Varberg Cog 1, after 1346

Country: Sweden

Place: Central Varberg, Halland, in deposits of the former waterfront

Coordinates (approximate): 57.1100, 12.2500 (locality only)

Type: Cog, merchant vessel

Identified: Archaeological type; historical name unknown

Dated: After AD 1346, by dendrochronology

 

Beam: Surviving width about 5 m

Keel Length: Unknown.

Length Overall: Surviving length about 20.5 m

Number of Masts: Unknown.

 

History of the wreck

Varberg cog 1 was discovered in the spring of 2022 during archaeological work for a railway tunnel under Varberg. It was one of two medieval cog wrecks found by Arkeologerna (National Historical Museums of Sweden) with the Halland Museum of Cultural History.

Dendrochronology shows that it was built with timber felled after 1346 in the Low Countries and north-eastern France. Ship’s equipment, spare parts, leather shoes, ceramics and wooden household objects were recovered with the hull.

 

Description of the site

The vessel was excavated in central Varberg, in deposits of the town’s former waterfront. No precise position is published; the coordinates mark the locality.

 

Cargo

Not reported; ship’s equipment, spare parts, shoes, ceramics and wooden household objects were found.

 

Ballast

Not reported.

 

Anchors

Not reported.

 

Guns

Not reported.

 

Iron concretions

Not reported.

 

Hull Remains

An almost complete port side survives, about 20.5 m long and 5 m wide. It preserves valuable evidence for the hull curvature, frames, beams and the transition from bottom to side planking. Heavy crossbeams supported the decks and projected through the sides of the hull, a diagnostic feature of archaeological cogs.

 

Keel, keelson and mast step

Not reported.

 

Frames

Not reported in detail.

 

Planking

Flush-laid bottom strakes and clinker-built sides.

 

Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales

Heavy crossbeams projecting through the sides supported the decks.

 

Caulking

Moss, held in the seams by wooden laths.

 

Size and scantlings

Surviving length about 20.5 m; surviving width about 5 m.

 

Wood

Timber from the present Netherlands, Belgium and north-eastern France.

 

Bibliography

Arkeologerna. “Two unique medieval shipwrecks discovered in Sweden.” [Full reference to be completed.]

MaSS. “Varberg cog 1.” [Full reference to be completed.]