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The Pepper Wreck
Virtual Tour
under construction...
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Citation information: Filipe Castro, "The Cais do Sodré
Ship", http://nautarch.tamu.edu/shiplab/, last updated in February 2008.
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3. Stern heels, or keel knees (couces)
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Scheme of a Portuguese nau keel from the Livro náutico (Alex Hazlett).
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As kinks in structures tend to concentrate stresses some shipbuilding traditions
emphasized the reinforcements of the ship's weaker points. João Baptista Lavanha is the author that better
explains the design of the 'couces' that connect the keel to the posts.
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To my knowledge, all archaeological parallels to these typical Iberian features
are northern - the cog's 'hooks' for instance - and these 'couces' make a strong case for a mix origin of the Iberian
oceangoing ships, which look like they were conceived as Mediterranean vessels and reinforced as northern craft.
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'Couce de Popa'
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'Couce de Proa'
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A number of Iberian shipwrecks have been found with these 'couces,' always with
different configurations and differing in many details.
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A few archaeological examples of stern heels:
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Corpo Santo
Portugal. Probably Portuguese.
Date:
C14 - Late 14th century
Stratigraphy - before 1585
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Aveiro A
Portugal. Probably Portuguese.
Date:
C14 - Mid 15th century;
Artifact assemblage - Late 15th c.
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Studland Bay
UK. Spanish.
Date: Early 16th
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San Esteban
Texas. Spanish.
Date: 1554
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San Juan
Canada. Spanish.
Date: 1565
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Read more...
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