Danish slave ships wreckage found off coast of Costa Rica, museum confirms

It has been confirmed that two shipwrecks of the 18th century on the coast of Costa Rica slavesHe said a museum on Sunday.

“The investigations of the boats of the ship, the bricks of the cargo and clay pipes found the duration of the underwater excavations” had determined the identity of two ships shipwrecked in 1710, said the National Museum of Denmark in a statement.

Marine archaeologists identified the slaves Fridericus Quartus and Christianus Quintus, who, according to historical sources, were destroyed on the coast of Central America in 1710, said the museum. The museum also published images of Andreas Kallmeyer Bloch and David Gregory digging underwater and excavating bricks and wood of the remains.

Fridericus quartus was burned, while Christianus quintus was shattered in the surf after his anchor line was cut. Until now, it does not have a clear leg exactly where the ships were lost.

The museum added that in Costa Rica, it was known for a long time that two remains were located in the waters of the Cahuita National Park.

“However, for many years, pirate ships should be. But American marine archaeologists in 2015 found yellow bricks in one of the remains, new questions emerged the history of the ships,” said the museum.

An underwater excavation was carried out in 2023. It was part of the new Research Center of the National Museum, Njord, which the museum said it plans to excavate several Danish shipwrecks abroad.

“The analyzes are very convincing and we no longer have any doubt that these are the remains of the two Danish slaves,” said Gregory, a research professor at the National Museum of Denmark, in the statement.

“The bricks are Danish and the same goes for wood, which are also removed and the soot of a fire. This fits perfectly to the historical stories that indicate that one of the ships burned,” Gregory added.

Marino Archaeologist Bloch“ Who is also a museum curator“ He called it “without a doubt the craziest archaeological excavation of which I have still part of the leg.”

“Not only because it is very important for the local population, but also because it is one of the most dramatic shipwrecks in the history of Denmark, and now we know exactly where it happened,” said the marine archaeologist.

The Danish government prohibited the trade of transatlantic slaves in 1792, but the country did not abolish slavery until half a century later, in 1847, according to the museum.