A unique find on a Baltic shipwreck from 1495

The superbly preserved Gribshunden shipwreck is uncovering its next secrets. The site is currently being investigated by Swedish underwater archaeologists, who have reported interesting results from their work.

King John I sent a delegation to Sweden in 1495 on his flagship Gribshunden, where they were to hold talks with separatist forces under the command of Sten Sture the Elder, Swedish regent from 1471 to 1497. John I planned to seize the Swedish throne, and his ship was loaded with goods designed to boast of Denmark’s wealth and power.

-- Advertisement --

Unfortunately, it was unfortunate that the 35-metre-long vessel sank as a result of a fire near the present-day town of Ronnenby, located in southeastern Sweden. The wreck of the Gribshunden lay on the seabed at a depth of around 10 metres for almost 500 years before it was found by local divers in the 1970s.

Interestingly, archaeologists learned of its existence almost 30 years later, in 2000, and correct identification of the vessel did not take place until 2013. Currently, the wreck is considered the best preserved example of this type of vessel in the world. As another interesting fact, it is worth mentioning that just such ships were used, among others, by Christopher Columbus sailing the Atlantic.

An international team of 40 underwater archaeologists from 10 countries, led by researchers from Sweden’s Lund and Södertörn Universities and the Blekinge Museum, conducted a three-week survey of the Gribshunden wreck last year, with We reported on this in our.

Finds included one of the earliest examples of firearms ever found on shipwrecks, beer barrels and a tankard with an engraved crown, as well as the distinctive skeletal elements and scales of a sturgeon that was packed in a wooden barrel. Scientists thought it was a European species(Acipenser sturio), found in the Baltic Sea in the 15th century.

However, later DNA analysis revealed that it was a much less common Atlantic variety, which was deliberately chosen to impress the Swedes even more. The Atlantic sturgeon(Acipenser oxyrinchus) is now practically an extinct species. Research has also shown that this specimen was 2 m long, and even how it was cut up.

The discovery is said to highlight the high status of sturgeon in 15th century Europe. The fish was prized for its eggs, flesh and swim bladder, which produced carucic collagen from which gold paint was extracted.

Thesturgeon in the king’s larder was a propaganda tool, as was the entire Gribshunden ship, said Brendan P. Foley, a marine archaeologist from Lund University and project coordinator. Everything on this ship was calculated for political effect, which is another element making this discovery particularly interesting.

Even though the ship sank and the whole elaborate plan backfired, it was also without the help of the sturgeon that John I became king of Sweden, although he did so two years later.