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shipwrecks

The Warship Vasa – Part 2

Vasa is an example of a wreck that was raised first and excavated after. A team led by Per Lundström consisting of ten archaeologists, a photographer and an artist, were charged with the task. Working conditions were exceptionally harsh. The ship had to be sprayed constantly with cold, fresh water to keep it from drying out, meaning that the team had to work in an invariably wet environment. Garden hoses and spray nozzles were used to wash away the black mud covering Vasa’s decks. Continue reading →

The Warship Vasa – Part 1

Today, it is hard to imagine, but during the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kingdom of Sweden was an aggressive entity – one of the great European powers – that asserted territorial control over much of the Baltic region. When Gustav II Adolf (1594-1632) acceded the Swedish throne in 1611 he inherited wars with Russia, Denmark and Poland. Gustav Adolf was the grandson of Gustav I – or Gustav Vasa as he is widely known today – the first of the Vasa dynasty. Continue reading →

Bonhomme Richard – a missing wreck

In this short video, Eric Rodriguez describes his favourite shipwreck: Bonhomme Richard. Bonhomme Richard's final resting location is the subject of much speculation. The ship's location is thought to be off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, a headland near where her final battle took place. A number of unsuccessful efforts have been conducted to locate the wreck. The quantity of other shipwrecks in the area and the local fishing industry have complicated searches. Continue reading →

The Loss of the Gribshunden (1495) and Preliminary Archaeological Investigations

Guest post on Gribshunden by Rolf Fabricius Warming Gribshunden, also known as Gripshunden, and Griffone, was a large Danish warship employed in the fleet of King John I (Danish: Kong Hans) who reigned in Denmark from 1481 to 1513. Gribshunden appears in some of the earliest Danish fleet records and is amongst the first Danish vessels to be described as a carvel. Continue reading →

Mud, glorious mud (and maybe some sand)

Understandably, there is often a focus on maritime archaeological sites that lie underwater and many of the most impressive or important ones, like the Mary Rose, or the Vasa are discussed during the shipwrecks course. We are also familiar with sites on land that have their origins in maritime worlds, ship burials like Sutton Hoo, or silted up harbour sites such as Myos Hormos in Egypt. Continue reading →

‘Belgica’: whaler and research ship

In this short video, Thomas talks about his favourite shipwreck: Belgica.   The Belgica,  built as the whaler Patria in 1884 in Svelvik, Norway, became Belgium's most illustrious research vessel after it was bought and refitted by Adrien de Gerlache. The ship and its crew were the first to spend the winter on the ice of Antartica when the ship got stuck on the 28th of February in 1898. Only 13 months later, the crew managed to dig a canal to free the ship from the ice. Continue reading →