PC: Barcelona City Council
Provisionally named Ciutadella I, the discovered section measured around 10 metres in length and more than three metres in width. Its structure consisted of around 30 wooden ribs, which formed the curved frame along the sides of the vessel, and at least seven strakes, or wooden planks covering the hull. The discovery added to evidence from another similar vessel found in 2008 near Estació de França.
Because of their fragile condition, the newly uncovered remains were being documented and conserved. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a medieval ship beneath Barcelona’s former fish market during construction work for a new car park. The vessel dated back to between the 15th and 16th centuries and offered further knowledge about the city’s maritime history. The ship was found during construction work for a new car park on the site of the former Mercat del Peix. The discovery provided further knowledge about the diversity and complexity of medieval maritime activity in Barcelona, including the sailing and naval construction techniques used in the city during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Barcelona Archaeology Service worked to document and conserve the ship after its discovery, advised by the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya’s Underwater Archaeology Centre (CASC). The waterlogged wood was extremely sensitive, and drying could have caused it to fall apart. To prevent this, parts of the structure were covered with the original soil surrounding it. The archaeological value of Ciutadella I lay in the information it provided about sailing and naval construction techniques used in Barcelona during the 15th and 16th centuries. That ship was named Barceloneta I. Their wooden components and structure formed part of the archaeological evidence.
