to enter the foreshore alone. The nature of our site and surrounding creek bed was determined prior to commencing work, and each person briefed on safe versus unsafe areas to walk in. Each person was required to bring sufficient fluids for the day, and fresh water and hand sanitizer was brought to clean hands prior to eating. Fortunately no one was injured during our survey, however a first- aid kit was onsite, and the route to the nearest hospital known. A ladder was brought in case the tide rose to quickly, trapping us onsite, however was not needed. Equipment A myriad of equipment and supplies were needed for health and safety, site access, and to conduct our survey. As described above, a first-aid kit, hand sanitizer, drinking and washing fluids, waterproofs and a ladder were needed onsite for health and safety. Equipment used to conduct our survey included: tape measures, line levels, baseline, nails, scissors, tape, gloves, pencils, rubbers, rulers, a drawing board and perma-trace. A camera and scale were also brought to image the site. Methodology Over the course of several months, my group spent 4 days on site, documenting the remains of the vessel in Saltern’s Creek. Prior to going onsite, we checked the weather and tide table, ensured we had appropriate equipment between us, and a first-aid kit. Once arriving onsite, we first conducted a pre-disturbance check, examining the vessel’s environment before getting to work (fig. 2). At low tide the entire vessel rested in a Field Survey Report 4 May 2008 foreshore environment where the ‘bottom’ is weed-covered sand, shingle and mud. Her bow faced a promenade opening to a park path, and her stern faced the shipping channel behind and perpendicular to her. The wall was cement, and the muddy creek bed directly adjacent to the wall was riddled with large stones and pieces of wreck, making the bed firm and easy to walk on. Outside the port side of the vessel were the remains of an old pier, and a gentle slope leading up to an adjacent promenade. Fig. 2: Sketch plan of west bank showing site environment, not to scale. Credit: Jill Hooper, 2005 NAS survey. Debris lay strewn inside and outside the vessel: wooden planks, remnants of a winch, and other unidentified wooden and metal objects. In addition to hosting these artifacts, the muddy bed outside the port side of the vessel contained many large stones, possibly from a pier adjacent, and made the ground quite firm and safe to walk on. Forward and surrounding the starboard side of the vessel, however, the mud was very clayey and saturated with water. Walking directly adjacent to the portside of the vessel was near impossible without getting stuck in the mud, and there was less than a meter of walkable ground directly aft of the stern. We first took pictures of the vessel where she lay (fig. 1), then set up a baseline and tape directly across the lengthwise center of the ship, from bow to stern. The zero-end of the baseline rested on the inside of the stern post, and we tied the end of the baseline and tape around the most forward bow-piece. Three people were assigned to take measurements: one person holding a tape measure at the baseline, and a second measuring to ribs off the baseline using the tape measure and plumb bob. The perpendicular distance to the outermost edge of the ribs or floorboards off the baseline were measured, the distance to their mud line, as well as their height above or below the baseline. A third person stood back to help check measurement accuracy (levelness, etc.) and recorded the data. While one team took measurements off the baseline, one team member took pictures of various features with a scale, and another drew a sketch of the wreck site. Field Survey Report 5 May 2008 Fig. 3: Sketch of the wreck site in 2008. Credit: Kelley Elliott. Resting in a tidal creek, we typically had a three to four-hour window to conduct work before the tide came in and saturated the mud so much that it was not safe to conduct work, and forced us off site. Our first two days on site were spent taking offset measurements from the baseline to every-other exterior rib of the vessel, and their height above or below the baseline, to provide a basic outline and vertical profile of the ship.

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