A 15th-century ship built for bulk trade Cogs were among the most important workhorses of late medieval shipping, and Sv\u00e6lget 2 appears to represent the type pushed to an extreme. Otto Uldum argues that a ship of this scale points to a trade system that was already highly organised.<\/p>\n \u201cA ship with such a large cargo capacity is part of a structured system where merchants knew there was a market for the goods they carried,\u201d he notes. \u201cSv\u00e6lget 2 is a tangible example of how trade developed during the Middle Ages.\u201d<\/p>\n Cogs could be sailed by a relatively small crew, even when heavily loaded, helping merchants move large volumes efficiently. Larger cogs were built to tackle risky routes, including the hazardous voyage around Skagen, travelling from what is now the Netherlands through the Sound and on to Baltic trading towns. Sv\u00e6lget 2, archaeologists suggest, fits squarely into the extensive networks that connected Northern Europe in the 15th century.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is clear evidence that everyday goods were traded. Shipbuilders went as big as possible to transport bulky cargo \u2013 salt, timber, bricks or basic food items,\u201d Uldum adds.<\/p>\n Timber from Pomerania and the Netherlands One of the most striking results so far comes from dendrochronology (tree-ring dating). Researchers report that Sv\u00e6lget 2 was built around 1410 using timber sourced from two different regions: Pomerania (in modern-day Poland) and the Netherlands. The planks were made from Pomeranian oak, while the ship\u2019s frames (ribs) came from the Netherlands\u2014an arrangement the team interprets as evidence of complex material supply and specialised shipbuilding capacity.<\/p>\n \u201cIt tells us that timber exports went from Pomerania to the Netherlands, and that the ship was built in the Netherlands where the expertise to construct these very large cogs was found,\u201d Uldum notes.<\/p>\n Unprecedented preservation, with rigging still surviving Sv\u00e6lget 2 is also being presented as an unusually well-preserved cog wreck. Excavated at a depth of 13 metres, it was shielded from many of the destructive forces that normally affect coastal wrecks. Sand is said to have protected the ship\u2019s starboard side \u201cfrom keel to gunwale,\u201d giving archaeologists access to upper structures and fittings that rarely survive.<\/p>\n Among the most important elements are traces of the ship\u2019s rigging\u2014vital components for controlling the sail and supporting the mast.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is extraordinary to have so many parts of the rigging,\u201d Uldum explains. \u201cWe have never seen this before, and it gives us a real opportunity to say something entirely new about how cogs were equipped for sailing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe finds show how something as complex as the rigging was solved on the largest cogs. Rigging is absolutely central to a medieval ship, as it makes it possible to control the sail, secure the mast and keep the cargo safe. Without ropes and rigging, the ship would be nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n The first secure archaeological evidence for cog \u201ccastles\u201d<\/p>\n Medieval art frequently depicts cogs with high timber-built platforms\u2014\u201ccastles\u201d\u2014at the bow and stern. Yet archaeologists have long lacked definitive physical evidence for these structures, largely because wrecks typically preserve only the lower hull. According to the Viking Ship Museum<\/a> team, Sv\u00e6lget 2 changes that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have plenty of drawings of castles, but they have never been found because usually only the bottom of the ship survives,\u201d Uldum says. \u201cThis time we have the archaeological proof.\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers report extensive remains of a timber-built stern castle, described as a covered deck where crew could shelter from the elements\u2014particularly significant on large merchant voyages.<\/p>\n \u201cWe now have 20 times as much material to work with. It is not comfort in a modern sense, but it is a big step forward compared to Viking Age ships, which had only open decks in all kinds of weather,\u201d Uldum adds.<\/p>\n A brick-built galley and traces of meals at sea Another major surprise is the ship\u2019s brick-built galley, described as the earliest example of its kind from Danish waters. Archaeologists report finding around 200 bricks and 15 tiles, along with bronze cooking pots, ceramic bowls, and food remains.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have never before seen a brick galley in a medieval ship find from Danish waters. It speaks of remarkable comfort and organisation on board. Now sailors could have hot meals similar to those on land, instead of the dried and cold food that previously dominated life at sea,\u201d says Otto Uldum.<\/p>\n In the same area, the team also found hundreds of finely cut sticks that may have been used for stockfish\u2014one more hint of the ship\u2019s provisioning and daily routines.<\/p>\n Shoes, combs, rosary beads: everyday life on a merchantman Beyond the ship itself, Sv\u00e6lget 2 has yielded personal and domestic objects that rarely survive in such quantity. The excavation uncovered painted wooden dishes, shoes, combs, and rosary beads, alongside cooking and eating equipment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sailor brought his comb to keep his hair neat and his rosary to say his prayers. We have the remains of the pots his food was cooked in and the bowls he ate from. These personal objects show us that the crew brought everyday items with them. They transferred their life on land to life at sea,\u201d explains Otto Uldum.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Photo courtesy Viking Ship Museum<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Photo courtesy Viking Ship Museum<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Fish bones. Photo courtesy Viking Ship Museum<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Fragment of a turned wooden dish, approximately 25% preserved. Original diameter about 40 cm, height about 3 cm, thickness about 5 mm. The decoration consists of incised contours with applied color: radial triangular lines on the center, a checkerboard pattern (approx. 7\u00d77 mm) on the rim, and a narrow band with intersecting zigzag lines. The paint now appears black-gray with traces of lighter colors. The dish shows no signs of use. Photo courtesy Viking Ship Museum<\/p>\n
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<\/a>One of two combs that were found in the shipwreck. Both are made of wood and feature fine teeth on one side and larger teeth on the other. Combs were common tools in the Middle Ages and were used both for hair care and for keeping hair free of lice. Photo courtesy Viking Ship Museum<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Bronze cooking pot from Sv\u00e6lget 2. Photo courtesy Viking Ship Museum<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/medieval25123008.jpg\")
<\/a>Phot3D model of the shipwreck Sv\u00e6lget 2 after excavation. The 3D models were created using photogrammetry, a technique that combines hundreds of high-resolution photographs to generate precise digital reconstructions of the ship\u2019s structure and details. Image courtesy Viking Ship Museum<\/p>\n