I found this mangled brass or copper sheet metal along Pea Island on the Outer Banks a few years ago. I was at a local restaurant a little further south and they had a very similar piece hanging on the wall. Any guesses?
🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Mangled Brass or Copper Sheet Metal Found Along Pea Island on the Outer Banks
- Thread starter ehansen03
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TheCannonballGuy
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- Feb 24, 2006
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Ehansen03 said:
> I found this mangled brass or copper sheet metal along Pea Island on the Outer Banks a few years ago. I was at a local restaurant a little further south and they had a very similar piece hanging on the wall. Any guesses?
Copper sheetmetal just like yours has been used for centuries to sheathe the hull of saltwater boats to prevent the growth of barnacles and other sealife on the hull. Yes, the entire bottom of the boat or ship or barge was covered with copper sheetmetal, because it is toxic to the barnacles, seaweed, etc. Why? Because if given enough time they can coat the hull several inches thick, significantly reducing the ship's speed. There's also the issue of those organisms boring holes in an unprotected wooden hull. The copper sheathing prevents all those problems.
Of course, there are other uses for copper sheetmetal. My ID is based on you saying you found yours at Pea Island on the NC Outer Banks.
Typically, copper (or brass) nails were used to attach the sheetmetal to the hull... which is why copper/brass nails are commonly found at old seacoast sites. Back in the 1980s, I dug hundreds of copper squarenails in about 10 trips to CSA Fort Fisher / Wilmington NC area historical sites, but I've found less than 50 copper/brass nails in my 4 decades of relic-hunting in "inland" Virginia where I live.
By the way, Ehansen03... I see that is your very first post at TreasureNet. Welcome to T-Net's "What Is It? forum, the best place on the internet to get unknown objects CORRECTLY identified.
> I found this mangled brass or copper sheet metal along Pea Island on the Outer Banks a few years ago. I was at a local restaurant a little further south and they had a very similar piece hanging on the wall. Any guesses?
Copper sheetmetal just like yours has been used for centuries to sheathe the hull of saltwater boats to prevent the growth of barnacles and other sealife on the hull. Yes, the entire bottom of the boat or ship or barge was covered with copper sheetmetal, because it is toxic to the barnacles, seaweed, etc. Why? Because if given enough time they can coat the hull several inches thick, significantly reducing the ship's speed. There's also the issue of those organisms boring holes in an unprotected wooden hull. The copper sheathing prevents all those problems.
Of course, there are other uses for copper sheetmetal. My ID is based on you saying you found yours at Pea Island on the NC Outer Banks.
Typically, copper (or brass) nails were used to attach the sheetmetal to the hull... which is why copper/brass nails are commonly found at old seacoast sites. Back in the 1980s, I dug hundreds of copper squarenails in about 10 trips to CSA Fort Fisher / Wilmington NC area historical sites, but I've found less than 50 copper/brass nails in my 4 decades of relic-hunting in "inland" Virginia where I live.
By the way, Ehansen03... I see that is your very first post at TreasureNet. Welcome to T-Net's "What Is It? forum, the best place on the internet to get unknown objects CORRECTLY identified.
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