When a shipwreck began to emerge from the sands along the coast of Patagonia in the early 2000s, archaeologists answered the call. Now, after analyzing the tree rings found in its wood, an international team of researchers are “almost certain” that the vessel is the Dolphin — a whaling ship that set sail from New England more than 150 years ago and sank 10,000 miles from home.
They published their findings in the journal Dendrochronologia earlier this year. The study marks the first time that tree rings have been used to successfully identify a shipwreck in South America.
The Dolphin first sailed from Warren, Rhode Island, in 1850. Before it was lost in 1859, the ship — described as “probably the fastest square-rigger of all time” — traveled across the globe on separate voyages in search of whales. Historical records stated that it went down in Patagonia’s Golfo Nuevo.
Even ...
