Buckler's Hard

"fascinating find. BUCKLER’S HARD, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that an archaeological team from the University of Southampton uncovered the former slipway and other infrastructure from one of England’s busiest and most historic eighteenth-century shipyards. The discovery was made in the small hamlet of Buckler’s Hard in New Forest. According to records, during the 1700s at least 55 ships belonging to the Royal Navy were built and launched from the nearby waterfront, making it the largest private shipyard of its era. The survival of the original boat ramp somewhat surprised archaeologists, since most similar features from the period have been subsequently buried in concrete. Researchers are hoping that the surviving traces of the site will provide new insight into colonial-era shipbuilding, and have built a 3D model of the slipway to aid in future research. “"