The The Royal Navy Frigate  HMS Pallas  The wreck of the a British 5th rate frigate lost in 1783 near the island of São Jorge, Azores, Portugal   Principal Investigator: P. Erik Flynn
	BHC1862 Robert Salmon 1775-ca1845 A frigate off Liverpool from "The Concise Catalogue of Oil Paintings in the National Maritime Museum".
	INTRODUCTION Following an indication of Mr. Pero Teive to Mr. Paulo Monteiro, the Remains of the Royal Navy frigate H.M.S. Pallas were surveyed in Calheta harbor in 1998 during an archaeological field season conducted by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), the Direcção Regional da Cultura (DRC) and the Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquátina (CNANS) under the supervision of Dr. Kevin Crisman and Mr. Paulo Monteiro.
	In late January, 1783 the frigate H.M.S.Pallas, under the command of Captain Christopher Parker, sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia escorting a convoy bound for England. Several leaks became apparent soon after sailing and to compound matters, Pallas became separated from her charges in a storm. By the 5th of February, despite non-stop pumping, there was 8 feet of water in the hold. The guns and most of the stores were thrown overboard and Pallas made a desperate run for the Azores.
	On February 10th the frigate arrived off of Faial but stormy weather prevented her from anchoring. On February 12th the exhausted officers and crew managed to bring Pallas into Calheta harbor on the south shore of São Jorge. Upon examination of the hull it was found that the keel and garboards were so riddled with teredo worms that they were nearly non-existant. The crew unloaded the remaining stores, salvaged what they could and set the Pallas on fire. Burning of the Frigate Prudent, Louisburg, 1758, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
	The remains of the Pallas lay in 3 meters of water in the center of Calheta harbor (fig.1). The most prominent features of the site were 2 cast-iron cannon (fig. 2), a row of cast-iron ballast pigs and a mound of iron ballast and shot. Fragments of copper sheathing, small lead shot and ceramics were also found around the site. It is likely that the ballast and shot mound conceal remnants of the hull and other small artifacts but the mound has become one enormous concretion making excavation unviable at the present time.
	The site was photographed, a represenative sample of small artifacts was collected, a simple site plan was generated by triangulating with tape measures, and the details of the cannon were recorded. The site is worthy of further examination in the future.
	Index
	History of the Pallas Artifacts Bibliography Related Links
	ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The project director wishes to thank the Instituto Português de Arqueologia and its Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática, the Direcção Regional da Cultura (DRC), the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University, and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, for the support granted to this project. Citation Information: P. Erik Flynn, 2002, World Wide Web, URL, http://nautarch.tamu.edu/shiplab/, Nautical Archaeology Program, Texas A&M University.