Archaeologists in Denmark say a sunken Viking ship near Copenhagen is the largest boat of its kind ever discovered—and that’s saying something. At nearly 92 feet long, the 600-year-old vessel is also one of the best preserved examples of a cog, a “super ship” whose advanced design and carrying capacity helped transform trade in medieval Europe.
“The find is a milestone for maritime archaeology,” excavation lead Otto Uldum said in a statement, adding the boat now offers a “unique opportunity to understand both the construction and life on board the biggest trading ships of the Middle Ages.”
Named after the channel in which it resides, Svælget 2 was longer than two school buses and nearly as wide as one. Archaeologists analyzed tree rings in its timber to estimate that Viking artisans constructed the cog in the Netherlands around 1410 CE. Almost 40 feet of sand and silt had buried the ship since it sank centuries ago, protecting much of it from underwater conditions that normally destroy similar relics. Svælget 2 is so well-preserved that it still contains evidence of its rigging.
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