Discover Delmarva: HMS DeBraak Shipwreck
The HMS DeBraak was once part of the British Royal Navy and used to escort warships during the late 17th century. Today? This is all that remains 220 years later. Devon Filicicchia, the Site Supervisor of the Zwaanendael Museum, gave a tour of the remains. Plus, we got to see what life was like for the crew on board who aren’t so different from you and me. “People are excited to see things they recognize, to see that forks in 1798 look just like forks that we have now. Dominos game pieces- really haven’t changed in all the years.”
Hundreds of years later, seeing that they played the same games with domino pieces and dice, the human mind has not changed all that much in seeking out entertainment during a long journey. So what was the ship doing in the colonial waters of Delaware all those years ago? Filicicchia tells us the ship played an important role for the British. “The ship was part of a larger British convoy. Sent across the Atlantic to protect merchant ships that it was also traveling with it. Protecting the merchant ships from enemies at the time, which would have been France and Spain.”
The mystery of the DeBraak lay with some old legends about the ship. Filicicchia said a big reason why the ship was discovered was the legend of riches! “So the Debraak, as it crossed the Atlantic, did capture a Spanish ship. And a lot of people, after Debraak sank for centuries, thought that the Spanish ship was a treasure ship.” Much to the dismay of the salvaging company, the legend did not hold, but due to the cast created by the wet ocean floor, these preserved beautiful artifacts, allowing them to withstand the test of time.
Even items you wouldn’t think would hold up in salty ocean water. This preserved what is left of the ship today, but make sure it is watered! “The Debraak right now is under passive conservation. That means we have to keep the ship wet to preserve it, to keep it whole. You can think of it kind of as an old sponge you might have in your kitchen. If that sponge dries out, it’s going to shrivel and just crinkle up, and for something like this, it would begin to crumble and just fall apart.”
Here’s to another 200+ years of preservation, keeping the rich history of shipwrecks alive in Delaware. Devon tells us they still have some tour dates left for this season. August 21st, September 4th, 13th and the 18th. The tours are free, and they plan to continue offering these next year as well! To plan your tour, contact the Zwaanendael Museum at 302-645-1148 or send them an email at Zmuseum@delaware.gov.
