Medieval Weapons Chest Amongst Spoils in Sunken Warship

New insights into warship combat platforms and a unique late medieval weapon chest have been discovered in studies of the Danish flagship Gribshunden/Gripen which sank in the Blekinge archipelago in 1495.

Searching the Vulture Dog

Last spring, marine archaeologists from Stockholm University and Södertörn University dived on Danish King Hans’ flagship Gripen (also known as Griphund or the Vulture Dog) at Stora Ekön in the Blekinge archipelago. The flagship sank together with about a hundred German mercenaries after a fire on board during a trip to Kalmar in 1495.

Although the wreck is partially disintegrated, the wreckage on the bottom is very well preserved. There are also timbers here that are believed to have belonged to the ship’s superstructure, including parts from the ‘castle’, which functioned as raised fighting platforms on the ship.

Since 2013, investigations have been conducted on the wreck by Södertörn University. Last year’s dives focused on Rolf Warming’s ongoing thesis project at the Center for Maritime Studies (Cemas) and Stockholm University. In the study “Soldiers at Sea”, he examines weapon technology linked to the soldiers on board and the superstructure of warships during the period 1450-1650 AD.

Video with 3D model of the weapon chest, a so-called Zeuglade. (Florian Huber/Stockholm University)

New Report Based on Last Year’s Dives

In the days to come, a report by Rolf Warming and Johan Rönnby, professor of marine archeology at Södertörn University, is being published about the findings from the dives last year. The survey has provided new data for the ongoing work to reconstruct and analyze the ship’s superstructure. The result thus complements the current ship architectural knowledge of the wreck and the overall ambition to reconstruct the ship. Furthermore, the results provide a more detailed insight into the soldiers’ armament and presence on board. In addition, new insights are given into how the wreck site has been affected and changed over the years.

After mapping the timbers at the wreck site, the researchers can state that a large amount of the superstructure has been preserved, even if the various timbers are separated and scattered on the seabed. These timbers come from the quarterdeck and upper deck – the ship’s fighting platforms. The timbers can give researchers important insights into how the superstructure has looked and thus the warship’s combat capabilities.

Unique Weapon Box from German Mercenaries

The researchers have also identified and documented two cannon mounts and a unique weapon case.

Weapon chest with contents. The solid line indicates one oblong side of the coffin; the dotted lines indicate the approximate location of the sides of the coffin. Contents: (1) lead plates, (2-3) molds, (4) oblong side of coffin with fold and iron corrosion (from locks and fittings?), (5) cylindrical ‘jars’ (possibly gunpowder containers) and (6) mould. (Florian Huber, with outlines and notes by Rolf Warming/Stockholm University)

The contents of the gun chest are undeniably one of the most important finds. The chest has been known since diving in 2019 but now we have documented the contents carefully with 3D. It contains, among other things, several different molds and lead sheet for the production of lead bullets for early handguns. It is an ammunition toolbox – probably belonging to the German mercenaries who were on board at the time of the sinking, says Rolf Warming.

Ornamental border with riveted brass rings for a chainmail shirt (so-called hauberk) which was analyzed in connection with the dives. A chainmail of this quality can consist of up to 150,000 rings. (Rolf Warming/Stockholm University)

Armor with 150,000 Rings

The researchers have also made an extensive analysis of the mail fragments that have been found at the wreck site during previous investigations. These fragments probably come from one or more chain mail shirts.

The analysis, which was carried out together with Professor Kerstin Lidén at Stockholm University, shows that the ring weave contained several different threads and construction techniques, indicating that it has been repaired on several occasions. Based on the dimensions of the preserved rings, such chain mail shirts may have contained 150,000 rings.

Important Piece of the Military History Puzzle

The work to reconstruct the Gripen/Griphund has been going on since 2013. Right now, the efforts are focused on the superstructure. In his doctoral thesis, Rolf Warming is also working on clarifying the ship’s combat capabilities and the role of the soldiers on board.

The ship is an important piece of the puzzle in the “military revolution at sea” in early modern times where the primary tactic shifted from close combat to the difficult naval artillery. The ship will therefore also be compared with other important warships to understand the development, for example Mars (1564) and Vasa (1628), says Rolf Warming.

Johan Rönnby (MARIS/Södertörn University) inspects and documents parts of the superstructure. (Florian Huber/Stockholm University)

Underwater Cameras and 3D Technology

The documentation is carried out using underwater cameras and photogrammetric 3D technology. This is done in collaboration with an international team of specialists from the National Museum of the Royal Navy (Portsmouth), the University of Southampton and the University of Connecticut participating in the project. The field effort was carried out with support from the Voice of the Ocean foundation and Cemas.
Read the report Grifun/Gribshund (1495) Marine archaeological documentation of a late medieval battleship, which is included in Södertörn archaeological reports and studies and Stockholm Studies in Archaeology.

This article was first published by the University of Stockholm, titled, ‘Wrecks of flagships provide puzzle pieces of military revolution at sea’ and has been republished.

Top image: The authors at the stern of the wreck where the standing bottom logs and stern are seen sticking up from the seabed, seen from the starboard side. Source: Florian Huber/Stockholm University.