Rare 500-Year-Old Wreck From Missing Ship Samson Discovered In Central Stockholm, Sweden

Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com - Sweden’s capital Stockholm may be famous for many things, but discovering a rare 500-year-old shipwreck in the middle of the city was an unexpected event.

The shipwreck is most likely from the Swedish cargo ship Samson that was constructed in 1598 by Anders Pedersson in Enånger in Hälsingland.

Remains of the ship were accidentally found under a courtyard at Kungsträdgården (Swedish for "King's Garden") in the middle of Stockholm.

Kungsträdgården in Stockholm, Sweden. Credit: Public Domain

While conduction renovations work to strengthen the foundation of a property, the courtyard had to be lowered.

Archaeologists usually participate in such projects, in case anything of historical value will be found, were amazed when they noticed wooden parts of this old ship.

Marine archaeologists from the Norwegian Maritime and Transport History museums have helped with the analysis of the wreckage and it has been determined it’s part of the Samson ship that was over 30 meters long.

In an interview with TT archaeologist Philip Tonemar who has commissioned the survey on behalf of the county administrative board, explained it’s a very rare archaeological discovery.

Archaeologists examine the shipwreck discovered in the middle of the city of Stockholm. Credit: Arkeologikonsult

Tonemar said the dating of the timber, the shipbuilding technology as well as the size perfectly matches Samson.

“A finding from this transition period between the older and newer shipbuilding of the era is very unusual. There are really no other direct examples, and that it is completely built with pine and its special design details also makes it unique,” Tonemar said.

See also:

Three 17th Century Shipwrecks Discovered In Central Gothenburg, Sweden

A 17th-Century Warship Blekinge Was Deliberately Sunk During Sweden’s War With Russia And Its Allies

Two Rare Full-Sized Viking Burial Ships Uncovered In Sweden

Little is known about Samson’s fate and there are only brief historical notes about the ship’s history. For some unknown reason, after 1607 Samson vanished from historical records.

Tonemar thinks the ship was most likely abandoned.

“When the ship was abandoned in the early 1600s, it was probably stripped of material, chopped up and left on the shore.

Discovering parts of the Samson cargo ship thrilled archaeologists. Credit: Vrak

We found garbage from residents in the area that were thrown directly over the ship,” Tonemar said.

In addition to the shipwreck, archaeologists also discovered coins, pipes, ceramics, glass and a small ball of clay in mud that perhaps a child had lost.

See also: More Archaeology News

Today, only a part of the bottom of one hull remains from Samson. It’s a historical ship and the latest remains will be covered with a ground cloth,  protective material, and preserved for future generations.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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