Archaeologists have discovered the wreck of a sunken ship from the late phase of the Hanseatic League in the Trave near Lübeck. It is a 20 to 25 meter long cargo sailing ship that was probably built in the mid-17th century. This wreck is therefore unique for the western Baltic Sea region. The remains of its cargo show that the ship had loaded 150 barrels of quicklime, which probably came from Scandinavia.
For centuries, the Hanseatic League dominated maritime trade in the Baltic Sea and on the German coasts. At its peak, almost 300 cities in Northern and Central Europe were united in this trade and city association. The Hanseatic city of Lübeck played a prominent role in this. The first Hanseatic Day was held there in 1358, and the last Hanseatic Day took place there in 1669. As a port city on the Trave with access to the Baltic Sea, Lübeck was already actively involved in maritime trade.
Chance find at the bottom of the Trave
A shipwreck that was discovered by chance in the Trave now also bears witness to this. When employees of the Waterways and Shipping Authority carried out a routine investigation of the fairway using multibeam sounding in February 2020, they noticed an anomaly on the river bottom. Divers then checked the site in August 2021 to rule out a possible danger to shipping. They discovered the first signs of a wreck and informed the Upper Monument Protection Authority of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. This commissioned the Institute for Prehistory and Early History at the University of Kiel to further investigate the wreck.
In November 2021, archaeologists led by Fritz Jürgens, with the support of research divers, began investigating the shipwreck lying eleven meters below the surface. In 13 dives with a total of 464 minutes of diving time, the researchers collected enough data and material to classify the find. Accordingly, the wreck is a ship from the end of the Hanseatic period. “The independent determination of the age of the ship’s timbers in three different laboratories showed that the ship must have been built in the middle of the 17th century,” says Jürgens. This means that this ship could have been lying on the bottom of the river for more than 350 years.
Cargo ship with lime on board
Based on photos and videos, the archaeologists created 3D models that allowed them to reconstruct the original shape and size of the ship. Accordingly, it was a 20 to 25 meter long cargo sailing ship, as it was often used at sea as a “workhorse” of the Baltic Sea trade. “This find is unusual for the western Baltic Sea region,” says Jürgens. “One always hopes for such a find and suddenly it is in front of one. It’s really unique – also for me personally.
However, after centuries in the water, the shipwreck has been badly eroded and overgrown with shells. Mainly the wooden beams of the ship’s hull and the remains of the cargo have been preserved. As the archaeologists determined, the ship must have transported barrels of quicklime, a popular building material at the time. “In the Middle Ages and early modern times, limestone was quarried, burned and slaked. Mortar was made from this,” explains Jürgens. According to initial findings, the ship was probably on its way from Scandinavia to Lübeck, where it never arrived.
Video: Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel)
It is still unclear why the ship sank. However, the scientists suspect that the ship could have run aground at a bend in the Trave, was badly damaged there and therefore sank. Further investigations should now clarify whether this scenario is true. The dives also showed that the wreck is massively endangered by erosion and the ship shell. Without protective measures, this historical testimony to Lübeck’s maritime trade could be destroyed within a few years. To prevent this, work is already underway on a concept for protecting and salvaging the wreck.
Source: Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel