Maritime archaeologists in Sweden have discovered a shipwreck beneath the cold waters of the Baltic Sea—a vessel believed to be the oldest known carvel-built ship in the Nordic region. Designated Wreck 5, this well-preserved ship could provide crucial insights into medieval naval technology, trade routes, and Scandinavia's early adoption of shipbuilding innovations.
The ship's carvel-built design marks a turning point in shipbuilding history, using a construction method that differs from the clinker-built style of most medieval Scandinavian ships.
"This ship represents a fascinating link between medieval and modern shipbuilding," said Håkan Altrock, curator and project manager at Sweden's Museum of Wrecks (Vrak). "It has the potential to provide valuable new insights into an important period in Sweden's maritime history."
Altrock described the vessel as "probably about 35 meters long and 10 meters wide." Wreck 5 is larger than most medieval Scandinavian vessels.
According to Live Science, the carvel technique involved laying planks edge to edge rather than overlapping them, allowing for larger, more stable hulls and resulting in a relatively smooth hull surface. This method was an innovation from the Mediterranean dating to about the seventh century CE but was adopted much later in northern Europe.
Traditional Nordic ships, such as Viking longships, were built in the clinker style with overlapping planks, making them light and relatively flexible.
Altrock pointed out that the shipwreck is one of five wrecks discovered in Landfjärden, an area south of Stockholm that has interested researchers since the 1800s. Initially believed to be Viking ships, theories about the wrecks had swirled for years, but the type and age of the wrecks remained uncertain until recently.
To accurately date the ship, experts conducted dendrochronological analysis, studying tree rings in the ship's timbers to determine their exact age and origin, as noted by indiandefencereview.com. "We have confidently dated it to the 1480s, though the ship might have been built as early as the 1460s and later repaired in the 1480s," said Altrock, according to Baird Maritime.
"What we also know for certain is that the timber used to build the ship was felled in either Möre, in the Kalmar region, or eastern Blekinge," Altrock added.
The discovery prompts speculation about whether Wreck 5 was part of a larger effort to modernize Sweden's fleet at a time when European naval powers were rapidly expanding.
According to Live Science, maritime archaeologists have made a digital model of the wreck using photogrammetry—a technique that combines digital photographs to reflect their positions in three dimensions—and the results are now online.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.