Strange world

Published on Sunday 30 November 2008 21:05

SLAVE SHIP DISCOVERED

MARINE archaeologists have discovered the remains of a slave ship that was wrecked off the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1841. This is the only known wreck of a ship engaged in the illegal slave trade.

Some 192 Africans survived the sinking of the Spanish ship Trouvadore off the British-owned islands, where the slave trade had already been banned. Their descendents live on the islands to this day.

Over the years, the story of the Trouvadore had been forgotten, so the discovery of the ship has caused great interest on the Turks and Caicos.

The wreck was found by a team from the Texas-based Ships of Discovery organisation. They came across an old letter kept at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington that referred to the sinking and began their search for the ship. "It's a detective story," says Toni Carrell, a marine archaeologist with Ships of Discovery.

The Africans on the Trouvadore were bound for Cuba because US states had banned the import of fresh slaves in order to keep their price high.

The team also found the wreck of the USS Chippewa, which was engaged in chasing pirates when it was lost in 1816. That vessel was identified by the unique type of cannon it had on board.