Ed Stasiak wrote:
I was wondering if any of y'all could identify the style and
era of a wooden sailing ship shown on the TV show "Lost"?;

http://lost-media.com/modules.php?na...lbum=469&pos=1

http://tinyurl.com/837qs


http://lost-media.com/modules.php?na...lbum=469&pos=2

http://tinyurl.com/8hr8c

In particular, we'd like to know when a ship of this type
was being built and approximately how long these types of
ships were in use.

It's pretty generic... looks almost like something built as a stage set
for a pirate movie

The picture doesn't show enough of the hull & rigging to really say what
type of ship. Looks square rigged on one mast, transom stern, four
straps/gugdeons on the rudder (which would be appropriate for a much
bigger vessel)... if it were a real ship, I couldn't guess any closer
than ~1800 up to ~1920. The things that date a ship more accurately are
things like rig & steering details which of course aren't shown.


Also, what are the odds that a ship like this would survive
in the condition shown up until 2004 on a tropical island,
factoring in that it's possible that people may have been
using the ship as a home and maintaining it for X number
of years?

How about factoring in that it would have taken some type of pretty
extreme event (tidal wave? hurricane?) to put the ship up into the
jungle in the first place, likely resulting in serious damage.

A ship on dry land would not be a very good dwelling... very
inconvenient, and it's more likely to trap water and keep it in than to
keep it off. Also to maintain it as a dwelling (such as keeping the deck
(now become a roof) reasonably water tight) would be likely to take
tools & materials not easily available in a jungle.


By the way, are there any historical references to a ship
named "Black Rock", possibly out of Portsmouth England?


Oh sure, "Black Rock" was a famous clipper ship that mysteriously
disappeared... sorry, just kidding...

DSK