Nåttarövraket

During the dives, the maritime archaeologists saw that the wreck was extremely old, probably from the Middle Ages. A standing mast remains and the visible part of the shell is clinker-built. The wreck is just over 20 metres long and almost 8 metres wide. On board is an ancient windlass, which could be used to haul in anchors, load heavy items and hoist sails.

In the early Middle Ages, the Hanseatic League was formed by merchants in the towns around the Baltic Sea. Trade grew, including in iron. Because of the greater need for transport, a new type of merchant ship – the cog – emerged. It was a robust type of ship with a large cargo capacity, and came to dominate much of Baltic Sea trade for several hundred years. The cog became a symbol of the League.

Cogs were often single-masted ships with square sails. They were built with a flat bottom where the planks were laid flush in the carvel style, while the hull sides were clinker-built with overlapping planks. Crossbeams protruded through the hull sides, as with many other medieval ship types.

Since large sections of the wreck are buried in the bottom sediment, we do not yet know how its lower sections were constructed. More studies could clear up the question of building technique and hopefully shed light on many other questions that remain.