• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Archaeology News
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum
Archaeology News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Archaeology

Oldest carvel-built ship in Nordic region discovered in Sweden

by Dario Radley
March 5, 2025

Maritime archaeologists from the Museum of Wrecks (Vrak) in Stockholm have identified a shipwreck off Sweden’s coast that may be the oldest confirmed carvel-built vessel in the Nordic region. Lying beneath Landfjärden’s waters south of Stockholm, Wreck 5 is believed to have been built in the 1480s, perhaps as early as the 1460s. It sheds new light on the transitional phase from clinker-built ships, characteristic of the Viking Age, to carvel-built ships, which allowed for stronger and much larger vessels.

Oldest carvel-built ship in Nordic region discovered in Sweden
Illustration of Wreck 5. Credit: Alexander Rauscher & Jim Hansson, Vrak Museum

Museum curator and project leader Håkan Altrock emphasized the significance of the find, noting, “This ship represents a fascinating link between medieval and modern shipbuilding. It has the potential to provide us with valuable new insights into an important period in Sweden’s maritime history.”

The ship measures around 30 meters (98 ft) in length and is about 7 meters (23 ft) wide. One of its most remarkable characteristics is the well-preserved condition of the vessel , with the sternpost and rudder still standing upright. Unlike traditional Nordic vessels that were built with overlapping planks, Wreck 5 was a carvel-built vessel. This technique originated in the Mediterranean around the seventh century CE and involved laying planks edge to edge to create a smooth hull. The introduction of this construction method in Northern Europe marked a major evolution in shipbuilding.

Oldest carvel-built ship in Nordic region discovered in Sweden
Port side of the wreck with crossbeam. Credit: Jim Hansson, Vrak Museum.
Oldest carvel-built ship in Nordic region discovered in Sweden
Port side of the ship showing the rudder, with a hole for the tiller. Credit: Jim Hansson, Vrak Museum.

Researchers point out that the carvel technique made ships stronger. They believe its emergence was a response to the introduction of cannons on ships in the 15th century. Stronger hulls were necessary to withstand enemy fire.

Oldest carvel-built ship in Nordic region discovered in Sweden
Illustration of the remains of Wreck 5. Credit: Alexander Rauscher & Jim Hansson, Vrak Museum.

Dendrochronological analysis of the ship’s timber was carried out by Lund University experts, who determined that Möre in the Kalmar region or eastern Blekinge in the south of Sweden was the source of the wood. This finding aligns with historical records pointing to the fact that Swedish shipbuilding in the late 15th century was influenced by techniques from continental Europe.

RelatedStories

New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice

New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice

October 7, 2025
Over 1,000 silver and gold coins recovered from the legendary 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet

Over 1,000 silver and gold coins recovered from the legendary 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet

October 3, 2025

Wreck 5 is one of five known shipwrecks in the Landfjärden area. Because of its form, these wrecks were believed for many years to be Viking ships possibly involved in the legendary naval battle of Olaf the Holy, King of Norway. However, recent studies have revealed that most of these wrecks date to the 17th and 18th centuries, while Wreck 5 is the oldest among them. Dendrochronological analysis was first attempted on the wreck by maritime archaeologists in an earlier phase of research, but it was only in a subsequent attempt that they were able to successfully date it to the late 15th century.

The Museum of Wrecks has used photogrammetry to create a digital model of Wreck 5, enabling researchers to study its structure in detail.

Share4Tweet3Share1ShareSend

You May Also Like...

Donkey bones reveal Jamestown colonists brought donkeys to North America
Archaeology

Donkey bones reveal Jamestown colonists brought donkeys to North America

October 8, 2025
Easter Island’s moai statues really “walked”: physics and archaeology confirm the hypothesis
Archaeology

Easter Island’s moai statues really “walked”: physics and archaeology confirm the hypothesis

October 7, 2025
New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice
Archaeology

New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice

October 7, 2025
Homo habilis under threat: AI study reveals leopards hunted our ancient ancestors
Anthropology

Homo habilis under threat: AI study reveals leopards hunted our ancient ancestors

October 7, 2025
Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape
Archaeology

Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape

October 6, 2025
650-year-old sandal and other medieval artifacts found in centuries-old vulture nests in southern Spain
Archaeology

650-year-old sandal and other medieval artifacts found in centuries-old vulture nests in southern Spain

October 6, 2025

Comments 0

  1. Editorial Team says:
    1 second ago
    Disclaimer: This website is a science-focused magazine that welcomes both academic and non-academic audiences. Comments are written by users and may include personal opinions or unverified claims. They do not necessarily reflect the views of our editorial team or rely on scientific evidence.
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow us


Instagram
245K

Facebook
116K

Threads
44K

LinkedIn
13K

Twitter
6K

YouTube
1K
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Shipwreck Salvage. Credit: rawpixel.com / Public Domain

2,000-year-old shipwreck discovered off Turkish coast with remarkably preserved stacked ceramics

July 2, 2025
Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

May 18, 2025
Complete copy of the Canopus Decree unearthed in Egypt after 150 years

Complete copy of the Canopus Decree unearthed in Egypt after 150 years

September 13, 2025
Mystery of Armenia’s 6,000-year-old dragon stones solved

Mystery of Armenia’s 6,000-year-old dragon stones solved

September 23, 2025
Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

July 31, 2025
Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

3D analysis reveals Shroud of Turin image likely came from sculpture, not Jesus’ body

3D analysis reveals Shroud of Turin image likely came from sculpture, not Jesus’ body

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Donkey bones reveal Jamestown colonists brought donkeys to North America

Donkey bones reveal Jamestown colonists brought donkeys to North America

October 8, 2025
Easter Island’s moai statues really “walked”: physics and archaeology confirm the hypothesis

Easter Island’s moai statues really “walked”: physics and archaeology confirm the hypothesis

October 7, 2025
New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice

New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice

October 7, 2025
Homo habilis under threat: AI study reveals leopards hunted our ancient ancestors

Homo habilis under threat: AI study reveals leopards hunted our ancient ancestors

October 7, 2025
Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape

Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape

October 6, 2025

Archaeology News online magazine

Archaeology News is an international online magazine that covers all aspects of archaeology.











Categories

  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • Download
  • Game
  • News
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology
  • Quiz
  • Tours

Subscribe to our newsletter

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum

About  .  Contact  .  Donation

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved