(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists after 18 years of research have identified a ship that sank off the coast of Argentina.
Analysis of the wood showed that it was an American whaling ship “Dolphin”, which disappeared in 1859, according to The Daily Mail.
From the mid-1770s to the 1850s, hundreds of American ships went out to whaling. Whale oil was used to produce oil, and various household items and souvenirs were made from bones.
Whaling voyages could last for years. Historical documents say that the Dolphin set off on her maiden voyage in 1850 and returned only in 1853. Experts described it as “the fastest rigging ship of all time.”
The ship visited the Azores and Seychelles, Zanzibar and Australia. In October 1858, it went on another flight, which turned out to be the last.
The fate of the Dolphin is known from the captain’s letters. He wrote that the ship was destroyed and lay on the rocks in the southwestern part of Novaya Bukhta.
Modern researchers have come to the conclusion that we are talking about the harbor of Golfo Nuevo in Patagonia.
In 2004, due to the displacement of sediments, a sunken ship was found off its coast. Marine archaeologists conducted excavations in 2006-2007, but could not determine what kind of vessel it was.
The authors of the new study took wood samples and analyzed the rings. The results showed that it was cut down in New England and the southeastern United States in 1849. This coincides with the construction of the Dolphin (1850).
Some artefacts found near the wreck (for example, iron cauldrons for boiling fat) indicate that it was intended specifically for whaling.
Scientists noted that they were unable to find conclusive evidence that it was the Dolphin. But the combination of historical documents, dendrological analysis and archaeological finds makes this assumption “very likely”.
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