14 DAY TRIAL // A recent paper in the journal Tree-Ring Research details the findings of an investigation into the origins and makeup of a ship dating back to the 18th century and found at the World Trade Center site in New York City, US, about 9 years after 9/11.
The paper, authored by scientists with Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and their colleagues, details that the sailing ship was unearthed while the site of the former World Trade Center was being excavated.
The 18th century ship was discovered in July 2010. Its remains sat fairly close to the location of the Twin Towers, at a depth of about 22 feet (approximately 6.7 meters) below today's street level in this part of the country, information shared with the public says.
Looking to determine the ship's origins and pin down the exact materials used to build it, archaeologists pulled bits and pieces of wood from the ground and sent them to several laboratories and research facilities across the US.
“On July 2010, archaeologists monitoring excavation at the World Trade Center site (WTC) in Lower Manhattan found the remains of a portion of a ship's hull,” reads the Abstract for the paper in the journal Tree-Ring Research.
Furthermore, “Because the date of construction and origin of the timbers were unknown, samples from different parts of the ship were taken for dendrochronological dating [i.e. dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree ring] and provenancing [i.e. establishing ownership].”
It was thus discovered that the white oak used to piece together this wooden ship's frame most likely came from an old growth forest located close to the city if Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. The trees used to make the ship were probably cut around the year 1773.
Interestingly enough, it appears that wood used to build this ship came from the same area as the white oak used to erect the Independence Hall in Philadelphia did. Hence, it is believed that the ship was pieced together at a yard not far from this city, Live Science informs.
“Our analyses suggest that all the oak timbers used to build the ship most likely originated from the same location within the Philadelphia region, which supports the hypothesis independently drawn from idiosyncratic aspects of the vessel's construction, that the ship was the product of a small shipyard,” specialists say.
Evidence at hand indicates that the ship was in service for about 20 to 30 years, after which it was laid to rest in lower Manhattan. It time, it was engulfed by trash and landfill and disappeared from sight. Researchers say that, but for the construction of the new World Trade Center, the ship would have remained buried in the ground for decades to come.