Earlier this year, technicians operating a robotic camera surveying a route for a natural gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, were surprised to find a 500-year-old shipwreck virtually intact on the seafloor. The ship was found at a depth of 141 meters. The lack of oxygen in the cold and brackish waters of the Baltic Sea help to slow the decay of the ship, which is sitting on the bottom with two masts still rising vertically, the beakhead and bowsprit still projecting from the prow. The remains of a yard rests diagonally on deck while nearby an unlaunched ship’s boat sits snug against the portside gunnel. A bilge pump, capstain, and an anchor, still catted to the bow, are also visible. The shape of the ship’s anchor help date the ship to the late 15th or early 16th century.  

The ship, though fitted for swivel guns, is believed to be a merchantman. She is believed to have sunk near the time that Columbus made his transatlantic voyages. The Baltic ship at 50-60 feet long is roughly the same size as the ships of Columbus’ flotilla. 

The New York Times reports: The name and origin of the lost Baltic ship have not yet been identified. For now, the marine archaeologists are calling it Okänt Skepp, Swedish for “unknown ship.” Dr. Pacheco-Ruiz and his team are deliberately keeping its exact location secret, to deter scavengers and treasure hunters.

They plan to return to the Baltic site for another round of exploration, in particular to retrieve a wooden plank. Laboratory analyses can date ancient wood to within a year of its human acquisition, Dr. Pacheco-Ruiz said, which would help pinpoint exactly when the ship was built and put to sea.