Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

VISUAL INSPECTION

Prepared for: Historic Scotland

Prepared by: Wessex Archaeology 7/9 North St David Street Edinburgh EH2 1AW

www.wessexarch.co.uk

December 2014

Ref: 104690.03

© Wessex Archaeology Ltd 2014, all rights reserved Wessex Archaeology Ltd is a Registered Charity No. 287786 (England & Wales) and SC042630 (Scotland) 104690 Visual Inspection of Unknown Shipwreck Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

Quality Assurance

Project/Report 104690.03 Accession n/a Client AMB/76/14 Code Code Ref. Planning n/a Ordnance Survey 148497, 783888. Application (OS) national grid Ref. reference (NGR)

Version Status* Prepared by Checked and Approver’s Signature Date Approved By v01 I Andrew Roberts John McCarthy 27/11/2014 File: T:\Projects\104690\Reports\Drafts v02 E Andrew Roberts John McCarthy 06/12/2014 File: T:\Projects\104690\Reports\Drafts v03 F Andrew Roberts John McCarthy 11/12/2014 File: T:\Projects\104690\Reports\Drafts

File:

* I = Internal Draft; E = External Draft; F = Final

DATA LICENSES This product has been derived in part from material obtained from the UK Hydrographic Office with the permission of the UK Hydrographic Office and Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown Copyright, 2014. Wessex Archaeology Ref. HA294/007/316-01. The following notice applies: NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION WARNING: The UK Hydrographic Office has not verified the information within this product and does not accept liability for the accuracy of reproduction or any modifications made thereafter. This product has been derived in part from material obtained from the UK Hydrographic Office with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and UK Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk).

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database rights 2014

DISCLAIMER

THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT WAS DESIGNED AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF A REPORT TO AN INDIVIDUAL CLIENT AND WAS PREPARED SOLELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THAT CLIENT. THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT DOES NOT NECESSARILY STAND ON ITS OWN AND IS NOT INTENDED TO NOR SHOULD IT BE RELIED UPON BY ANY THIRD PARTY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY WILL NOT BE LIABLE BY REASON OF BREACH OF CONTRACT NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE (WHETHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL) OCCASIONED TO ANY PERSON ACTING OR OMITTING TO ACT OR REFRAINING FROM ACTING IN RELIANCE UPON THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ARISING FROM OR CONNECTED WITH ANY ERROR OR OMISSION IN THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THE REPORT. LOSS OR DAMAGE AS REFERRED TO ABOVE SHALL BE DEEMED TO INCLUDE, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR ANTICIPATED PROFITS DAMAGE TO REPUTATION OR GOODWILL LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED BUSINESS DAMAGES COSTS EXPENSES INCURRED OR PAYABLE TO ANY THIRD PARTY (IN ALL CASES WHETHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL) OR ANY OTHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGE.

104690 Visual Inspection of Unknown Shipwreck Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

VISUAL INSPECTION

Contents

1 INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Assessment Background ...... 1 1.2 Previous Investigations and Existing Data ...... 1

2 ASSESSMENT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ...... 2

3 METHODOLOGY ...... 2 3.1 Relocating the Wreck Site ...... 2 3.2 Visual Inspection ...... 2

4 RESULTS ...... 3 4.1 Location ...... 3 4.2 Visual Inspection ...... 3

5 CONCLUSIONS ...... 4

6 REFERENCES ...... 4 6.1 Bibliography ...... 4

7 APPENDICES ...... 5 7.1 Appendix 1: Dive Log (not including snorkelling) ...... 5

Figures Figure 1: Wreck Location

Plates Plate 1: Intact sandbags covering the wreck site. Plate 2: Overview of exposed section of wreck. Plate 3: Detail of exposed section of keel. Plate 4: Detail of keel with visible scarf. Plate 5: Detail of exposed wood section with visible signs of deterioration.

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104690 Visual Inspection of Unknown Shipwreck Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

VISUAL INSPECTION

Summary

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Historic Scotland (HS) to conduct a visual inspection of the wreck site in Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg. The work is focused on assessing the condition of previously identified wooden boat remains which have been sandbagged in situ since initial investigations in 2001.

