Kolding Cog, shortly after 1190
Country: Denmark
Place: Inner Kolding Fjord, south-east Jutland
Coordinates (approximate): 55.4912, 9.5226 (locality only)
Type: Cog, merchant cargo vessel
Identified: Archaeological type; historical name unknown
Dated: Shortly after AD 1190; timber felled in the winter of 1188-1189 (dendrochronology)
Beam: Reconstructed about 4.9 m
Keel Length: Unknown.
Length Overall: Reconstructed about 20.9 m
Number of Masts: Unknown.
History of the wreck
The Kolding cog was found in the inner part of Kolding Fjord in 1943. Specialists from the National Museum of Denmark and the Danish Maritime Museum examined parts of it. A major investigation in 2001 raised selected timbers for recording and analysis, while most of the structure remained on the fjord bed.
Dendrochronology dated the oak to the winter of 1188-1189 and placed its origin in southern Jutland, between Ribe and Kolding (Daly 2002). The ship was therefore built shortly after 1190, which makes it one of the earliest securely dated archaeological cogs and the earliest known cog find with evidence of a stern rudder.
It is one of the cog finds compared by Hans Jeppesen with the Kollerup cog (Jeppesen 1979).
Description of the site
The wreck lies in the inner fjord of Kolding. No precise position is published; the coordinates mark the locality.
Cargo
Not reported.
Ballast
Not reported.
Anchors
Not reported.
Guns
Not applicable.
Iron concretions
Not reported.
Hull Remains
The vessel was a broad, flat-bottomed cargo ship with straight posts and high sides. About 70% of the hull survives, allowing a fairly confident reconstruction. The evidence for a stern rudder is particularly important for the development of cog steering. The raised components have been documented, and a National Museum project is producing photogrammetric and laser-scanned records before conservation.
Keel, keelson and mast step
Straight posts; stern rudder.
Frames
Not reported.
Planking
Flush-laid lower planking and clinker-built upper sides.
Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales
Not reported.
Caulking
Not reported.
Size and scantlings
Published dimensions vary with the reconstruction; MaSS gives about 20.9 x 4.9 m.
Wood
Oak, from southern Jutland, between Ribe and Kolding (Daly 2002).
Bibliography
Daly, A. 2002. “Dendrochronological analysis of timber from a shipwreck from Kolding Fjord.” [Full reference to be completed.]
Jeppesen, H. 1979. “Kollerupkoggen, et vragfund i en ralgrav.” [Full reference to be completed]: 65-74.
MaSS. “Kolding cog.” [Full reference to be completed.]
National Museum of Denmark. “Koldingkoggen: bevaring og formidling.” [Full reference to be completed.]