1999:078 - LA SURVEILLANTE, Bantry Bay, Cork

The French 12-pounder frigate La Surevillante was lost in Bantry Bay in January 1797. It had been part of a failed invasion attempt of Ireland led by General Lazare La Hoche and supported by the United Irishmen and Wolfe Tone. The site, one mile north-east of Whiddy Island, was rediscovered in 1980 during seabed clearance operations following the oil terminal disaster in 1979. The wreck was the focus of an integrated marine archaeological project during the summer of 1999 funded by the Royal Irish Academy, Dúchas and the University of Ulster. This project involved a multi-disciplinary team from the University of Ulster, University College Cork and the National University of Ireland, Galway, and is part of the broader Bantry Bay Maritime Landscape Project.

A range of marine survey techniques was deployed on the wreck site, including marine geophysics, oceanographic sampling, geomorphological coring and underwater diver survey and excavation. These investigations have revealed that the site is one of the best-preserved historic wreck sites in Irish waters. La Surveillante lies in 32m of water at the upper end of the bay. A considerable portion of the hull survives, standing up to 4m off the seabed at the bow. Excavation and sub-bottom profiling have shown that the wreck lies on a gravel layer 1–2m beneath the bed sediments and is in a relatively stable condition. The structure and a huge range of associated artefactual material survive encased in copper sheathing. Thirteen cannon, a large central anchor, the remnants of a galley structure and an assortment of small arms, saddlery and rigging elements lie about the wreck.

Further non-invasive survey work is scheduled to take place on the wreck in the summer of 2000 with a view to the development of a comprehensive management plan for the site and the production of an associated research monograph.

Coleraine, Belfast BT52 1SA