The visual inspection was conducted on 5 July, 2014. Two Wessex Archaeologists were assisted by volunteers to carry out the inspection. Due to the shallow conditions at the site, snorkel survey was employed for most of the inspection. A total of one dive and one snorkel investigation were conducted during the inspection.

The site was relocated and a visual inspection was conducted across the site. The in-situ preservation plan put in place in 2001 appears to have been successful. Though never intended as a long term conservation measure, the sandbags have remained in place and prevented undue erosion on the site. However, the site is undergoing some erosion and the wreck is slowing becoming re-exposed. The sandbags were judged to be in varying conditions, some remain intact while others are completely disintegrated. Though most of the wreck is still covered, where portions of the wreck site are exposed, the hull timbers are experiencing degradation, possibly at an advanced rate.

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104690 Visual Inspection of Unknown Shipwreck Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

VISUAL INSPECTION

Acknowledgements

This investigation was commissioned by Historic Scotland, and the assistance provided by Phil Robertson of Historic Scotland is gratefully acknowledged.

Fieldwork was carried out by Jonathan Benjamin, Robert Mackintosh, John McCarthy, and Andrew Roberts with the assistance of the vessel crew and skipper Jim Kilcullen. Andrew Roberts supervised the diving.

This report was researched and compiled by Andrew Roberts. The project was managed for Wessex Archaeology by John McCarthy, who also carried out quality assurance.

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104690 Visual Inspection of Unknown Shipwreck Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

VISUAL INSPECTION

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Assessment Background 1.1.1 Wessex Archaeology (WA) was commissioned by Historic Scotland (HS) to undertake a visual inspection of a wreck site adjacent to Galmisdale Pier on the south side of the Isle of Eigg (Figure 1).

1.1.2 The work was conducted in accordance with a written brief and agreed scope of work (HS April 2013). The project consisted of a single day of dive investigation on the site. The site visit and inspection was conducted on the 5th of July, 2014.

1.2 Previous Investigations and Existing Data 1.2.1 The boat remains in Galmisdale Bay were originally reported to the Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) in 2001 by local fishermen from Eigg. Initial accounts of the wreck site indicated that it was the remains of a wooden clinker-built vessel which became visible due to the shifting sands of the bay (Canmore id 213713). There have been only two reported sightings of the vessel in the last century. The site is in sufficiently shallow water that it becomes exposed during very low spring tides.

1.2.2 A preliminary site visit was conducted by RCAHMS personnel in October 2001. The site visit confirmed the location of the wreck and was conducted at low spring tide with approximately 0.3m of water over the site.

1.2.3 Following the RCAHMS visit to the site, an investigation of the wreck was conducted by professional archaeologists Martin Wildgoose and Steven Birch and divers from the Highland Council on behalf of the Highland Council Road and Transport Department in advance of construction works for a new causeway and pier facility for the island. The initial investigation identified a well-preserved, wooden, clinker-built vessel, partially buried by sand. Exposed timbers were recorded and a site plan was prepared. Due to the construction features and the potential antiquity of the vessel, avoidance measures were recommended.

1.2.4 Divers returned in 2002 to place marker buoys around the wreck and sandbag the remains to protect the site from future damage. During this effort, divers recognized that a significant portion of the wreck was newly uncovered due to shifting sands. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, the newly visible wreck sections were not recorded. No further investigation has been undertaken at the site. A brief report was produced at that time (Birch 2002) that included a plan of the wreck but the authors were unable to provide any definitive dating of the vessel. It was noted that local people believed it to be the remains of Dubh Ghleannach, a vessel built for Alexander MacDonald of Glenaladale that reportedly sank in Galmisdale Bay in 1817. If the wreck is the remains of Dubh

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104690 Visual Inspection of Unknown Shipwreck Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

Ghleannach, it would be a unique example of a vernacular highland vessel with direct ties to an earlier Norse boatbuilding tradition. The find would be of national and international importance and necessitate close study and preservation. A precise date would be of enormous value in establishing the credibility of this possible identification. The initial investigation established that the boat was of oak construction. This is of particular interest as oak was not the normal wood of choice for vessels of this size, suggesting that it could either be older or of a high status.

1.2.5 In 2013 Wessex Archaeology submitted an unsolicited proposal to HS to support an archaeological investigation of the wreck site. Through discussions between Wessex Archaeology and HS it was decided that a visual inspection of the site to determine its condition and accessibility was necessary prior to the implementation of any full archaeological investigation. HS subsequently contracted Wessex Archaeology to conduct a visual inspection of the wreck site.

2 ASSESSMENT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

2.1.1 The overall aim of the project was to relocate the site, provide a visual inspection and identify the condition of the wreck if accessible. The inspection also investigated the condition of the sandbags and assessed the effectiveness of the preservation strategy. This inspection would then inform any future plans for the site.

3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Relocating the Wreck Site 3.1.1 Fieldwork was conducted on the 5thof July, 2014 as part of the summer field programme of Project Samphire (http://blogs.wessexarch.co.uk/samphire/). The field team was based on the liveaboard dive vessel Kylebhan and dive operations were conducted from the vessel’s rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB). The conditions were good with calm seas and no wind. Fieldwork was conducted by Jonathan Benjamin, Robert Mackintosh, John McCarthy, and Andrew Roberts. The first objective of the project was to relocate the site. Though Galmisdale Bay is a small area there was concern that the site may have been reburied by sand and would be unrecognizable. A circular dive survey was employed on the first dive in an attempt to cover the most area. Visibility was good throughout but the site was not relocated in this location.

3.1.2 After speaking with local residents a second search area was identified closer to shore than the previous search. Prior to entering the water, investigators surveyed the area from the RHIB and quickly identified a large patch of kelp visible from the surface. The sandbags used to protect the site were still visible underneath the kelp. A drop buoy was deployed and a GPS position was logged at this location.

3.1.3 All diving operations complied with the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 and the associated Scientific and Archaeological Approved Code of Practice (ACOP). Diving operations were conducted during daylight hours only on a single shift system by a four person team.

3.2 Visual Inspection 3.2.1 Upon identifying the location of the wreck site, the water depth was found to be approximately 2m and a decision was made to continue the visual inspection by snorkel rather than scuba.

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3.2.2 A pair of archaeologists equipped with snorkelling gear, cameras, surface buoy with a Hollux GPS tracker and dive slates conducted the investigation. The Kylebhan’s RHIB served as a support vessel and remained on site while the survey was conducted.

3.2.3 The first task was to determine the extent and condition of the sandbags. Following the 2001 investigation, the entire site had been covered with plastic (polypropylene) sandbags to prevent further deterioration of the shipwreck; this in-situ preservation strategy was not originally intended as a long term conservation measure (Birch 2002).

3.2.4 The inspection worked across the site, identifying the edges of the sandbag mound and inspecting the condition of the sandbags in situ. Sand bags were tested to see if they were removable or if they had concreted en masse.

3.2.5 The site was documented with photographs and delineated using a Hollux GPS on surface buoy. Exposed portions of the site were subject to measured and still photographic recording using a housed Sony RX100 camera. A limited amount of marine growth was removed to facilitate identification of key areas of the exposed wreck without destabilising the site.

3.2.6 No finds were recovered.

4 RESULTS

4.1 Location 4.1.1 The site was relocated based on local knowledge of the wreck’s location and UKHO coordinates. The site was logged using a GPS (Figure 1). The UKHO position for the wreck site was confirmed at 148497E, 783888N [BNG].

4.2 Visual Inspection 4.2.1 The inspection identified that the sandbags retain a semi-coherent mass over most of the wreck site. As mentioned, a kelp bed has taken root on the sandbags. It is not clear if the kelp is helping or hindering the stabilisation of the site although it is known to be a positive factor in site stabilisation elsewhere (see for example Duart Point). Several sandbags were disintegrating or completely destroyed. Whether this is a by-product of the kelp growth or a product of general attrition is unclear.

