The “Big Ship” of Wismar: a well-preserved 12th-century cargo vessel from the harbour of Wismar

In December 2017, maritime archaeologists from the state department for archaeology in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania excavated, recovered, and documented a shipwreck in the seaport of Wismar. The wreck of a clinker-built cargo vessel was one of three medieval vessels found during the extension of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArchaeonautica no. 21; pp. 193 - 197
Main Authors Ditta, Massimiliano, Auer, Jens
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published CNRS Éditions 01.07.2021
Subjects
construction navale
shipwreck
Fouille
Excavation
Mecklembourg Poméranie occidentale
12th century
Mecklenburg Western Pomerania
xiie siècle
Wismar
épave
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Summary:In December 2017, maritime archaeologists from the state department for archaeology in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania excavated, recovered, and documented a shipwreck in the seaport of Wismar. The wreck of a clinker-built cargo vessel was one of three medieval vessels found during the extension of the commercial port. With riveted outer planking and the presence of bitis, the wreck can be placed in the Nordic shipbuilding tradition. The results of the dendrochronological analysis show that the vessel was built from oak and pine sourced from western Sweden in the period AD 1184–1190. The construction shows striking similarities with a number of large 12th-century cargo vessels found in northern Germany and Scandinavia.
ISSN:0154-1854
2117-6973
DOI:10.4000/archaeonautica.3180