Archaeologists Daniel Matsenius and Philip Tonemar recovering the probable remnants of Samson, a ship built in the 16th century (Arkeologikonsult / Facebook)

Like so many coastal cities, Stockholm has grown larger and its harbor smaller over time as landfill and buildings have replaced waterways and docks. The Local reports that over the past year, work has been going on in the Kungsträdgården area in Stockholm’s city center, to strengthen the foundations of a building belonging to the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. In an excavation under a courtyard, sections of a ship’s hull were discovered. Analysis of the wreckage and the dating of the planking leads archaeologists to believe that the ship was the Samson, commissioned by Charles IX of Sweden in the late 1500s.

“A find from this transition period between the old and new era of shipbuilding is very unusual. There are actually no other direct examples,” said Philip Tonemar, an archaeologist who was asked to carry out the survey by the municipality.

“When the ship was abandoned in the early 1600s, it was probably stripped of material, chopped up and left on the shore,” said Tonemar. “We have found rubbish from residents in the area that was thrown directly over the ship.”

Samson was over 30 meters long and built entirely of pine. She disappeared from the archives around 1607.

This is by no means the first ship found beneath Stockholm’s streets. In 2010, only about a kilometer from the Samson, an unidentified ship was uncovered while excavating in front of Stockholm’s Grand Hotel. That ship was also believed to be from the 1600s. 

A year later, five shipwrecks dating from the 1500s to the 1700s were found during renovation work on a quay in central Stockholm. 

Stockholm’s most famous shipwreck was not found beneath the streets. The Swedish warship Vasa capsized and sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbor in 1628. The largely intact hull was located in 1956 and recovered in 1961. The ship is now housed in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm and is one of  Sweden’s most popular tourist attractions. The ship has attracted 35 million visitors since 1961. 

Thanks to Hedy Grant for contributing to this post.