The largely disarticulated and scattered remains of three different timber boats were found and lifted between December 2018 and March 2019, during work on Transport for NSW’s Windsor Bridge Replacement project. When boat timbers were dredged up during work to install scour protection on the banks of the river the maritime archaeological firm, Cosmos Archaeology, that had recently undertaken the excavation of the Barangaroo Boat was engaged to assess the site. Recognising the potential heritage and archaeological significance of the find, over 100 submerged timber pieces were recovered under archaeological supervision. When this jigsaw puzzle of waterlogged wood was put together it we found that they represented three different craft – one, to which most of the timbers seemed to belong, a carvel-built vessel, and two more fragmentary collections belonging to craft of clinker construction. Carvel construction refers to the method where the frame is constructed first and the planks are fastened to it with their long edges abutting with no overlap, like a timber floor. In clinker construction planks are laid first, and slightly overlap each other, and frames are added later, as in a weatherboard wall.  Preliminary timber identification analysis reveals an exclusive use of Australian wood species in the construction of the boats.

The boats are assessed as being of local and national significance.  The preliminary analysis of their form, fabric and construction – points to their being built in the early colonial Australian era, and among the oldest known surviving remains of boats built in Australia.

The Windsor Boats, as they are now known, have the potential to reveal rare information on colonial shipbuilding techniques and how traditional craft skills were adapted to make use of native Australian timber.

The boat timbers were excavated and raised by maritime archaeological divers. Positional information of each timber on the riverbed was recorded before removal. Once each timber had been removed from its resting place, it was individually recorded in more detail. Then the timbers were carefully wrapped in geofabric secured with cable ties to provide physical protection during storage near the recovery site. All the timbers were submerged in a large tank filled with clean water to prevent them drying out and warping or splitting. Black plastic was then used to cover the top of the container to reduce UV penetration and the water was changed regularly.

As work progressed maritime archaeologists were able to form some preliminary theories about the vessels, drawn from each piece of timber they uncovered. It appears that the carvel vessel was quite heavily built and carried a mast. The clinker vessels had too few and disconnected pieces to provide an idea of their complete form but some construction details can be gleaned.

It is exciting to continue exploring the construction, potential use and life of the boats as well as get a rare glimpse into the early life of the colony, as we progress through the conservation phase.