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Recent exploration efforts off the coast of Costa Rica have identified two 18th-century shipwrecks as Danish slave ships, rather than the previously held belief that they were pirate vessels. This revelation was announced by Denmark’s National Museum on Sunday.
Through meticulous investigations involving ship timbers, cargo bricks, and clay pipes discovered during underwater excavations, the museum has confirmed the wrecks as the Fridericus Quartus and Christianus Quintus. Historical records indicate these ships were lost in 1710 along the Central American coastline, as shared by the museum in their statement, which included images of marine archaeologists Andreas Kallmeyer Bloch and David Gregory at work.
The fate of Fridericus Quartus involved being set ablaze, while Christianus Quintus met its end in the surf after its anchor line was severed. The exact locations of these shipwrecks had remained uncertain until this recent discovery.
Locally, these wrecks were known to be situated within the waters of Cahuita National Park. However, it was long assumed that they belonged to pirates. This notion was challenged in 2015 when American marine archaeologists discovered yellow bricks at one of the sites, prompting a reevaluation of the ships’ histories.
A comprehensive underwater excavation took place in 2023 via the museum’s new research initiative, Njord, which aims to explore additional Danish wrecks worldwide.
“The analyses are highly conclusive, leaving us with no doubts that these are indeed the wrecks of the two Danish slave ships,” stated Gregory, a research professor at the museum. He emphasized that the bricks and timber recovered are of Danish origin and revealed signs of having been burned, corroborating historical accounts of a ship fire.
Bloch, a marine archaeologist and museum curator, remarked on the significance of the excavation, describing it as “undoubtedly the craziest archaeological excavation I’ve yet been part of.” He highlighted its importance for the local community and pointed out that it represents one of Denmark’s most dramatic maritime losses, now pinpointed in history.
The transatlantic slave trade was outlawed by the Danish government in 1792, but it wasn’t until 1847 that slavery itself was abolished in the country, as noted by the museum.
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