Posted on 12/16/2020 11:45:56 PM PST by nickcarraway
The boat sank on the night of December 12, 1770 – since then its origin has been shrouded in mystery – it was initially thought to be part of the fabled Spanish Armada, but this has been ruled out
The mystery of the "Butter Boat" shipwreck has finally been solved 250 years after the ship sunk.
After the remains of the boat were found off the coast of Ireland, its true origin has finally been discovered.
The skeletal remains of the large vessel become visible when the low tide shifts – for years it has attracted curious tourists, reports The Mirror..
But the County Sligo landmark – which was initially thought to be part of the fabled Spanish Armada in the 16th century has now been identified.
Thanks to new archaeological and archival research by Ireland's National Monuments Service, the original theory has been ruled out and the tragic identity of the ship has now been uncovered.
Samples from timbers off the shipwreck place the construction of the vessel firmly in the first half of the 18th century, some time after 1712.
They also indicated the timber was probably sourced from the English Midlands, possibly Yorkshire.
Further research into 18th century historical accounts led to the vessel being identified as the Greyhound, a coastal trading ship out of Whitby port in Yorkshire in England, owned by a Mrs Allely.
Twenty people died when it sank on the night of December 12 1770.
The Greyhound was caught in a storm off the coast of Mayo and, unable to seek safe harbour in Broadhaven Bay, it was driven to anchor in a perilous position beneath the towering cliffs off Erris Head.
The crew was forced to abandon ship but in a tragic oversight, a cabin boy was left on board.
On learning of the plight of the cabin boy, some crew members, the crew of a passing ship, Mary from Galway, and local volunteers from Broadhaven Bay attempted to rescue the boy and the stricken ship.
While the rescue team did manage to board the Greyhound and move the vessel away from the cliffs, the ship was driven further out to sea by the force of the storm with some of the volunteer crew and the cabin boy still on board.
Later that night, she was wrecked at Streedagh Strand, 100 kilometres to the east, with the loss of 20 lives.
Just one man - a Mr Williams "from Erris" - survived the wrecking.
Last Saturday, December 12, the 250th anniversary of the event, locals and members of the National Monuments team who uncovered the story held a ceremony to pay tribute to those who died.
Minister of state for heritage at the Department of Housing, Malcolm Noonan, said there had been a huge amount of local interest in the wreck and he was very pleased that the National Monuments Service had been able to finally confirm its true story,
"In particular I am struck by the value of folklore archives along with applied archaeological research in uncovering the full and tragic story of the Greyhound and those caught up in the tragedy," he said.
"Its calamitous story illustrates starkly the perils of the sea but also highlights how in times of trouble, the common bond of the sea brings people from different backgrounds together in an attempt to save lives.
"I am proud that my department has been able to bring to light this story of tragedy and loss but also of extraordinary bravery, compassion, selflessness and heroism."
Does no one else reading this article feel that here, in the second line of the article, some vital information is missing that would allow the reader to properly understand the "mystery?"
If the circumstances (names, dates, etc.) of the wrecking of the ship are that well documented, then we can safely assume that no mystery surrounds it.
Are we to assume that the wreckage then immediately disappeared from sight - only to (anonymously) appear, maybe years later, somewhere else? And that the connection to the original, well-documented wreck, had vanished?
So the only real forensic problem was "connecting" some generic pieces of timber that washed ashore somewhere with the original, well-documented shipwreck?
Another example of poor journalism!
Regards,
250 years after it sunk.
Yes, that's the first line of the article, and I read and understood it.
Am I to assume that these loose timbers washed ashore only now, after 250 years? From the rest of the article, one could easily get the impression that the wreck was discovered decades ago, and that scientists have been puzzled by it ever since, until now.
THAT'S what I meant by "poor journalism."
Regards,
I guess sea level hasn’t risen that much in 250 years.
Why did they call it the “Butter” boat when it was off the coast of Mayo?
Great points!
Obviously portending our coming doom! /s
must've sank in the Sea of Mayonnaise.
PING
Greyhound Poupon, anyone? Butter boat. Was this the condemint cruise?
Plus, no mention of why it is called “Butter Boat”.
I seem to recall a Gravy Boat accident a few years ago at my mom’s house one Thanksgiving....
I’ll bet the whole cargo of firearms was lost too
The skeletal remains of the large vessel become visible when the low tide shifts – for years it has attracted curious tourists, reports The Mirror..
But the County Sligo landmark – which was initially thought to be part of the fabled Spanish Armada in the 16th century has now been identified.
Thanks to new archaeological and archival research by Ireland's National Monuments Service, the original theory has been ruled out and the tragic identity of the ship has now been uncovered.
So what this means is the wreck didn't just show up, but has been exposed for decades in Ireland, but everyone thought it was a Spanish wreck that happened around 1588... The time of the Spanish Armada.
But NOW they know it wasn't that at all.
It was this British ship, the Greyhound, all along.
It was exactly this timeframe that was missing in the article. No where in the article was I able to find any reference to how long scientists had been "puzzled" or tourists had been "curious."
Six weeks? One year? Five years? 75 years?
It matters!
The phrase "solved after 250 years" is very misleading, insofar as that suggests that experts have been puzzled by it for 250 years - whereas it may have become exposed only a scant few years ago.
Regards,
“Butterboat”?? Was it full of Kerrygold bound for those Colonial Costco stores???
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