Nossa Senhora dos Mártires - 1606 - Geometrical prototype
Presentation
September 15th, 1606 – A huge storm sent Nau Nossa Senhora dos Mártires against the rocks in front of the fortress of São Julião da Barra, at the mouth of the Tagus River, near Lisbon. The ship with more than 600 tons, 68 metres long (a keel of around 27,7 m and an overall length of nearly 40 m), was returning from India after more than one year and a half sailing with a cargo of over 250 tons of peppercorns and other precious goods. She was a typical Portuguese Indiaman, similar to those described in Portuguese 16th century ship treatises and sank in a matter of one hour, breaking up into small pieces. About 200 of the 450 passengers were found dead on the beaches near Lisbon, after the disaster.
September 15th, 1606 – A huge storm sent Nau Nossa Senhora dos Mártires against the rocks in front of the fortress of São Julião da Barra, at the mouth of the Tagus River, near Lisbon. The ship with more than 600 tons, 68 metres long (a keel of around 27,7 m and an overall length of nearly 40 m), was returning from India after more than one year and a half sailing with a cargo of over 250 tons of peppercorns and other precious goods. She was a typical Portuguese Indiaman, similar to those described in Portuguese 16th century ship treatises and sank in a matter of one hour, breaking up into small pieces. About 200 of the 450 passengers were found dead on the beaches near Lisbon, after the disaster.
In 1994 a team of archaelogists from Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática and Institute of Nautical Archaeology - Texas A&M University started the excavation and the study of the wreck.
Researchers from Texas A&M University and Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon are still working on that investigation. 
In september 2007, the amount and quality of archaeological and documentary evidence allows the construction of a model of the hull and of an admiralty style model of the ship. This will be the first admiralty style model of a XVII th century portuguese vessel built on scientific basis and with academic purposes. This project aims to explain and expose the exterior morphology and the interior structure of these Portuguese Indiamen. 
The two wooden models are being built in noble woods with at a scale of 1/48. Each construction phase will be documented in digital photography and posted in Internet in http://portuguese-indiamen.blogspot.com/
Work phasesFirst - Geometrical prototype - Construction of a tridimentional wooden model of the hull of Nau Nossa Senhora dos Mártires to study and analyse the geometrical forms of the ship.
Second - Admiralty style model - Construction of a wooden admiralty style scale model folowing the process and construction sequence of the late 16th century.
Third - Monograph - Writing of a scientifical monograph about the scale model and the questions involved in its construction.
Scientific Credits
This work is included in the project: “Reconstructing a Portuguese India Nau” - Nautical Archeology Program, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University College Station / Unidade de Engenharia e Tecnologia Naval do Instituto Superior Técnico. Point T12 - Construction of a scale model. Where it’s said that
« This task consists in the construction of a wooden scale model of an India nau. There will be no full understanding of the construction process without this experimental phase in which the scientists get to understand the real possibilities of the timber utilized, the most important aspect being the simulation of bending directions of the wales, stringers, planking strakes, and the influence of this practical knowledge-today completely lost-on the conception and design of these ships. “
The investigation work for the construction of the two models integrates the Mestrado in História Marítima (Universidade de Lisboa/Escola Naval) / Master degree in Maritime History ( Universidade de Lisboa), coordinated by Prof. Doutor Francisco Domingos Contente (Departamento de História da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa).This work is supported by :
The Nautical Archeology Program, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University College Station – USA, Prof. Doutor Filipe Castro. http://nautarch.tamu.edu/shiplab/
Instituto Superior Técnico – Lisboa, Prof. Doutor Nuno Fonseca and Engº Tomás Vacas
Conclusion There will be no full understanding of the construction process without this.
Being aware of all the difficulties involved in the construction of a wooden scale model of such a complex ship, this work can be an opportunity to give to the public and investigators the first scientifical representation of one of the most important and unknown ships from the World of the Portuguese Discoveries
Engº Tomás Vacas - Instituto Superior Técnico - Lisboa -Portugal
Audrey Wells - Nautical Archeology Program, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University College Station – USA http://www-viz.tamu.edu/students/wellsae/index.html
