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Following the launch of trove.scot in February 2025 we are now planning the retiral of some of our webservices. Canmore will be switched off on 24th June 2025. Information about the closure can be found on the HES website: Retiral of HES web services | Historic Environment Scotland

El Gran Grifon: Stroms Heelor, Fair Isle, North Sea

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The bronze media culebrina suspended under two air-filled lifting-bags (1977).
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Tom Henderson, curator of the Shetland Museum, conserving artefacts from El Gran Grifón in 1970.
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Tom Henderson of the Shetland Museum conserving the wrought-iron esmeril (1970).
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The bronze media sacre is hoisted ashore at North Haven with the assistance of the crew of the Good Shepherd, watched by Chris Oldfield (1970). (photographer unknown)
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Andrew Williamson, curator of the Shetland Museum, weighing one of the lead ingots (1986).
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The old manse in Anstruther Easter, built by the minister, James Melville, in 1590. Melville received the Spanish survivors when they landed at Anstruther on 6 December 1588 and recorded the event in detail in his celebrated Diary.
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The cliff-top base above Stroms Hellier with team members Keith Muckelroy (left) and Paula Martin (right) (1977).
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Andrew Fielding uncovers the media culebrina as he removes shingle from the main gulley (1977). Note the depth of the deposit.
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The bronze media culebrina is hoisted ashore at North Haven (1977).
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Histogram of iron roundshot numbers and sizes recovered from the wreck.
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Andrew Fielding steps over the airlift nozzle using buckets to shift larger stones to a net for lifting clear of the site (1977).
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Andrew Fielding at the excavation face with the airlift (1977).
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Keith Muckelroy with a template designed to measure the large anchor, almost certainly belonging to El Gran Grifón and found some 60m to seaward of the main site in a depth of 23m (1977).
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The eroded sectioned breech end of an iron gun, after cleaning. A quadrant of metal has been cut from the breech end to reveal the chamber profile (1974). The iron ball is in place, as is the hemp wadding on either side of it. Scale in inches.
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The eroded sectioned breech end of an iron gun, after cleaning. A quadrant of metal has been cut from the breech end to reveal the chamber profile (1974). The iron ball is in place, as is the hemp wadding on either side of it. Scale in inches.
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The cliff-top tender paying out the air-hose over our improvised gantry (1977). The operator was always roped for safety.
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Remnant of wrought-iron breech-block (interior). 1977, scale in inches.
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Wrought-iron breech-block. 1977, scale in inches.
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Wrought-iron barrel of a breech-loading swivel-gun (falcon pedrero) with two stone balls of appropriate calibre (1977).
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Tony Long establishing datum levels with an inverted air-filled plastic hose (1977).
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An area of concretion at the bottom of the main gulley, prepared for treatment with explosives. At top right a thin electrical wire will carry an electrical charge from the surface, activating a detonator secured to the looped detonating cord. This will pass detonation along each of the separate runs of cord along which very small charges have been placed. The effect of this treatment was to render the concretion loose enough for excavation without displacing the contexts of items within it (1977).
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An area of concretion at the bottom of the main gulley, prepared for treatment with explosives. At top right a thin electrical wire will carry an electrical charge from the surface, activating a detonator secured to the looped detonating cord. This will pass detonation along each of the separate runs of cord along which very small charges have been placed. The effect of this treatment was to render the concretion loose enough for excavation without displacing the contexts of items within it (1977).
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The expedition boat over the wreck-site (1970).
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Tony Long tending the compressors at the cliff-top base (1977).
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