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mid the navigation instruments, the cannons and the deli-cate, Spanish sword hilts, other archaeological treasuresfrom the HMS DeBraak tell a story of class differences,of mystical religions and possibly point to the presence ofwomen aboard the ship that went down in a sudden wind-storm off Cape Henlopen on a late May afternoon in 1798.

The DeBraak has been the stuff of treasure loresince she sank, taking with her Capt. James Drew andabout half of her crew. Efforts to salvage the ship inthe months that followed were unsuccessful.

It was the survivors who got the whole treasurestory rolling. When they got to Lewes, they told thelocals the DeBraak’s decks were awash in gold.

Treasure hunters searched for the ship for decadesbut in 1984, Harvey Harrington used sidescan sonarto find the wreck and ultimately discovered a ringthat belonged to Drew to positively identify the find.

The only gold that was recovered was pocketchange – a few dozen coins and Drew’s ring – but thestate ended up with the real booty: 20,000 artifactsthat tell many stories, among them the British RoyalNavy’s transition to more sophisticated and accuratefirepower on the eve of the Industrial Revolution andthe vast differences among the people who servedaboard the sloop of war.

“The DeBraak raises some really interestingthings: race and gender,” among them, said CharlesFithian, a state archaeologist who has worked withthe collection for more than two decades.

There is the story of a change in naval technology.The DeBraak, for instance had copper alloy bolts andwas covered in copper sheathing to protect againstmarine worms. There is the story of the arms aboard– of the use of rapid-fire cannonades that were first used in 1791 – andthere is the story of war and economics in the Atlantic Ocean. TheBritish valued their trading partners in the fledgling United States bothas a source of raw materials and as a place to sell British-made goods.

They wanted to keep those lines oftrade open.

“She’s not here by accident,”Fithian said.

The DeBraak was part of a convoy, when she spun off to investigatea foreign ship. Drew and his crew ended up capturing the Spanish ves-sel and placed some of his crew and shipmaster Thomas Griffithaboard to sail the prize. The two ships then headed north to reconnectwith their convoy. That convoy arrived at Cape Henlopen at 1 p.m. onMay 25, 1798, and Drew and his crew were just three hours behind.

But by the time they arrived and set anchor, theconvoy had already set sail for Philadelphia. Then, thewind came up in a sudden storm, and the DeBraak waslost.

Griffith rescued survivors and then headed upDelaware Bay to Philadelphia. His task was to informthe British of the demise of the DeBraak, Fithian said.

All these puzzle pieces have been fitted together bylooking through historic records, both here and inEngland.

But that is just part of the story of the DeBraak.For Fithian, the class differences aboard the ship

are illustrated by the china that the officers and crewused for meals. The officers took their meals on thin,highly decorated plates and teacups. For the crew,there was white earthenware. And, said Fithian, arougher, painted, earthen pottery that is Spanish. Thereis a single, complete bottle that was designated specifi-cally for the use of the Royal Marines aboard the shipand there is the tableware – silver meat skewers forthe officers, large, soup-style spoons for the crew.

The evidence of mystical religious practices showup in quartz crystals that were recovered. Fithian saidsimilar crystals are linked to West African religiouspractices. And there are scratch-marks on the bottomof some plates that may be signs to ward off evil.

The question about whether women might havebeen aboard came up because the artifact collection includes severalhair combs. Fithian said an officer might have had his wife aboard, orwomen could have disguised themselves as men.

“The DeBraak gives us these glimmers into the past,” he said. “She’sa continual reminder . . . we need to be tuned into these things.”

Reach Molly Murray at 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.comFollow her on Twitter @MollyMurray

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ONLINE QUIZ, VIDEO OF ARTIFACTS AND INTERACTIVE GRAPHICTest how much you’ve learned aboutthe HMS DEBRAAK at delawareonline.com/didyouknow

IF YOU GOWhat: Tours on the DeBraak, an18th-century warship that sunkoff the Delaware coastWhen: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.Mondays, June 4, 11 and 25; July2,9, 16, 23 and 30; Aug. 6, 13, 20and 27; Sept 10, 17 and 24; andOct. 1. The program is 2 1/2hours long.Where: All programs begin atthe Zwaanendael Museum,located at 102 Kings Highway inLewes. The exhibit tells the storyof the vessel, its crew and thehistorical context within which itoperated in the late 18th centu-ry. Ticket holders will then betransported, via van, to theDeBraak hull facility in nearbyCape Henlopen State Park for acurator-led tour of the survivingsection of the ship’s hull.Fee: $10 per person; you mustbe 10 and older to participate.Due to the limited number ofseats that are available for eachlecture/tour, ticket purchases areencouraged well in advance. For more info: 302-645-1148 orhistory.delaware.gov

