The Edesö Wreck: the hull of a small, armed ship wrecked in the Stockholm archipelago in the latter half of the 17th century

Abstract

In 2003 a well‐preserved shipwreck was found north of Dalarö in the Stockholm archipelago. In 2007 and 2008 the site was surveyed jointly by archaeologists from the Swedish National Maritime Museum, Södertörn University and the University of Southampton. The surface finds were inventoried and drawings produced of the hull structure, which measures 20-m between the posts. This paper presents the results of recording the hull. The original name of the ship, as well as the precise history of its demise, are unknown, but it appears to have been a small man‐of‐war, built and probably sunk in the late 17th century. It was possibly built in England, or at least in the English fashion of that time.

Key words:

• 17th century
• Ships at War project
• naval ship
• Baltic Sea
• Dalarö wreck

Acknowledgments

The survey of the Edesö wreck has been a collaborative project involving the National Maritime Museum in Stockholm, the University of Southampton and Södertörn University. Many people have contributed to it, and in particular the author acknowledges: Jon Adams, Mikael Fredholm, Jim Hansson, Marcus Hjulhammar, Fred Hocker, Patrik Höglund, Odd Johansen, Jens Lindström, Andréas Olsson, Charles Puchkin and Johan Rönnby. The crew of the vintage minesweeper M20, which acted as the diving platform during the second season of fieldwork, likewise. The author also would like to thank the anonymous peer reviewers, as well as the IJNA editor, for important suggestions and corrections that have improved the final version of this article.