Start   .   2009
Duration   .   72 meses
Pincipal Investigator   .   José António Bettencourt (CHAM)

INSTITUTIONS

RESEARCH UNIT

FUNDING ENTITY

Administração dos Portos do Triângulo e Grupo Ocidental, SA

Secretaria Regional da Educação e Cultura / Governo dos Açores

Somague

The reorganization of the maritime front of Horta, in Faial island (Azores), promoted by the Azores Government, includes the modificationof a 170 000m2 submerged area, through the construction of a dock with 320m length and the dredging of a maneuvering basin. This project, that begun in June 2009, was preceded by an Environmental Impact Assessment study (EIA), which resulted in the definition of several mitigation measures to be implemented before and during construction works – the survey, excavation and removal of archaeological materials discovered previously and the monitoring of the dredging works.

GOALS

The first phase of this study, carried out in 2008, included visual archaeological surveys and metal detector surveys of the entire area designated for the construction of the passenger terminal in the Horta bay, north of the current port. Various artifacts were identified, including several cannons, an ivory tusk, and lead artifacts scattered over a vast area. In a second phase, between April 2009 and July 2010, the intervention included the survey, excavation, and removal of the artifacts, leading to the identification of the site Baía da Horta 1 (BH-001), a shipwreck dispersed over a vast area at depths between 8 and 11 meters. In BH-001, materials related to the ship's cargo, operation, and daily life on board were found, including iron artillery pieces, firearms, ceramics, glass, and metal or wooden objects, and above all, an extraordinary collection of elephant tusks. The study of this collection suggests that it is related to an early 18th-century merchant ship, possibly of English nationality, operating in the Atlantic. CHAM also monitored the dredging works carried out as part of the project, during which additional artifacts were found. Further monitoring of the materials removed from the project's implementation area is also planned.

José António Bettencourt    .    Coordenador