Archaeologist sheds new light on astonishing discovery of wrecked slave ships: 'Stranded on the coast'

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Shipwrecks are "time capsules" in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asked fishermen and boaters to avoid a sanctuary off Boston where there are historic shipwrecks. CREDIT: NOAA

Archaeologists are shedding light on the astonishing identification of two 18th-century slave ships off the coast of Central America.

The ships, named Fridericus Quartus and Christianus Quintus, have been sitting in shallow waters off Costa Rica's Cahuita National Park for over 300 years, as Fox News Digital previously reported.

The 18th-century vessels were shipwrecked in 1710, and archaeologists only recently discovered that the ships – long believed to be pirate ships – were used to transport slaves.

Now, in a statement to Fox News Digital, National Museum of Denmark archaeologist David John Gregory said the two ships carried between 600 and 700 African slaves at the time of the sinking, plus around 100 crewmen.

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"When the ships were abandoned on the coast of present-day Costa Rica, almost all of the enslaved were released on the forested coast except for about 20 people, who were forced onboard smaller vessels heading for the nearby Spanish town of Portobello," he said.

Gregory added, "[Fridericus Quartus] was set on fire by its crew, while the other, Christianus Quintus, was set free from its moorings and soon after stranded on the coast."

New details have been revealed about two recently identified slave ships. (Jakob Olling; Ana María Arenas Moreno)

The slaves – mostly of West African origin – either assimilated into local communities or were, unfortunately, recaptured, according to East Carolina University. 

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Gregory also described his team's excavation as "minimal," saying they only searched some 21 square feet around the ship "specifically to obtain samples of the ship's timber."

"Almost all of the enslaved were released on the forested coast."?

He added, "No human remains were encountered [or] disturbed during the excavation process."

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Archaeologists were able to date the ships thanks to dendrochronological technology, finding that the wood came from Northern Europe at the end of the 17th century.

No human remains were found at the excavation site, said a National Museum of Denmark archaeologist.? (National Museum of Denmark)

"The timbers originate in the western part of the Baltic Sea, an area that encompasses the northeastern German province of Mecklenburg, as well as Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark and Scania — and that the tree was cut down sometime during the years 1690-1695," the National Museum of Denmark said in a statement.

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"The wood is, moreover, charred and sooty, which confirms what historical sources say about one of the ships being set ablaze."

Experts identified the shipwreck after testing its wood, as well as the clay bricks it carried. (John Fh?r Engedal Nissen / National Museum of Denmark)

Divers also found yellow clay bricks and clay piping, which all suggested the ships had a Danish origin. 

Gregory previously said in a statement that the findings "fit perfectly" with historical accounts of the ships.

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"The analyses are very convincing and we no longer have any doubts that these are the wrecks of the two Danish slave ships," the expert observed.

National Museum of Denmark marine archaeologist Andreas Kallmeyer Bloch described the project as being "the craziest archaeological excavation I’ve yet been part of."

Researchers found that the yellow clay bricks from the shipwreck came from Denmark. (Jakob Olling; National Museum of Denmark)

"Not only because it matters greatly to the local population, but also because it’s one of the most dramatic shipwrecks in the history of Denmark, and now we know exactly where it happened," he said.

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"This provides two pieces that have been missing from the history of Denmark."