Tompion Section (VCU_3D_5008)

sketchfab

This portion of a wooden plug was salvaged from Betsy, a shipwreck (44YO0088) situated in the York River, off the coast of Yorktown, Virginia. Wooden plugs were used to seal cannon barrels from harsh weather conditions when not in use. Nowadays, these plugs have transformed into highly decorative pieces. The remains of Betsy remained remarkably well-preserved (Broadwater 1992:39). It was part of a fleet of ships that British forces deliberately sank in 1781. For further information, see John Broadwater's 1992 article "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. This artifact was digitized using a Go!Scan 50 at the archaeological conservation facility of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in Richmond, Virginia. The model is courtesy of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources which has granted permission for its download by non-commercial educational institutions for educational purposes only.