One of the greatest achievements of man is the design and development of a variety of watercraft suitable for marine and riverine purposes and safer for the environment. From ancient times, timber was the main component for the construction of these crafts, until it was replaced by iron/steel. As the size of the vessels increased to accommodate more cargo and overseas trade became more frequent, superior quality timber was used in the construction of vessels. Among the timbers used, teak was mostly preferred for building boats and ships. Many ships have been explored and excavated, and the timber used has been identified, but a detailed microstructural analysis has not been presented. The Cara Merchant or Quedagh Merchant ship, built in Surat, Gujarat, India was pirated by Captain Kidd, and subsequently wrecked off the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic in 1699. Indiana University, USA, carried out exploration to locate Cara Merchant. This communication presents a comparative study of the anatomical analysis of the microstructure of a wood sample with the wood from the wrecked Cara Merchant. This study is an attempt to support the use of teak in boat and shipbuilding as mentioned in the literature.Keywords: Scanning electron microscope, shipbuilding, shipwreck, teak, wood anatomy.INDIA has contributed significantly to world culture in the field of science, technology, culture and philosophy. One of the greatest achievements of man was the invention of watercraft made of reeds, logs and skins, which were used from prehistoric times. A variety of traditional watercraft were designed and developed according to the topography and nature of the seabed of the region; locally available suitable timber was used for both inland and sea craft. Over a period of time, many changes were noticed in the boat and shipbuilding techniques, and wood became the most widely accepted material for hull construction. This practice continued until the last century when timber was partly replaced by iron/steel and fibre/composite materials.From ancient times, timber has been one of the most valuable and versatile raw materials playing a vital role in the economic and industrial development of a nation. Each type of timber has its own distinctive features depending on whether it belongs to the hardwood or softwood group. Different wood species also differ considerably in their anatomical structure and show a remarkably wide range of variations in physical and mechanical properties such as colour, texture, grain, density, strength, stiffness, hardness, etc.
