Archaeologists discovered a Medieval shipwreck in near perfect condition at the bottom of Norway’s largest lake

Researchers discovered a shipwreck that is likely hundreds of years old at the bottom of Norway’s lake Mjøsa. Courtesy of Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.

A team of Norwegian researchers uncovered a maritime miracle while mapping a massive lake bed last month.

Archaeologists discovered a near-pristine shipwreck they believe to be up to 700 years old at the bottom of Norway’s largest lake, Mjøsa, during a government research mission.

The vessel, which is estimated to date back sometime between the 1300s and 1800s, was found nearly 1,350 feet below the surface, according to a Facebook post from the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. Underwater images captured the 33-foot long ship in the lake’s depths.

Researchers stumbled upon the site while executing Mission Mjøsa, a government-funded project to map the 140-square mile lake bed. The body of water serves as a source of drinking water to about 100,000 people in the country, according to CNN, but the discovery of unexploded World War II munitions in the lake during previous inspections prompted a more expansive search into the water’s potential health risks.

The crew discovered the shipwreck using sonar imagery to measure the lake bed via pulses, CNN reported. Courtesy of Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

Øyvind Ødegård, a maritime archaeologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, told Live Science last month that he was expecting to find some hidden treasures beneath the surface when he signed on to the project, given the lake’s status as a vital trade route since the Viking era.

The vessel was in near-perfect condition due to a lack of wave activity in the freshwater lake, according to CNN. Ødegård told the outlet that some minimal wearing on the ship’s metal indicates the wreck has been on the bottom of the lake for a long time since corrosion takes hundreds of years to happen.

Archaeologists said the stern of the ship showed signs of having had a central rudder, which didn’t begin appearing on boats until the late 13th century. Using the evidence of light corrosion, as well as the rudder style, researchers narrowed down the ship’s possible era to no earlier than 1300 and no later than 1850, Ødegård told CNN.

Fuzzy, underwater photos of the boat show that the vessel is made of wood and was built with planks laid overlapped on top of one another — an old Norse technique used during the Viking age, according to Live Science. 

Ødegård told CNN that the ship likely went down in bad weather since it was found in the middle of the lake.

Soon after researchers discovered the site, the weather turned and they were no longer able to investigate the wreck using camera equipment, Ødegård told media outlets. The team plans to return to the site next year once conditions improve.

Previous expeditions have uncovered some 20 shipwrecks in the lake’s shallow waters, according to The Smithsonian Magazine. But Mission Mjøsa is the first project to explore the lake’s greatest depths.

Researchers stumbled upon the site while executing Mission Mjøsa, a government-funded project to map the 140-square mile lake bed. Courtesy of Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

Related Posts

“Stone-Cold Enigma: The Astonishing Transformation of a Mythical Giant Snake into Stone Baffles Scientists”

Scientists were left Ьewіɩdeгed when they discovered that the ɩeɡeпdагу giant snake had been mysteriously petrified Receпtly, archaeologists have discovered a vast “fossil” of aп aпcieпt sпake…

Reindeer Herders Stumble Upon 10,000-Year-Old Woolly Mammoth Skeleton With Ligaments Intact

Researchers have already retrieved part of the mammoth’s pelt and are hoping to find bits of preserved brain in its skull. Artem Cheremisov/Gov. of Yamalo-Nenets of Russia…

Sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ!!More thaп 9,000 years old giaпt boпes have beeп foυпd iп Greece

sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ!! ʜᴜɢᴇ 𝟿𝟶𝟶𝟶-ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ sᴋᴇʟᴇᴛᴏɴ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪɴ ɢʟɪsʜ. ɢɪᴀɴᴛ ʙᴏɴᴇs ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ 𝟿,𝟶𝟶𝟶 ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴏʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪɴ ɢʀᴇᴇᴄᴇ. ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢɪᴀɴᴛs ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴇxɪsᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ sᴋᴇʟᴇᴛᴏɴ…

The Most Mysterioυs Αпd Rare Gold-cast Coffiп Iп The World, 10 Years Still No Oпe Dares To Opeп It

Dυriпg the past 10 years, experts had hoped to υпcover the mystery iпside the rare goldeп coffiп with the help of special techпiqυes. However, besides still пot…

The owner was ѕᴜгргіѕed when his ріɡ was born with the ability to ѕtапd and walk on two legs has been found in China

She was borп with oпly two legs bυt rather thaп kіɩɩ her at birth her owпer deceid to keep her aпd traiп her to walk. Image “My…

Perfectly preserved lion cubs that died 44,000 years ago ‘after being abandoned by mum’ found in Siberia

‘Male siblings born 44,000 years ago’ found ten metres apart in Yakutia but the truth is rather different – amid hopes to bring species back to life….

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *