Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has allocated £21,000 to Wessex Archaeology and Dendrochronicle for the purpose of conducting further investigations into the Sanday Wreck, a well-preserved section of shipwreck timbers that was uncovered on Sand o’Erraby earlier this year. HES stated that the funding will facilitate a comprehensive analysis of the wreck, encompassing dating, documentation, and archiving efforts to enhance understanding of this significant find.
In February, winter storms and coastal erosion exposed the shipwreck on a beach in Sanday, in the Orkney Islands. The wooden hull section, measuring 8 by 5 meters and weighing approximately 10 tons, emerged from the intertidal sands, drawing the attention of the local community, who promptly notified the authorities. HES engaged Wessex Archaeology to conduct a swift assessment and documentation of the wreck. They collaborated with Dendrochronicle, an organization specializing in dendrochronology—a dating method that uses tree rings to provide accurate dating and provenance information for historical timber—sampling 19 timbers from the wreck.
In September, the wreck was meticulously transferred into a freshwater conservation tank, a process supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, with assistance from Wessex Archaeology’s marine specialists and members of the Orkney Islands Council’s Culture Team.
In the upcoming months, the historic timber specialists at Dendrochronicle will conduct a dendrochronological assessment followed by an analysis of the tree-ring samples. This endeavor aims to yield accurate dating evidence for the vessel and offer insights into its place of construction. The Coastal & Marine specialists from Wessex Archaeology will utilize the initial findings regarding the dating and provenance of the timbers to perform further investigations, aiming to uncover what these timbers can reveal about the evolution of shipbuilding during an era when large sailing vessels represented the height of technological achievement, considered the most sophisticated technology produced by societies at that time.
Collaborating with community researchers and the Sanday Heritage Centre, the project will examine archival materials related to shipwrecks in Orkney to enhance the understanding of the overall resource and compile an island-focused archive of wrecks. This research will be vital for determining the significance of the wreck, including its origins, construction date, and the insights it can provide about the maritime trade and exchange networks that traversed and connected Orkney to the wider world.
Susan O’Connor, Head of Grants at HES, said:
“The wreck on Sanday is an incredible and rare finding, providing an exciting opportunity to study and preserve a unique facet of Orkney’s past. We’re thrilled to be supporting the work of Wessex Archaeology as they carry out this work, whilst also providing a rare opportunity to engage local and wider audiences with marine archaeology.”
Senior Marine Archaeologist from Wessex Archaeology, Ben Saunders, said:
“The opportunity to complete dendrochronological dating and further research on this incredible piece of Orkney’s history is extremely exciting. It could allow us to identify the ship and its origin, adding to our understanding of the complex maritime connections within the North Sea. We look forward to working with researchers in Sanday and at Dendrochronicle to write a new part of the island’s story”
