The Hoorn project included surveys on land and underwater. Photo: PROAS and De zoektocht naar de Hoorn Foundation, The Netherlands.

Archaeology of a Dutch ship of discovery. The jacht Hoorn (Santa Cruz province)
Directors: Archaeologist Damián Vainstub and Architect Cristian Murray (PROAS, Argentina)
Co-director: Martijn Manders (De zoektocht naar de Hoorn Foundation, The Netherlands)

This project, carried out between 2003 and 2007, is related to the exploration expedition conducted by the Dutch sailors Jacob Le Maire and Willem Schouten in the early 17th century, particularly the events which took place when they passed through Puerto Deseado, Patagonia, in 1615. During their stay in the harbor they lost one of their vessels, the Hoorn, which caught fire while being careened on the shore. Later on Le Maire and Schouten continued their journey and were able to sail around the Cape Horn for the first time.

Santa Cruz Province.

Santa Cruz Province.

The archaeological surveys conducted in the Deseado estuary confirmed the location where the ship caught fire. Both on the shore and under water, materials such as ceramic fragments, ballast stones, fittings and many melted metal remains were found. A few pieces of wood turned into carbon are the only evidence which can be attributed to the ship's hull.

The Hoorn Project was financed by the International Program of Cultural Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Holland and two Dutch private ogranizations: The Lions Club Hoorn and the Mondriaan Stichting Foundation.

Selected publications on this project:
MARCONETTO, B., P. PICCA, H. DE ROSA y C. MURRAY. 2007. El naufragio del Hoorn (1615), materiales de un sitio intermareal (Santa Cruz-Argentina). En: Arqueología de Fuego-Patagonia, Levantando piedras, desenterrando huesos... y develando arcanos, editado por F. Morello, A. Prieto, M. Martinic y G. Bahamondes, pp. 343-349. Ediciones CEQUA, Punta Arenas.

MURRAY, C., D. VAINSTUB, M. MANDERS y R. BASTIDA. 2007. El naufragio del Hoorn (1615), prospecciones costeras y subacuáticas en la Ría Deseado (Santa Cruz-Argentina). En: Arqueología de Fuego-Patagonia, Levantando piedras, desenterrando huesos... y develando arcanos, editado por F. Morello, A. Prieto, M. Martinic y G. Bahamondes, pp. 351-355. Ediciones CEQUA, Punta Arenas.


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