ABSTRACT

SUMMARY: The Western Ledge Reef Wreck, discovered and excavated in Bermuda, is an example of Iberian shipbuilding that is still little recognized within a broader Atlantic context. In order to better understand this technological model, the hull remains were revisited and studied during the summers of 2007 and 2008. By combining this new data with that from the original publications and previously unavailable material, this paper outlines details of the construction of a small Spanish vessel that sunk on its way from the New World some time at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries.