Archaeologists have made a stunning discovery just offshore from Costa Rica’s Cahuita National Park. In the course of this research they found the wrecks of two Danish slave ships, the Fridericus Quartus and Christianus Quintus which had sank in 1710. The National Museum of Denmark corroborated that these ships sank with grave tumult during a tempestuous period in maritime history. New excavations in the former parade route have provided just enough archaeological evidence to bolster their identities.
Our excavation during 2023 revealed a treasure trove of artifacts and structural remains. These results match up beautifully with the historical record. Even researchers fully aware of the ships had not understood their true nature until just a few years ago. David Gregory, a marine archaeologist at the National Museum, had one of the more colorful statements. The analyses are so convincing that we feel very confident that these really are the wrecks of the two Danish slave ships.
The most significant of these discoveries included bricks and clay pipes. The bricks themselves were made in Flensburg, Germany. They were purpose-built for plantations in the Danish colonies of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the same way, the clay pipes found on board were everyday Dutch-produced objects that were standard fare on Danish ships. The wrecks’ timbers are blackened and exhibit soot damage from a controlled intentional fire. These data provide further evidence that the ship’s fridericus quartus was burned, per historical accounts.
“The bricks are Danish and the same goes for the timbers, which are additionally charred and sooty from a fire. This fits perfectly with the historical accounts stating that one of the ships burnt.” – David Gregory
Closer investigation identified that the clay used for construction, most probably came from Denmark — possibly from Iller Strand or Egernsund. Clay pipe at the time had a reputation among the excavation crew for having potentially short lifespans. What’s more, they discovered these pipes were hardly ever in service for over five years.
Divers are carefully documenting the shipwrecks, as seen in photos from the scene. As this passage illustrates, such wrecks have greatly eroded in the last 315 years. This find further enriches Denmark’s colourful maritime history. It has tremendous importance to the Tico people of Costa Rica.
Andreas Kallmeyer Bloch, an excavation team member, commented on how special the find is. Truthfully, this has been the wildest archaeological dig I’ve ever participated in,” he remarked. He put a fine point on the importance of this discovery for teaching local history. He continued, “It’s of immense importance to the local community and is one of the most spectacular shipwrecks in Denmark’s history… and now we know exactly where it occurred.”
Fridericus Quartus tells us the vessel was burned. In the chaos, Christianus Quintus commanded the anchor rope cut, causing its wreck on the savage breakers. The National Museum of Denmark has independently released statements corroborating this information. In doing so, they focused a light on the lingering mystery about where exactly these shipwrecks have been located all along.
Leave a Reply