Betsy Cabinet Shelf (VCU_3D_3312)

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This shelf board originated from a China cupboard in the captain's quarters aboard Betsy (44YO0088), a British ship that sank during the American Revolution. The remnants of Betsy were remarkably well-preserved, offering a unique opportunity to gather valuable insights into 18th-century shipbuilding techniques and interior design elements (Broadwater 1992:39). This shelf board was part of a fleet of vessels deliberately sunk by the British in 1781 as part of their strategy. For more information on this topic, refer to John Broadwater's 1992 study, "Shipwreck in a Swimming Pool: An Assessment of the Methodology and Technology Utilized on the Yorktown Shipwreck Archaeological Project," published in Historical Archaeology (26(4):26-46). The shelf board was digitally preserved through 3D scanning using a Go!Scan 50 on February 23, 2018. Due to its delicate nature, only one side of this conserved object that rested against a flat surface could not be captured via 3D scanning. This artifact is courtesy of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.