Tyger (ship)
| History | |
|---|---|
| Fate: | Burned November 1613 |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Crew: | 18 men |
| Armament: | 6 or 8 1,500/1,600-pound cannons |
Tyger (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɛiɣər]; English: Tiger) was the ship used by the Dutch captain Adriaen Block during his 1613 voyage to explore the East Coast of North America and the present day Hudson River. Its remains were uncovered in 1916 during the construction of the New York City Subway on land that is now part of the World Trade Center complex.
In late summer of 1613, Tyger had moored in Lower Manhattan on the Hudson to trade with the Lenape Indians along with its partner Hendrick Christiaensen's Fortuyn. By November, Tyger had been filled with pelts of beaver, otter, and other skins obtained in barter.
In November, an accidental fire broke out and Tyger rapidly burned to the waterline. The charred hull was beached and all but the small section of prow and keel salvaged in 1916 (q.v.) remained in that location, buried beneath what later became the intersection of Greenwich and Dey Streets in Lower Manhattan. During the fire, the crew salvaged some sails, rope, tools and fittings.
Over the winter, Block and his men – presumably with help from the Indians – built Onrust (Restless), which they used to explore the East River and Long Island Sound before returning to Europe in 1614.
In 1916, workmen led by James A. Kelly uncovered the prow and keel of Tyger while excavating an extension for the New York City Subway BMT Broadway Line near the intersection of Greenwich and Dey Streets. The ship and some related artifacts were discovered by Kelly's crew at a depth of about 20 feet (6.1 m) below the street – right where it had been beached on the shoreline of Manhattan Island at the time of the ship's burning. Over a period of 150 years after the vessel had been beached, approximately 11 feet (3.4 m) of silt accumulated and, in 1763, a waterfront fill-in project added another 8 to 9 feet (2.4 to 2.7 m).
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