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Largest Known Medieval Cog Found Near Copenhagen With Rigging and 'High Castles' Intact

Researchers say the find offers an unprecedented window into medieval shipbuilding, with fresh detail on daily life aboard.

Overview

  • The Viking Ship Museum team uncovered the wreck in the Øresund during seabed work linked to Copenhagen’s Lynetteholm project.
  • Measuring about 28 by 9 meters with an estimated 300-ton capacity, the vessel is dated to around 1410 based on dendrochronology of Pomeranian planks and Dutch frames.
  • Exceptional preservation includes rare rigging remains that clarify how large cogs were equipped and handled under sail.
  • Archaeologists report the first clear physical evidence of raised bow and stern castles on a cog, confirming features long known only from illustrations.
  • A brick-built galley and crew belongings such as shoes, combs, bowls, and rosary beads were recovered, while the missing cargo and lack of ballast indicate a heavily laden trading voyage when it sank.