19th Century Ship Hull Sheathing - Muntz Metal

One of the biggest problems with living in Florida...any part of Florida...is the threat of tornadoes and hurricanes. But, even though they are horrendous to deal with, especially the aftermath with torn-off roofing and flooded living rooms, opportunities also arise for discovery. One of my favorite finds along a hurricane-torn beach, if sand has been removed and not thrown back up, is fragments of 19th Century hull sheathing. There are many wrecks off most east-coast beaches that are either unknown, or known but unrecorded that contribute to the supply washing in during storms. And although their wooden hulls have been eaten away by worms or degraded from a few hundred years of soaking in salt sea water, the hull sheathing usually remains. And it comes ashore in sheets of a yellow metal easily detectable and in large amounts. This would be an alloy called "Muntz Metal" which I have mistaken time and again, for pure copper sheathing...which it is most certainly not.

This half-foot fragment almost blew my ears off in knee-deep sea water!

Pure copper sheathing is more reddish in color, and much harder to find, as it was used mostly before 1832, before Muntz metal was patented, making it more rare. But it makes one helluva target in your headphones!

One of the best examples of a Muntz metal sheathed hull, is the restored stern draft and rudder of the famous British Clipper Ship Cutty Sark that was built in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line.

The restored stern (with stern draft and rudder) of the Cutty Sark elevated 3 metres above its dry-dock under its glass-roofed visitors' centre in June 2012.-Wikimedia Commons, free media repository

Central Florida beaches can turn up several types of hull sheathing as you hunt. Fragments of lead sheathing are fairly common finds down around the "treasure beaches."  From Melbourne, Florida, southward along Ft. Pierce, you will find remnants of lead sheathing material from the "still-coming-up-every-storm" wreckage of the celebrated 1715 Plate Fleet...which recently celebrated it's 300th anniversary of  making a major mistake in sailing many treasure-laden galleons too close to shore in a Category 5 Hurricane. Strangely enough, the Spanish seaman's name for a galleon was literally "Flying Pig," and is based, from what I hear, on their handling qualities under duress. Get a full compliment of sailors of different nationalities, sharing no common language on a ship that handles like a barge in a major hurricane near shore. Well, I think we've seen the results of that scenario played out to Mel Fishers advantage already.

From Central to Northern Florida, once in a while, small fragments of copper sheathing will come up after a big blow, but rarely, and usually with plenty of greenish-blue patina attached. The greenish-blue coating was extremely poisonous to barnacles and ship worms, hence provided excellent protection of early ships. Copper sheathing was usually used on ships from the 1790's up until mid-1800's, Copper sheathing was very expensive and had to be replaced at certain intervals, so I am not sure how many early ships went to the expense of installing that type of sheathing I have no idea where the fragments originate from offshore nowadays, but can still be found after a raging storm or hurricane. 

Muntz metal still provides the majority of sheathing found, at least by me, along the Central Florida coast while metal detecting. The alloy, composed of 60% copper and 40% zinc was invented by George Fredrick Muntz, an Englishman and metal-roller from Birmingham, who commercialized it following his patent of it in 1832. The metal was much cheaper that pure copper and did a better job. 

Sheathing a ship in copper was expensive-a-mundo...

Muntz metal was also used for other purposes; sheathing pilings under piers, household items and musical instruments all bear the mark of Muntz metal.

I do believe, on occasion, many "sunny-day" detectorists find this metal after storms and pitch it in the ol' beach garbage can along with hairpins, pop-tabs and aluminum cans. Big mistake. A historic alloy that has literally traveled the world, manufactured by people who are now no more than legend, and has technical and historic worth should be given a closer look and at least a place of honor on display, be it a museum, library or your den. If you are interested in ship's sheathing and knowledge and uses of metals in the past, please visit a site I used for some of my information...a fascinating website! 

http://www.oldcopper.org/special_topics/hms_victory_copper_sheathing.php