This unknown ship (or okänt skepp) is probably the best preserved shipwreck
of its period to be discovered in recent times. It was first detected with
sonar by the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) in 2009, but earlier this year,
as part of work carried out by survey specialists MMT, the wreck was identified
as having great archaeological and historical significance.
The discovery and further inspection was led by Dr Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, MMT’s maritime
archaeologist and deep sea archaeological expert, in collaboration with
the Centre for Maritime Archaeology
(CMA) at the University of Southampton, Deep Sea Productions and the Maritime
Archaeology Research Institute of Södertörn University (MARIS).
Dr Pacheco-Ruiz, who is also a Visiting Fellow in Maritime
Archaeology at Southampton, comments: “This ship is contemporary to the times
of Christopher Columbus and Leonardo Da Vinci, yet it demonstrates a remarkable
level of preservation after five hundred years at the bottom of the sea, thanks
to the cold, brackish waters of the Baltic.
“It’s almost like it sank yesterday – masts in place and hull intact. Still on
the main deck is an incredibly rare find – the tender boat, used to ferry crew
to and from the ship, leaning against the main mast. It’s a truly astonishing
sight.”
From the archaeological survey, it is believed that the shipwreck could date
between the late 15th Century and the early 16th Century. This would place it
earlier than the warship Mars, which sank after an explosion in the First
Battle of Öland in 1564 and Henry the VIII’s Mary Rose (1510-1545 AD) as well
as the Swedish warship Vasa (1628 AD).
The dating of this wreck underlines the importance of the discovery. It is rare
to find a ship in such an astonishing condition that predates the larger and
more powerful vessels involved in the later Northern Seven Year’s Wars
(1563-1570) – a period of great importance which defined the path of
modernisation of Scandinavian nations.
Unlike the scattered remains of the Mars, which exploded in
battle, this newly discovered wreck lies on the seabed with her hull structure
preserved from the keel to the top deck and all of her masts and some elements
of the standing rigging still in place. Clearly visible are the bowsprit and a
rudimentary decorated transom stern, as well as other rarely seen elements,
such as the wooden capstan and bilge pump. A testament to the tension on human
relationships of the time are the swivel guns, which are still in place on the
gun deck.
The project to explore this wreck demonstrates the ongoing, successful partnership
between MMT and the University of Southampton, which has also recently been
showcased in the discovery and archaeological survey of more than 65 perfectly
preserved shipwrecks in the Black Sea. Some of the wrecks date back to Ottoman,
Byzantine Roman and Greek periods, found at depths of more than 2,000m as a
result of a rich collaboration between industry and academic research.
For this latest survey in the Baltic, MMT welcomed students of maritime
archaeology from the University of Southampton, as well as students developing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) for subsea robotics from KTH Royal Institute of
Technology in Stockholm (KTH), to join the expedition team on-board Stril
Explorer where they received training in deep sea archaeological methods and
techniques – a key component in the partnership between these two institutions.
An international team of scientists, including
archaeologists from the University of Southampton, has revealed the remains of
an intact and astonishingly preserved Early Modern Period (Late 15th – early
16th Century) shipwreck in the Baltic, using state-of-the-art underwater
robotics.
This unknown ship (or okänt skepp) is probably the best preserved shipwreck
of its period to be discovered in recent times. It was first detected with
sonar by the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) in 2009, but earlier this year,
as part of work carried out by survey specialists MMT, the wreck was identified
as having great archaeological and historical significance.
The discovery and further inspection was led by Dr Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, MMT’s maritime
archaeologist and deep sea archaeological expert, in collaboration with
the Centre for Maritime Archaeology
(CMA) at the University of Southampton, Deep Sea Productions and the Maritime
Archaeology Research Institute of Södertörn University (MARIS).
Dr Pacheco-Ruiz, who is also a Visiting Fellow in Maritime
Archaeology at Southampton, comments: “This ship is contemporary to the times
of Christopher Columbus and Leonardo Da Vinci, yet it demonstrates a remarkable
level of preservation after five hundred years at the bottom of the sea, thanks
to the cold, brackish waters of the Baltic.
“It’s almost like it sank yesterday – masts in place and hull intact. Still on
the main deck is an incredibly rare find – the tender boat, used to ferry crew
to and from the ship, leaning against the main mast. It’s a truly astonishing
sight.”
From the archaeological survey, it is believed that the shipwreck could date
between the late 15th Century and the early 16th Century. This would place it
earlier than the warship Mars, which sank after an explosion in the First
Battle of Öland in 1564 and Henry the VIII’s Mary Rose (1510-1545 AD) as well
as the Swedish warship Vasa (1628 AD).
The dating of this wreck underlines the importance of the discovery. It is rare
to find a ship in such an astonishing condition that predates the larger and
more powerful vessels involved in the later Northern Seven Year’s Wars
(1563-1570) – a period of great importance which defined the path of
modernisation of Scandinavian nations.
Unlike the scattered remains of the Mars, which exploded in
battle, this newly discovered wreck lies on the seabed with her hull structure
preserved from the keel to the top deck and all of her masts and some elements
of the standing rigging still in place. Clearly visible are the bowsprit and a
rudimentary decorated transom stern, as well as other rarely seen elements,
such as the wooden capstan and bilge pump. A testament to the tension on human
relationships of the time are the swivel guns, which are still in place on the
gun deck.
The project to explore this wreck demonstrates the ongoing, successful partnership
between MMT and the University of Southampton, which has also recently been
showcased in the discovery and archaeological survey of more than 65 perfectly
preserved shipwrecks in the Black Sea. Some of the wrecks date back to Ottoman,
Byzantine Roman and Greek periods, found at depths of more than 2,000m as a
result of a rich collaboration between industry and academic research.
For this latest survey in the Baltic, MMT welcomed students of maritime
archaeology from the University of Southampton, as well as students developing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) for subsea robotics from KTH Royal Institute of
Technology in Stockholm (KTH), to join the expedition team on-board Stril
Explorer where they received training in deep sea archaeological methods and
techniques – a key component in the partnership between these two institutions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I suspect more may be forthcoming of this story and should we find it, Maritime Maunder will bring it to you. And a thank you to reader B. Westerfield for putting us on the story.
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
old Salt
