El Salvador Shipwreck...

[PetesPockets55]

Only Sinclair would make such a claim...jeez...

then reality sinks in.

Yes, wood from America was sent back to Europe, in the form of ships....

Wouldn't the shipyards in Europe still be in operation and need lumber that they could only get from the Americas?

I just spent a week in Lee, NH helping my sister clean out her Mom's home and came across some vintage articles (only ca. 1960) describing the name of a local road called Mast Road. So named because of the large pine trees (40" in dia. and 100'+) harvested for ship masts and transported to the coast for shipping to Brittain. The roads had to be staright enough for the 20-30 teams of oxen to transport it to the coast, hence Mast Road. Lee, NH Historical society FB page LINK
They even marked the best trees with a "royal mark" and anyone harvesting one could be put to death according to the info I read. Maybe the information the articles contained was inaccurate, about the final destination of the masts, but it sure seems possible.

A little more research and I found the "Susan Constant" returned to England filled with lumber after founding Jamestown in 1607. LINK (Susan Constant is the 5th image down.) I did find a Wikipedia entry that had her return to Brittain with "precious minerals".

EDIT: I also found that one of the earliest Masted ships built in Bath, Maine was the "Earl of Bute" in 1762. I couldn't really find much info on early commercial shipbuilding in the US.

 

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[Salvor6]

The Black Forest of Germany was the source of all the wood Spain could need. It was never depleted.

 

[PetesPockets55]

The Black Forest of Germany was the source of all the wood Spain could need. It was never depleted.

Wouldn't the lumber from New England have been sent to Great Brittain? Or was this in reference to the wood on the salvaged ship?

I have no skin in the game so to speak and saying I have no treasure diving experience would be giving me too much credit! But I do like a mystery and don't mind asking questions so please bear with me.

Thanks, PP55

BTW-
Wikipedia isn't always correct but I did find this about the Black Forrest.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Forest
(Scroll down towards the end of the section, "History", 3rd to last paragraph.)

"Originally, the Black Forest was a mixed forest of deciduous trees and firs - see the history of the forest in Central Europe. At the higher elevations spruce also grew. In the middle of the 19th century, the Black Forest was almost completely deforested by intensive forestry and was subsequently replanted, mostly with spruce monocultures. "

Would trees appropriate for masts be the first to dissappear?

 

[FISHEYE]

Magoopeter, there wasn't any pitch or horse hair, nails, nail holes or Burrs (washers).This piece of wood we brought up came off of the upper deck area like it was part of a gunnel.The area that the El Salvador is in is quicksand that's over 50 feet deep.We blew to the upper deck.

 

[Alexandre]

For the latest science on Iberian usage of wood for shipbuilding, please check this site, of which we were partners:


Home | ForSeaDiscovery


A lot of publications can be read here:

Publications | ForSeaDiscovery

 

[PetesPockets55]

Thanks for those links Alexandre. They seem like they will be interesting.

I may be able to access some of the information but I don't have login privileges to the first link and I will be limited to English translations in the second.

 

[A2coins]

Welcome from MI Tommy