Tours of DeBraak shipwreck hull begin June 7

Beginning Wednesday, June 7, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will offer tours that explore the 18th century history, artifacts and the surviving hull section of His Majesty's Sloop DeBraak, a British warship that was escorting and protecting a convoy of merchant ships en route to the United States when it capsized and was lost off the Delaware coast May 25, 1798.

Tours will take place at 9 a.m. the following Wednesdays June 7, 14, 21 and 28; July 5, 12, 19 and 26, and Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30; and Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27.

Each tour begins at the Zwaanendael Museum, at 102 Kings Highway in Lewes, where a lecture on the ship will be presented in conjunction with the exhibit A Seaborne Citizenry: The DeBraak and Its Atlantic World. Participants will learn about the history, crew and sinking of the DeBraak through a guided presentation and display of actual artifacts. Attendees will then be transported, via van, to the DeBraak conservation facility for interpretation and viewing of the ship's surviving hull section.

Each tour will last approximately two hours. Individuals age 10 and up are welcome. Space is limited to 12 participants. The cost of the program is $10 per person (cash or check only). For reservations (nonrefundable), go to shop.delaware.gov and click on Tours in the Categories column. For more information, call 302-645-1148. Walk-ups are welcome but space is not guaranteed.

Significance of DeBraak

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, sloops of war such as DeBraak played an increasingly important role in Royal Navy campaigns. These relatively small vessels combined speed, agility, shallow draft and increased firepower, all of which made them formidable naval vessels. As the only Royal Navy sloop of war from this time period that has been recovered anywhere in the world, DeBraak serves as an invaluable historical resource for a time when Great Britain was the world's pre-eminent naval power.

The surviving section of the DeBraak's hull and its associated artifact collection have been curated by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs since they were acquired by the state of Delaware in 1992. Approximately one-third of the hull survives including the keel, keelson and lower framing elements, including a large section of the starboard (right) side.