Vejby Cog, c. 1377-1380

Country: Denmark

Place: Off Vejby Strand, north coast of Zealand (Kattegat), in shallow water

Coordinates (approximate): 56.0819, 12.1169 (locality only)

Type: Cog (Bremen type), merchant cargo vessel

Identified: Archaeological type; historical name unknown

Dated: After AD 1372 (dendrochronology); probably lost c. 1377-1380, from the coins

 

Beam: Estimated 5-6 m

Keel Length: Unknown.

Length Overall: Estimated 16-18 m

Number of Masts: One (coins were placed in the mast step)

 

History of the wreck

The wreck was reported to the National Museum of Denmark after a breath-hold diver found it in 1975. It contained an exceptional assemblage, including 109 English gold nobles, other coins, ceramics, cordage, leather, textiles, wooden objects and animal remains. The excavation was directed by Ole Crumlin-Pedersen under strict security because of the gold.

Dendrochronology gave a terminus post quem of AD 1372, and the coins indicate a loss probably between 1377 and 1380. The coins placed in the mast step and the origin of the timber suggest that the ship was built in the region of Gdańsk, then in the territory of the Teutonic Order (Bonde and Jensen 1995).

It is one of the cog finds compared by Hans Jeppesen with the Kollerup cog (Jeppesen 1979).

 

Description of the site

The wreck lay in shallow water off Vejby Strand, on the Kattegat coast of Zealand. No precise position is published; the coordinates mark the beach locality.

 

Cargo

Not established; finds included 109 English gold nobles, other coins, ceramics, cordage, leather, textiles, wooden objects and animal remains.

 

Ballast

The surviving bottom was covered with ballast stones.

 

Anchors

Not reported.

 

Guns

Not reported.

 

Iron concretions

Not reported.

 

Hull Remains

Straight raking posts, hooked stem components, double-bent nails, moss caulking held by laths and sintels, and the combination of flush and clinker planking identify the wreck as a Bremen-type cog. The timbers are kept in the National Museum’s long-term storage for waterlogged wood; most artefacts were conserved.

 

Keel, keelson and mast step

Straight raking posts and hooked stem components. Coins had been placed in the mast step.

 

Frames

Oak frames, to which the planks were fastened with treenails.

 

Planking

Wide sawn oak planks; flush-laid bottom and clinker-built sides; double-bent nails.

 

Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales

Not reported.

 

Caulking

Moss, held in the seams by laths and sintels.

 

Size and scantlings

Reconstructed length 16-18 m and beam 5-6 m. Capacity not established.

 

Wood

Oak, from the Gdańsk-Elbląg region.

 

Bibliography

Bonde, N., and Jensen, J. S. 1995. “The dating of a Hanseatic cog-find in Denmark.” [Full reference to be completed.]

Dhoop, T. 2016. Shaped by Ships and Storms, vol. 2. [Full reference to be completed.]

Jeppesen, H. 1979. “Kollerupkoggen, et vragfund i en ralgrav.” [Full reference to be completed]: 65-74.

MaSS. “Vejby.” [Full reference to be completed.]

Danish archive record. “Vejby Koggen.” [Full reference to be completed.]