The Early Modern Age is a time of change in the array of human activities, with shipbuilding being just one aspect. Transatlantic voyages became more frequent and a part of men's everyday lives. This resulted in accelerated changes in ship construction as a direct result of the need for a ship that could spend months at sea. The large and more complex vessels needed new types of protection against damage. The application of lead sheathing to the ships' hulls is just one in an assemblage of ways in which people tried to protect their ships. The goal of this thesis is to elaborate on the process of lead sheathing, a topic which until now has been seldom represented in the Croatian archaeological literature. The acquisition of sparse data from historical sources, former archaeological research and information from the field gives insights into the purpose, diffusion of sites and the production techniques of lead sheathing for the ships' hulls. The said discussion is the foundation for the study of the sheets of lead found at the Sv. Jerolim shipwreck in the Bay of Suđurađ on the Island of Šipan. The ship sank in the year 1576, and belonged to the Republic of Dubrovnik.