Perfectly preserved 12th-century ‘Viking-style’ ship reveals construction secrets

A 12th century viking-style ship dating back to 1188 has been lifted from ten feet under water at a German port where it was found.

A diver examines the wreck [Credit: Landesamt für Kultur und Denkmalpflege
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]

Pieces of timber from the 80 x 13 foot (25 x 4 metre) vessel were pulled up after being found just ten feet (three metres) under water.

A Nordic research team lifted the ship out and, using a 3D scanner, was able to work out that it was constructed using axes and adzes, a type of cutting tool.

The ancient ship dates back to 1188 and, thanks to the seawater and harbour silt, the ship's timbers have been perfectly preserved, experts say.

Archaeologists from Stavanger Maritime Museum say that the vessel is of Viking descent and was likely to have carried cargo like timber, stones and beer, according to a Fox report.

The ship's timbers were perfectly preserved, according to archaeologists
[Credit: Landesamt für Kultur und Denkmalpflege
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]

Experts used 3D scanner technology to reveal that the open-decked ship was constructed using axes and adzes alone.

Analysis of the ship's timbers revealed that the hunks of wood were originally from Western Sweden.

Maritime Archaeologist Dr. Jens Auer, who led the project, described the ship as a descendant of Viking vessels and said 'It was a heavy, load-bearing cargo ship.'

The ship, of Nordic design, was built with 'great care and durability', according to researchers.

Diagram of the shipwreck [Credit: Massimiliano Ditta]

It had overlapping pine planks, clinker-style, with 'beautiful curved construction' and was made during a relatively peaceful period of the time. Experts estimate that the ship had a crew of 8 to 12 men.

'The Wismar wreck is of great importance because it tells us about the type of vessels that were crossing the seas of Northern Europe during the high medieval period,' Massimiliano Ditta, maritime archaeologist at the Stavanger Maritime Museum told Fox News, via email.

'Historically we were in a period of transition and a shift of economic power. This is reflected in the construction of the ship, and due to its incredible state of preservation, it is a treasure trove of information not otherwise accessible.'

After lifting the wreck out of the Baltic waters, experts used an Artec handheld 3D scanner technology to scan the timbers at a warehouse in the German city of Schwerin.

3D scan of one of the ship's timbers [Credit: Landesamt für Kultur und Denkmalpflege
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]

The scanning process took one month, with the scans used to create a 3D-printed small scale model of the ship.

Ditta, who oversaw the 3D scanning of the wreck, says that the ship offers a glimpse into Baltic trade before towns in the region formed a powerful trading group known as the Hanseatic League.

This was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe.

Growing from a few North German towns in the late 1100s, the league came to dominate Baltic maritime trade for three centuries along the coasts of Northern Europe.

Author: Victoria Bell | Source: Daily Mail [April 19, 2019]