Archaeologists believe the copper – and possibly the tin – was being imported into Britain and originated in a number of different countries throughout Europe, rather than from a single source, demonstrating the existence of a complex network of trade routes across the Continent.

Academics at the University of Oxford are carrying out further analysis of the cargo in order to establish its exact origins.

The wreck has been found in just eight to ten metres of water in a bay near Salcombe, south Devon, by a team of amateur marine archaeologists from the South West Maritime Archaeological Group who were initially investigating a 17. Century wreck which went down close by

In 2004 the team decided to concentrate on the SE area and a palstave axe head was located in September that year. No longer was the team looking for 17C artefacts, but Bronze Age. It turned out that the pot handle and adze located in 2002 are also from the Bronze Age, and following a reassesment of the original assemblage at the British Musem some of the original artefacts recovered were also identified as Bronze Age.

Since 2004 SWMAG has located and recovered a significant number of Bronze Age artefacts that date to the Penard period and are believed to originate predominantly from France. This makes them contemporary to the artefacts from Moor Sand found by Phillip Baker in 1977 and Keith Muckelroy et al during subsequent surveys of the site; given the closeness of the two sites (the designated areas overlap) it seemed probable that there was some connection between the two. The Bronze Age site was named the Salcombe B Site to differentiate it from the original 17C site.

In total, 295 artefacts have so far been recovered, weighing a total of more than 84kg.

The cargo recovered includes 259 copper ingots and 27 tin ingots. Also found was a bronze leaf sword, two stone artefacts that could have been sling shots, and three gold wrist torcs – or bracelets.

The team have yet to uncover any of the vessel's structure, which is likely to have eroded away.

However, experts believe it would have been up to 40ft long and up to 6ft wide, and have been constructed of planks of timber, or a wooden frame with a hide hull. It would have had a crew of around 15 and been powered by paddles.

Archaeologists believe it would have been able to cross the Channel directly between Devon and France to link into European trade networks, rather than having to travel along the coast to the narrower crossing between modern day Dover and Calais.

Although the vessel's cargo came from as far afield as southern Europe, it is unlikely it would have been carried all the way in the same craft, but in a series of boats, undertaking short coastal journeys.

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