SWEDEN-SALVAGE A figurehead from rare medieval ship is salvaged in Baltic Sea

Record ID: 143746

  • Title: SWEDEN-SALVAGE A figurehead from rare medieval ship is salvaged in Baltic Sea
  • Date: 11th August 2015
  • Summary: AT SEA, NEAR RONNEBY, SWEDEN (AUGUST 11, 2015)(REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE)(English) HEAD OF BLEKINGE MUSEUM, MARCUS SANDEKJER, SAYING: "Well, since we don't have ships like this that have been recovered at all, it's something we haven't seen before. It's unique in the world and I think it's going to be more excavations around here and we're going to find some more unique objects.
  • Embargoed: 26th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sweden
  • Country: Sweden
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA1PPA3TTDXCZNYFMVLJOV5KKY2
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The figurehead from a 15th century ship was salvaged from the Baltic Sea on Tuesday (August 11).
    The figurehead from the Danish royal ship "Gribshunden" was carefully lifted from the sea bed in the waters near Ronneby in southern Sweden.
    It is thought that the ship sank in 1495 after a fire on its way from Copenhagen to Kalmar on Sweden's east coast.
    The ship is likely the best preserved 15th century ship in the world - a contemporary of Christopher Columbus' flagship Santa Maria.
    According to Marcus Sandekjer, head of Blekinge Museum, a similar item from that era has never been found before.
    "Well, since we don't have ships like this that have been recovered at all, it's something we haven't seen before. It's unique in the world," he said as the salvage operation was underway.
    Next year a more through investigation of the 30 metre long ship will take place. Since it sank in an explosion a salvage of the ship is not on the cards, but they hope to find more objects.
    "I think it's going to be more excavations around here and we're going to find some more unique objects. But this what we today is just fantastic," Sandekjer added.
    The figurehead - an often intricately carved wooden decoration at the prow of the ship - was meant to intimidate and frighten the enemy.
    Johan Ronnby, professor in marine archaeology, said Gribshunden's figurehead looked like some kind of a fantasy animal.
    "It's a monster. It's a sea monster and we have to discuss what kind of animal it is. I think it's some kind of fantasy animal - a dragon with lion ears and crocodile-like mouth. And there seems to be something in his mouth. There seems to be a person in its mouth and he's eating somebody or maybe spitting out somebody from his mouth," he said.
    According to Blekinge Museum, the ship's timber is thought to have come from France, it was likely built in Flanders or the Netherlands and it was used by the Danish king until it sank.
    Sandekjer said the find could give valuable clues as to the construction of ships from that era.
    "The ship comes from a time just when Columbus was sailing across the ocean and Vasco da Gama also went to India and this is the same period and we can learn very much about how the ships were made, how they were constructed since there are no ships left from this time we just don't know how they were constructed," he said.
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