County: Cork Site name: Baltimore Harbour
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 17E0249
Author: Julianna O'Donoghue
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 504340m, N 526541m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.483157, -9.377510
An underwater archaeological assessment of a targeted area within the footprint of the proposed breakwater development at Baltimore Harbour, Co. Cork was carried out. A boat or ship’s timber had previously been identified through geophysics and subsequent dive truthing (Licence No. 13D1), and was noted in the Cultural Heritage section of the EIS for the project. A boat or ship’s timber was visible at Contact 69 and a probing survey was unable to determine if the timber was part of a larger structure. Consequently, the EIS recommended that a licensed targeted test excavation be carried out.
The survey was carried out in water depth of less than 6m. Underwater visibility was up to 5m, however this decreased to zero when contact was made with the seabed, though the current was able to quickly disperse suspended sediment. A very distinct trench was noted on the seabed aligned approximately east-west. This trench was not visible during the 2013 survey. The origin of the trench is not known but it may have resulted from dragging a mooring block across the seabed in the recent past. The timber which was recorded protruding from the seabed during the 2013 survey was not present. It had been described as “….1.8m in length. It is very eroded and infested by marine borers. Several concretions were noted on the timber. The timber is resting in clay and circa .20m of silt”. Three small trenches were excavated by hand in the area where the timber was previously recorded. No evidence of archaeological deposits, features or structures were uncovered. No evidence of timbers or other shipwreck material was uncovered.
The Forge, Innishannon, Co. Cork
