400-Year-Old Cargo Ship That 'Sank Almost Standing' Discovered in Germany, Experts Call It a 'Time Capsule'

Maritime archaeologists got their hands on a unique find from the Hanseatic period in northern Germany. The find in question is a 400-year-old cargo ship that has escaped decay and still contains within it centuries-old lime barrels, Live Science reported. Ships of the Hanseatic era are hard to come by because most of them have been destroyed. Experts are hopeful that this rare ship will give them more of an understanding of the lifestyle and industry of those times.

The wreckage is present 36 feet deep in a predominantly saltwater stretch of the river Trave, Scuba Diving Magazine reported. Authorities located the shipduring a 2020 routine sonar survey. Analysis by experts has revealed that the wreckage could be a single-masted cargo ship, common during the Hanseatic period.

Maritime archaeologist, Fritz Jürgens who was involved in the examination of the wreckage estimated the ship to have been 66 to 82 feet long, Scuba Diving Magazine reported. Historians were also involved in the research and stated that a letter in the Lübeck historical archives could be pointing towards the particular galliot. The ship in the letter was reported to be on waters in December 1680.

To get the origin of the shipwreck, experts conducted carbon-dating of the timber from the wreck, Scuba Diving Magazine reported. The process disclosed that the trees used for the ship were cut during the 1650s. This finding fell in line with the details presented in the aforementioned letter. During this time northern European trade guilds sailed the Baltic and North Seas. It was one of the high points of the Hanseatic period that lasted from the 13th to 17th centuries.

The shipwreck's remarkable state has surprised researchers, Scuba Diving Magazine reported. Teredo navalis, commonly known as "shipworm" rapidly eats away at the wood of shipwrecks in the western Baltic, where this wreck sits, according to experts. Researchers believe this wreck was spared from decay because of the fine layer of mud that surrounded the ship, Live Science reported. The mud protected against the shipworms and allowed the wreckage to remain standing beneath the waves.

The barrels the ship carried during its voyage more or less remain intact, Scuba Diving Magazine reported. "There are still about 70 barrels in their original location on the ship and another 80 barrels in the immediate vicinity," said Manfred Schneider, the head of Lübeck's archaeology department and a project leader working to salvage the ship. He also noted that a lack of decay allowed the ship to not lose its positioning in the sea, and remain standing. 

The analysis of barrels showcased that the ship was transporting quicklime, Scuba Diving Magazine reported. During the Hanseatic period, quicklime was used in stonework. "The source for this would have been Scandinavia — in the middle of Sweden or in the north of Denmark," Jürgens explained. "We know that this cargo was coming from there, most likely to Lübeck, because northern Germany has no big sources of limestone." 

The ship is one of the few maritime objects that have survived from the Hanseatic period, Scuba Diving Magazine reported. If the ship is found to have regular objects from the era, it will be a huge help for researchers trying to know more about the times. "We have something like a time capsule that transmits everything that was on board at that moment," Schneider said. "It throws a spotlight on the trade routes and transport options at the end of the Hanseatic period."

The objective for the researchers is to now raise the ship to the riverbed for further analysis, Scuba Diving Magazine reported. After the wreck comes to the surface, experts will analyze the hull and its construction, to find out more about the ship.