2020:504 - Dublin Port ABR Project, Capital Dredging, Season 3; Inner and Outer Navigation Channels, Dublin, Dublin

Capital Dredge Season 3 commenced on 21 October 2019 and was completed by 28 March 2020. The dredge season was divided into three mini-dredge campaigns, focused upon three seabed locations. The first location included the Inner Channel slopes, to the east of the Bull walls, between Dublin Bay Buoys 7 and 5, and specifically between channel dredging setting-out points CH01 and CH14. The second location comprised dredging of the outer fairway of the approach/navigation channel, to the west of the Dublin Bay Buoy, within channel dredging setting-out points CH100 to CH107. The third area, dredged as part of mini-dredge campaign 3, included the north and south slopes of the channel from within the two breakwaters.

A total of six hundred and eighty-five dredge-runs were completed as part of Capital Dredge Season 3. One hundred and ninety dredge runs as part of the first mini-dredge campaign, with one hundred and seven as part of the second campaign. A further three hundred and eighty-eight dredge-runs were completed as part of mini-dredge campaign 3.

Thirty-six objects were recovered from the archaeological monitoring process. Twenty-seven of these finds constitute ship-related timbers, comprising the following: seventeen framing timbers (or fragments thereof), eight planking timbers, and two possible keel pieces. Additional finds constituted the following: four lengths of wrought-iron chain, three lengths of hemp-rope, one piece of worked stone, and the crown piece from a small anchor.

In Addition, ADCO carried out a number of underwater assessments as part of the archaeological monitoring of Capital Dredge Season 3, with four assessments being completed at the close of Campaign 2 (in January 2020) and one prior to commencement of Capital Dredge Season 4 (in October 2020):
1. Assessment of seabed at Exclusion Zone APW_1; extending across a 60m diameter area.
2. A post-dredge assessment of the Millstone Wreck; assessing the condition of the wreck site, seabed topography, and depth of overburden covering the site.
3. Post-dredge inspection along the footings of Poolbeg Lighthouse (Site 2, Poolbeg 4) to assess the condition of the series of ship’s timbers lying adjacent to/protruding from the rock-armour that protects the foundations of the lighthouse.
4. Post-dredge inspection along the footings of the North Bull Lighthouse.
5. Post-dredge inspection of Seabed Location C, positioned on the south side of the channel, inside the two the breakwaters.

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