AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Archeologists have finished restoring the partial remains of a frigate that was carrying French colonists to the New World when it sank in a storm off the Texas coast more than 300 years ago.
The restored remains of the La Belle’s hull will be put on display at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas A&M University said in a statement Friday.
“When excavated, the archaeological site was found full of merchandise — everything requisite to form a colony and establish trade — knives, axe heads, pottery, tiny glass beads, bottles and brass pins,” Peter Fix, Texas A&M’s watercraft conservator, said in the news release. “Personal items including clothing, combs, and even a signet ring were found, and also weaponry such as long guns, lead shot, sword parts and three bronze cannons.”
The 54-foot-long oak frigate sank in 1686 during an expedition led by famed Mississippi River explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle. Faulty maps led the colonists to miss their intended destination, the Mississippi River delta, and end up more than 400 miles away along the Texas coast.