Archaeologists Find 500-Year-Old Shipwreck in Baltic Sea

A team of marine archaeologists has discovered the intact wreck of an ancient ship on the floor of the Baltic Sea.

Photogrammetric model of the 500-year-old ship’s stern. Image credit: University of Southampton / Deep Sea Productions / MMT.

“This ship is contemporary to the times of Christopher Columbus and Leonardo Da Vinci, yet it demonstrates a remarkable level of preservation after 500 years at the bottom of the sea, thanks to the cold, brackish waters of the Baltic,” said team member Dr. Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, a maritime archaeologist and deep sea archaeological expert at the University of Southampton.

“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.”

Photogrammetric model of the 500-year-old ship’s bow showing the anchor still in place. Image credit: University of Southampton / Deep Sea Productions / MMT.

From the archaeological survey, it is believed that the shipwreck could date between the late 15th century and the early 16th century CE.

This would place it earlier than the warship Mars, which sank after an explosion in the First Battle of Öland in 1564, Henry the VIII’s Mary Rose (1510-1545), and the Swedish warship Vasa (1628).

“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,” the archaeologists said.

“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.”