The Swash Channel Wreck: An Archaeological Investigation of a 17th-Century Armed Dutch Merchantman

The Swash Channel Wreck is an account of the discovery, excavation and analysis of an early 17th-century Dutch shipwreck.The wreck is most likely the Dutch West Indiaman Fame of Hoorn, lost in the Swash Channel in the approaches to Poole Harbour in February 1631.The site was initially found during dredging operations in the channel in 1990.In 2006, it was re-discovered by Wessex Archaeology, and Poole Harbour Commissioners partnered with Bournemouth University to undertake the monitoring and recording of the site.The remains are of a large c. 40m structure consisting of the port side of the ship from the turn of the bilge to the top of the upperworks, with associated wreckage which includes the ship’s rudder, a multitude of rigging items, and a small collection of finds that consist mainly of domestic and provisioning items and the ship’s armament. By 2009, it was clear that the site was rapidly eroding and English Heritage commissioned Bournemouth University to conduct one of the larg