Darss Cog, late 13th century

Country: Germany

Place: Baltic Sea off the Darss peninsula

Coordinates (approximate): 54.4700, 12.5700 (regional only)

Type: Cog (Bremen type), cargo vessel

Identified: Archaeological type; historical name unknown

Dated: AD 1277-1293, by dendrochronology

 

Beam: Unknown.

Keel Length: Unknown.

Length Overall: About 23 m

Number of Masts: Unknown.

 

History of the wreck

The Darss cog is a well-preserved late-thirteenth-century transport vessel lying in the Baltic near the Darss peninsula. Its cargo of roof tiles, Norwegian whetstones, antler and a cask of sulphur illustrates long-distance exchange in the early Hanseatic period.

Rapid burial in silt protected it for centuries. The site is now threatened by fishing, recreational diving and the spread of the shipworm Teredo navalis into the western Baltic.

 

Description of the site

The wreck lies offshore near the Darss peninsula. The coordinates give only a broad offshore locality.

 

Cargo

Roof tiles, Norwegian whetstones, antler and a cask containing sulphur.

 

Ballast

Not reported.

 

Anchors

Not reported.

 

Guns

Not applicable.

 

Iron concretions

Not reported.

 

Hull Remains

The keel, the stem, parts of the deck beams and fourteen planks of the starboard side survive, so that side is nearly complete. The flat, flush-laid bottom reflects North Sea cog building in the Baltic, and close parallels with the Bremen cog help trace the movement of shipbuilding practices between the two seas.

 

Keel, keelson and mast step

The keel and stem survive.

 

Frames

Not reported.

 

Planking

Flat, flush-laid bottom; fourteen planks of the starboard side survive.

 

Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales

Parts of the deck beams survive.

 

Caulking

Not reported.

 

Size and scantlings

Length about 23 m.

 

Wood

Oak, from the Vistula estuary region.

 

Bibliography

MaSS. “Darsser cog.” [Full reference to be completed.]

MoSS Project. Darss cog resources. [Full reference to be completed.]