Under 40 feet of sand: Archaeologists stumble upon massive 600-year-old Viking 'Super Ship'

Archaeologists have discovered a sunken Viking ship in Denmark that is the biggest one ever seen. The vessel is nearly 92 feet long and is dated to be 600 years old. Researchers say that it is in extremely good condition, and one of the best examples of a cog, or a “super ship”, Popular Science reported. The cogs changed how trade happened in medieval Europe because of their advanced design and carrying capacity. Otto Uldum, who led the expedition, said in a statement, "The find is a milestone for maritime archaeology." He added that the discovery of the boat offers an opportunity to understand how such ships were constructed and what life was like for the sailors and merchants on board. The Viking ship is one of the many such vessels built for trade during the Middle Ages. It has been named Svælget 2, after the channel in which it was found. Scientists now also know for sure that a ship could also be this big, and that "the ship type could be pushed to this extreme", a researcher said.

Sand and silt preserved the Viking ship

Svælget 2 has remained protected in the sea because of the silt and sand that accumulated on it. The ship that sank centuries ago was buried under a rubble of 40 feet, which helped it stay preserved in the harsh underwater environment. It even contains evidence of its rigging because of this safety mound on top of it. "It is extraordinary to have so many parts of the rigging. We have never seen this before, and it gives us a real opportunity to say something entirely new about how cogs were equipped for sailing," Uldum said. To know when the ship was built, archaeologists analysed tree rings in its timber, which revealed that Viking artisans constructed the cog in the Netherlands around 1410 CE.

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How rigging data will reveal more about the Viking ships

These ships were huge, yet they had small crews. The data on rigging will help shed light on how a handful of people operated the large cogs. "Rigging is absolutely central to a medieval ship, as it makes it possible to control the sail, secure the mast and keep the cargo safe. Without ropes and rigging, the ship would be nothing," Uldum added. The discovery of this ship also confirms certain details about cogs. For example, some Viking cogs featured tall wooden platforms at both the bow and stern known as castles, as seen in the sunken ship. Notably, these features had only been known about through depictions, and no clear archaeological evidence had ever been found. “We have plenty of drawings of castles, but they have never been found because usually only the bottom of the ship survives,” said Uldum. “This time we have the archaeological proof.”