The Rigging and the ‘Hydraulic System’ of the Roman Wreck at Grado, Gorizia, Italy

Abstract

The hull of the Roman wreck at Grado has been preserved under the cargo of amphoras. On the site, a lot of wooden elements of the rigging are preserved, including deadeyes, blocks, and toggles. Three possible bitts were identified, one of them sculpted; two were nailed to the hull while one was loose. Near the keel a lead tube, protected by a wooden box, has been interpreted as a bilge-pump but more probably it was a suction-pump. The tube would have been connected to a piston pump which has not survived. Possible explanations for its use are presented.

Roman Rigging Material from the Red Sea Port of Myos Hormos

“…These two wrecks date to the mid‐ and late‐2nd century respectively and are therefore contemporary with the deadeye from Myos Hormos. Five identifiable deadeyes were recovered from the Grado wreck (Beltrame and Gaddi, 2005: 79) and 14 from the Laurons 2 wreck (Ximénès and Moerman, 1990: 7). Both wrecks are of interest because of the difference in the type of deadeye exhibited within the context of a single sailing rig.…”

“…All five have secondary holes to receive seizing line. (Beltrame and Gaddi, 2005: 79–80). In the Laurons 2 wreck, six deadeyes were pierced with three holes and eight with two holes (Ximénès and Moerman, 1990: 7).…”

“…5), Chrétienne C (Joncheray, 1975: 103, fig. 50.1), Comacchio (Berti, 1990), Grado (Beltrame and Gaddi, 2005: fig. 2), Grand Ribaud D (Hesnard et al , 1988: 105–26), Kyrenia (Swiny and Katzev, 1973: 351, fig.…”

“…It is likely that the deadeye would have formed part of a pair of blocks in the shrouds of a ship, in much the same fashion as they do on modern sailing ships. Comparative examples of deadeyes from Mediterranean contexts have been excavated from shipwrecks at Grado (Beltrame and Gaddi, 2005: 80), Laurons 2 (Gassend et al , 1984) and Nin (Enona/Plavac) (Brusic and Domjan, 1985: 81, fig. 6.9).…”

The Dor C shipwreck, Israel: metallurgical analysis and its contribution to the ship characterization

“…As in all (wooden) ships, water accumulates in the bilge, and an efficient bilge pump was essential equipment. Two main types of bilge pumps have been used in ships since Antiquity: the chain pump and the piston pump which creates pressure to raise water to the level of the deck (Beltrame and Gaddi 2005). In later times, the common (or suction) pump, which was based on a long vertical tube with an internal piston and valves, was used on all types of ships well into the nineteenth century and beyond.…”