Possible Shipwreck Nail?

[SFLOcenEng]

Possible Shipwreck Nail?

I found this nail in Palm Beach County, in an area where there are known to be shipwrecks. Does this look at like it could have come from one? If so any idea as to what era the wreck/nail would be? It was quite a bit more corroded but I cleaned it in my homemade tumbler(which is a whole other story).
Thanks in advance for any information.

The scale in the image is inches.

 

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[wwwtimmcp]

Re: Possible Shipwreck Nail?

looks a little small to be from a large shipwreck like a galleon, but it could be from a boat. most ships had at least 3"-8" hull planking plus the nail or spike had to go through the rib and be bent over to clench it off. it could be from the deckhouse though. most older shipwrecks had square spikes/nails that one looks round. I'd say maybe an old shrimpboat or fishing boat.

 

[theGOLD]

Re: Possible Shipwreck Nail?

At what point did nails of this type start to have circle heads. All the smaller copper nails Ive found been square.

 

[Ramitt]

Re: Possible Shipwreck Nail?

I believe wire nails date post 1890.

 

[SFLOcenEng]

Re: Possible Shipwreck Nail?

I have no doubt that you are correct in saying that it is not super old. As an aside I'm sure that even the largest ship had small nail all over them. Any wooden crates and things like that would require small nails not large spikes, but I agree that the age is probably not to much before the turn of the century.

Thanks

 

[pcolaboy]

Re: Possible Shipwreck Nail?

I've seen copper sheathing laying around an 18th century wreck site that still had the round-flathead copper nails (tacks) sticking through. However, the shank portion of these nails were squared down to the point. The longest ones were just short of 2 inches.

Pcola

 

[theGOLD]

Re: Possible Shipwreck Nail?

Yeah same here, thats the word I was thinking of "Tacks" thanks.
Yeah Ive pulled up pieces of copper sheathing with the tacks still through it wobbling around in the hole from early 1800 ships but Im pretty sure they were square as well.. Id have to go and look at them again.

theGOLD

 

[rgecy]

Re: Possible Shipwreck Nail?

I have a picture I will post of some similar nails in a piece of wood from a wreck from the 1700's. It has treenails, a large broken bronze square spike and small round bronze nails all in the same piece of wood.

I believe its from an English Man-O-War from around 1770.

RGecy

 

[theGOLD]

Re: Possible Shipwreck Nail?

RGecy, do you know what part of the ship your piece of wood was from? I ask because I wonder what other parts smaller tack nails may have been used for aside from things like copper sheathing. (The sheathing I referred to was also from an English Man of War)