T H E H M S D E B R A A KThe DeBraak was a British warship on convoy duty to the U.S. when it capsized and was lost off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798.Discovered in 1984, the surviving section of the ship’s hull and more than 20,000 artifacts are now part of a large exhibit and tours.

Rendition of the capsizing of theDeBraak by artistPeggy Kane, 1990.

By Molly MurrayThe News Journal

A women’s hair comb,which could mean therewere women on board.

A spigot key, bone toothbrushand a sundial cannon fromthe wreckage.

An English sea service pistol anda Spanish Cavalry model 1752pistol were found on the wreck.

State Curator of Archaeology Charles Fithian beside the massive hull of the HMSDeBraak, which sank off Lewes in 1798. The hull is being restored and will becommemorated with a series of lectures and tours.

What is left of a man's waistcoat is now kept in a special container.

A flint lock for cannons withan etched date of 1795.

Dozens of pieces of potterywere found at the site.

The wool hat, which surviveddecades in the ocean under mud,was preserved by freeze-drying it..

1781: Dutch-built sloop, completed in 1781.1795: Captured by British Royal Navy, re-riggedand named Braak.1796: Sailed to West Indies in War against Spain.1798: Was on convoy duty when it captured aSpanish vessel and broke off from the otherships. May 25: The HMS DeBraak arrived in DelawareBay around 4 p.m. A sudden windstorm came upand the DeBraak, at anchor, capsized just off

Cape Henlopen. The Spanish vessel, under command ofThomas Griffith, rescues about half of the crew and then pro-ceeds to Philadelphia to advise British officials of the fate ofthe DeBraak. Capt. James Drew’s body washes ashore and isburied at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lewes. The church isrebuilt, and Drew’s remains are in the church cemetery.July 23, 1798: The HMS Assistance arrives at Delaware Bayto look at the possibility of recovering the DeBraak. It is likelythat the mast stuck out of the water at the time.Sept. 25, 1798: The HMS Vixen and Hind arrive and attemptto salvage the vessel but are unsuccessful.

Oct. 20, 1798: Report to British Admiralty about unsuccessful salvageefforts. No further action is taken.1888: First big salvage attempt undertaken by Philadelphia-basedOcean Wrecking Co. 1984: The ship was rediscovered in the summer by Sub-Sal Inc. The salvage effort lasted two years.Aug. 11, 1986: The 85-foot–long, oak remains of the DeBraak hullare lifted from the ocean floor just outside Delaware Bay.Since then, state officials have catalogued the artifacts and workedto preserve them. The hull is now undergoing preservation.

On the bottomUnderwater archaeologist David Beard’s sketch of the DeBraak as it lay on the sea bottom.

History ofthe HMSDeBraak

Capt. James Drew’s remains are marked by a memorial at St. Peter’s Church in Lewes. MOLLY MURRAY/THE NEWS JOURNAL

COOL FACTS• The state owns 20,000 artifacts from the HMSDeBraak, including an 85-foot-long section ofthe keel and hull.

• Among the artifacts the state doesn’t have isthe gold signet ring that belonged to Capt.James Drew. It was kept by the salvage team. It helped positively identify the wreck site asthe DeBraak.

• The remains of the other sailors lost in theDeBraak recovered during the salvage opera-tion were placed in two small caskets andburied on the grounds of the ZwaanendaelMuseum on May 25, 1998. A monument liststheir names.

• The hull of the DeBraak was covered in sheetsof copper to protect it from marine worms.Some of the copper sheets remain on the hull.

• Among the mysterious artifacts recov-ered from the ship is an ornate, silverloving cup. No one is sure of thesignificance of the piece.

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The section of the DeBraak’s hull (in color) that

was discovered in the 1984 salvage

(shown below).

The hull

REDISCOVEREDTREASURE

ArtifactsDesign and graphics by Dan Garrow