Found: Medieval Cargo Ship – Largest Vessel of Its Kind Ever

Summary

Archaeologists Say They’ve Unearthed a Massive Medieval Cargo Ship That’s the Largest Vessel of Its Kind Ever Found Spotted off the coast of Denmark, the “Svaelget 2” is a cog, a kind of large trading vessel used in the Middle Ages. Experts say the 600-year-old discovery is “exceptionally well-preserved” Divers swept away sand and silt to reveal the wreck. Viking Ship Museum Forty feet below the waves of Oresund, the strait between Denmark and Sweden, researchers have discovered the wreckage of a 600-year-old ship. Extravagantly outfitted and remarkably preserved, it’s a medieval cargo vessel also known as a cog. Experts say it’s the largest ship of its kind ever found. Maritime archaeologists from Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum came across the shipwreck while surveying the seabed. According to a statement from the museum, the silt-covered vessel—called Svaelget 2—measures about 92 feet long, 30 feet wide and 20 feet tall. Experts estimate its cargo capacity was 300 tons. “The find is a milestone for maritime archaeology,” says archaeologist Otto Uldum, the leader of the excavation, in the statement. “It is the largest cog we know of, and it gives us a unique opportunity to understand both the construction and life on board the biggest trading ships of the Middle Ages.” The ship's frame was made of wood from the Netherlands. Viking Ship Museum Cogs were developed around the tenth century “as a safe and efficient means to transport massive quantities of goods,” writes Artnet’s Min Chen. “Their substantial cargo holds trumped [those] of Viking vessels such as knarrs, while their towering sides made them harder to board during sea skirmishes.” Per the statement, the large vessels were made to sail north from the Netherlands, around Denmark and toward the Baltic Sea. Though massive, a cog could be managed by a small crew. “The cog revolutionized trade in northern Europe,” Uldum says. “It made it possible to transport goods on a scale never seen before.” Uldum adds that sh...