Archaeologists working with communities along Scotland’s west coast have documented more than 100 shipwrecks and maritime artefacts. The remains of the lost World War Two flying boats and anchors from the 18th Century were also investigated and recorded.
The finds were made during the newly-completed three-year Project Samphire. Among the project’s highlights were the recording of a group of previously unreported WW2 flying boats in the Firth of Lorn in Argyll.
Wreck sites recorded include the Yemassee, an American cargo ship lost in 1859, the Hersilla, an armed iron naval yacht lost in 1916 and the Sheila – a ferry sunk in 1927 and the salvage vessel lost in attempts to recover it.
Near Iona, the archaeologists documented the wreck site of Cathcartpark, a steamship loaded with salt that ran aground on 15 April 1912, the same day the Titanic sank. The probable remains of Wigtown-based schooner Monreith at Kirkcudbright, and ships’ cannons at Shieldaig in the Highlands were also examined.
The project also made 3D scans of ancient grave slabs at Keil in Argyll. Among the carvings on the stones are representations of medieval ships known as Highland galleys.
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