4.2.2 The sand bags have deteriorated in place and form a low mound over the site. Some of the sandbags have completely deteriorated while others have remained intact (Plate 1). The intact sandbags are easily removable.

4.2.3 Part of the inspection focused on identifying the edge of the site in order to determine if portions of the site were exposed. At the southern end of site, portions of timbers were identified protruding from under the sandbags. It is unclear why the timbers are being exposed at the southern portion of the site, though it was suggested by a local fisherman that it could be related to nearby ferry activity. Kelp was removed from around these timbers to enable photography and documentation. The exposed timbers were identified as the aft end of the keel. A significant portion of the aft end of keel is currently exposed and portions of the garboard strake and planking were visible under the sandbags (Plates 2, 3, and 4). Exposed wood exhibits teredo worm damage and erosion, presumably as a product of exposure (Plate 5).

Seabed

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104690 Visual Inspection of Unknown Shipwreck Unknown Wreck, Galmisdale Bay, Isle of Eigg

4.2.4 The site is located on a flat sand seabed with small patches of kelp and other seaweed. The seabed is homogenous throughout the bay. The bay is currently used for small vessel anchorage and several mooring blocks are positioned throughout the bay, though none are immediately adjacent to the wreck site. Though there were initial concerns that the creation of the causeway and new pier would result in an accumulation of sand over the site but this was not the case. The site does not appear to be exposed to adverse conditions at present with no evidence of scour or sediment transport visible in the area.

5 CONCLUSIONS

5.1.1 The site was successfully relocated and determined to be accessible if future investigations are conducted. Sandbags were identified as easily removable from the site.

5.1.2 The in-situ preservation plan put in place in 2001 has been broadly successful. Though never intended as a long term conservation measure, the sandbags have remained in place and prevented undue erosion on the site. However, the site is undergoing erosion and slowing becoming re-exposed. The sandbags were judged to be in varying conditions, some remain intact while others are completely disintegrated. Though most of the wreck is still covered where portions of the wreck site are exposed, the hull timbers are being deteriorated, possibly at an advanced rate. If the sandbags disintegrate further, it is likely that the degree of exposure of the hull remains will increase.

6 REFERENCES

6.1 Bibliography Birch, S., 2002, An Archaeological Assessment of the Area of Construction Compound and a recorded wreck in Galmisdale Bay. Unpublished report on behalf of Highlands Council Roads and Transport Department

Wildgoose. M. and Birch, S., 2002, 'Eigg Pier development, Highland (Small Isles parish), survey; trial trenching', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland, Vol.3, p. 78

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7 APPENDICES

7.1 Appendix 1: Dive Log (not including snorkelling) Dive Date Start Time Duration Depth (m) Divers 1 05/07/2014 2:30 45 4 Benjamin, Mackintosh

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Site

Site 1 1 1 4 4 4 8 8 9 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

784000

783500

0 400 m

Date: 05/12/14 Revision Number: 0 Scale: 1:8000 at A4 Illustrator: KL Path: Y:\PROJECTS_Edinburgh\104690\GO\Report figs\assess\14_11_28\Fig01.mxd

Wreck location Figure 1 Date: 28/11/14 Revision Number: 0

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Intact sandbags covering the wreck site Plate 1

Digital map data © (2005) XYZ Digital Map Company. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2012. Digital map data © (2005) XYZ Digital Map Company. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2012. This material is for client report only © Wessex Archaeology. No unauthorised reproduction.

Date: 28/11/14 Revision Number: 0

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Path: Y:\PROJECTS_Edinburgh\104690\Graphics Office\Report figs\assessment\14_11_28\Plate02.cdr

Overview of exposed section of wreck Plate 2 Date: 28/11/14 Revision Number: 0

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Detail of exposed section of keel Plate 3

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Detail of keel with visible scarf Plate 4

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Detail of exposed wood section with visible signs of deterioration Plate 5