HISTORY OF A BRITISH SHIPWRECK

The Archaeological Museum of Alicante (MARQ) is currently holding an exhibition, “Deltebre I. History of a shipwreck” displaying artefacts rescued from a British navy ship which was sunk in the mouth of the Ebro in 1813. And amongst the items exhibited is a 210 year old bottle of Fondillón wine which was produced in the province of Alicante.

The exhibition, which was opened last week by the President of the Council of Alicante, Luisa Pastor, will be open until January 11, 2015. In the main it is as a result of a joint effort by the Archaeology Museum-Centre d ‘Submerged Archaeology of Catalonia and Girona – MARQ and the Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Wines of Alicante.

The exhibition provides a comprehensive view of the remains that were recovered from the British wreck displaying about a hundred everyday objects, including the 210 year old bottle of Alicante wine, which, when it was found in 2008 was completely intact and sealed.

The President was accompanied by the Deputy Councillor of Culture, Juan Bautista Rosello, the president of the DOP, Antonio Miguel Navarro, and the President of the Banco Sabadell Foundation, which is sponsoring the exhibition.

Pastor said that “it is an exceptional exhibition as the ‘Deltebre I’ is from one of the few archaeological vessels that has suffered no looting, which has allowed us to see a fascinating episode in the history, with objects that are still in very good condition after 200 years. Moreover, there is still a great deal of underwater excavation that remains unfinished, there is still much to discover and as we speak there are teams that are still are working on the wreck.”

The exhibition also includes a variety of weapons that were being used at that time, mortar bombs, grenades, gunpowder, personal weapons and ammunition of different calibres. There are also many navigational items that have been recovered from the wreck and from the living quarters of the officers, including a sextant, the Captain’s seal, as well as a selection of clothing and footwear.

In June 1813, after an unsuccessful expedition to liberate the city of Tarragona from the domain of Napoleonic forces, eighteen ships of a convoy supervised by the Lt. General John Murray, were surprised by strong gales. Five of them ran aground in the Ebro delta on the Catalonia coast.

Almost 200 years later, Deltebre I was found by local fishermen, and has been the subject of an archaeological study since 2008 by the Centre for Underwater Archaeology of Catalonia (CASC-MAC).

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