Author: Alexandre Hinton
Hinton, Alexandre, 2024 HMS Endymion: Past, Present and Future , Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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In August 1790, HMS Endymion, a British Fifth-Rate warship, was sailing towards Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, when the vessel hit an uncharted shallow reef, causing damage that resulted in the ship’s loss. Though the ship was unsalvageable, the slow foundering allowed the crew members to escape and be rescued along with a large amount of goods. Today, the remains of this wreck, including piles of cannon, multiple anchors, ballast, and other artefacts are resting in 10 meters of water adjacent to Endymion Rock at the southern end of the Turks Bank. Archaeological investigations on the site took place in 1992, 2001, 2007, and 2019. Each produced varying amounts of documentation, including site plans, photographs, photomosaics, and photogrammetric models.
This thesis takes the data produced in previous investigations in conjunction with overlooked archival material to produce a clear image of the history and site formation processes that have occurred on site since the vessel’s deposition and particularly since 1992. From this, along with data collected in the author’s 2023 visit, a baseline is created from which to monitor future changes to the site. The results of this can aid in understanding the various threats to submerged archaeological material in the Turks and Caicos Islands and similar sites elsewhere in the circum-Caribbean region.
Keywords: maritime archaeology, underwater archaeology, royal navy, shipwreck, turks and caicos islands, Caribbean archaeology, underwater site formation processes, British shipwreck
Subject: Archaeology thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2024
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Wendy van Duivenvoorde