Rigging an Early 17th – Century Portuguese Indiaman

The Pepper Wreck is an early 17th Century nau da India, the first Portuguese Indiaman ever to be excavated by archaeologists, and it is believed to be the remains of the Nossa Senhora dos Mártires, lost on the Tagus River sandbar, Portugal, in 1606. The archaeological remains yielded enough information to allow a tentative reconstruction of the hull and rigging. A series of tests was performed on the reconstructed ship, which allowed a better understanding of these ship type and are the basis of an ongoing in-depth study of its sailing characteristics, intern space and life aboard. Introduction The Pepper Wreck was found in 1992 and archaeologically excavated between 1996 and 2000 (Figures 07-01 and 02). It has been identified as the Portuguese nau Nossa Senhora dos Mártires, lost at São Julião da Barra on the 14th of September 1606, on its returning voyage from Cochin, India, where it had been laden with a rich cargo of peppercorns, cotton bails, spices, drugs and a number of exotic products from the rich markets of the Indian and Pacific oceans (Alves et al. 1998).