15th-century Welsh ship update

Excavation of the medieval ship found during construction work in Newport is now complete. Although this sounds like a bit of publicity-driven puffery, it is nonetheless thought-provoking:

Archaeologists have finally finished excavating the remains and in the New Year will reconstruct the 65ft ocean-going vessel so that it can eventually be put on public display.

Charles Ferris, from pressure group Save Our Ship, which successfully campaigned to get the vessel preserved, says it is possible the boat was one of the first to travel to America. . .
"When you consider that the world thinks that Columbus discovered America in 1492, people now know that merchants from the Severn area were fishing off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland as early as 1480.

"Perhaps this ship could have been there for the first trans-Atlantic crossings."

Posted by David on January 2, 2003 1:59 PM