Product Description
by Colin J M Martin
This book records the excavation of the wreck of a small Cromwellian warship, believed to be Swan, which was found off Duart Point in 1979. When erosion threatened the site in 1992 maritime archaeologists from St Andrews University were asked to investigate the wreck in advance of consolidation and long-term protective management. A ten-year programme of survey, limited excavation and research followed, during which much of the lower hull and parts of the collapsed upper stern were uncovered and recorded. From this, the dimensions, constructional techniques and general layout of the ship were determined, and realities of the ship’s operational functions and her crew’s life on board were revealed.
Colin J M Martin is a retired Reader in Maritime Archaeology at the University of St Andrews. He has investigated historic shipwrecks in Scottish and Irish waters, including the Spanish Armada wrecks La Trinidad Valencera (Donegal)and El Gran Grifón (Fair Isle).
Read our interview with Colin J M Martin, in which he discusses the excavation at Duart Point, and his career in maritime archaeology.
Read Colin J M Martin’s article for ‘Books from Scotland’ History, Heritage and Archaeology issue (July 2017), in which he considers the complex logistics of underwater archaeology.
The authors and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland gratefully acknowledge funding towards the publication of this volume from Historic Environment Scotland. | ![]() |
Fred Hocker (International Journal of Nautical Archaeology) – :
This publication shows in a masterful fashion how much such wrecks can contribute if someone takes the time to look thoroughly at the material and to investigate its context. Colin Martin and his co-authors have left no stone unturned in trying to extract all they can from a highly varied collection of finds and a wide range of historical sources.
Serena Cant (Antiquity) – :
Colin Martin and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland are to be congratulated on … bringing the Duart Castle wreck to wider attention through this beautifully illustrated and clearly and accessibly written volume available at a sensible price.
Tyler Douglas Lowe (Scottish Archaeological Journal) – :
Dr Martin’s presentation concerning the excavation of The Swan is quite captivating, and wondrously educational.
Robert J. C. Mowat (Mariner’s Mirror) – :
In reporting the excavation of the Duart Point (1653) wreck, [Martin] takes an inclusive and essentially illustrative approach, diverging from the traditional arrangement of an excavation report to integrate historical background, excavation results and scientific evidence for the historian as much as for the archaeologist.