2023-02-06 Ship restoration Medieval vessel is ‘world’s largest 3D puzzle’ 考古学家将拼装中世纪沉船 —— “世界最大三维拼图”

沉船船骸共有近2500块碎片，船身长30米，重25吨，这艘船被称为 “世界上最大三维拼图”。经过20年的精心修复，考古学家现在终于可以开始重新拼装在南威尔士河岸发现的一艘15世纪沉船。

At 30 metres long, weighing 25 tonnes, it’s thought this salvage wreck, found in 2002, was built around 1449 from Basque-country wood and was involved in the lucrative wine trade between Portugal and Bristol (UK).

这艘沉船于2002年被发现，船身长30米、重25吨 ，人们认为它是在1449年前后用巴斯克地区的木材建成的，这艘船被用于葡萄牙和英国布里斯托之间利润丰厚的葡萄酒贸易活动。

Historians believe it fell into the waters around Newport (UK) while being repaired later that century. Its significance is being compared to the wreck of the 16th Century Mary Rose and the 17th Century Vasa ship in Sweden.

历史学家们认为，该船在15世纪后期的修缮过程中沉入了英国纽波特附近的水域。它的重要性可以与16世纪的玛丽·罗斯号沉船和17世纪的瑞典战舰瓦萨号相提并论。

Since it was found, each one of the 2,500 individual pieces of wood salvage needed to undergo a lengthy process of soaking, waxing and freeze-drying before any reconstruction could take place. And because of the time and capacity constraints, the process has been split between southeast Wales and the south coast of England.

自该船被发现以来，打捞出的2500块船骸中的每块碎木都需要经过长时间的浸泡、打蜡和冷冻干燥过程，才能被用于重新拼装的工作。由于时间和拼装能力的限制，该过程被分在威尔士东南部和英格兰南部海岸两地进行。

The reassembly could take anywhere between three and ten years, and the hope in Newport is that it can be a major boost for tourism in the city centre, just as the Mary Rose has been for Portsmouth (UK).

重新拼装船骸的工作可能会历时三到十年，而纽波特希望这艘船能像英国朴茨茅斯的玛丽·罗斯号一样，对市中心的旅游业产生重大的推动作用。

词汇表

salvage （沉船）打捞
lucrative 利润丰厚的
significance 意义，重要性
soaking 浸泡
waxing 打蜡
freeze-drying 冷冻干燥
reconstruction 重建，重新拼装
reassembly 重新拼装

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. What do people think that this old ship was used to transport?

2. What was happening to the ship in Newport when it fell into the water?

3. How many pieces of wood are being put together to rebuild this old ship?

4. Why is it thought restoring this old ship will be a boost for tourism in Newport?

答案 

1. What do people think that this old ship was used to transport?
It is thought this old ship was involved in the lucrative wine trade between Portugal and Bristol (UK).

2. What was happening to the ship in Newport when it fell into the water?
Historians believe it fell into the waters around Newport while being repaired.

3. How many pieces of wood are being put together to rebuild this old ship?
2,500 individual pieces of wood are being restored to rebuild this old ship.

4. Why is it thought restoring this old ship will be a boost for tourism in Newport?
Another medieval ship called the Mary Rose was restored and turned out to be a boost for the city of Portsmouth.