17th-century wreck reappears in Stockholm after sea levels drop
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The remains of a 17th-century shipwreck are seen after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 17, 2026.
PHOTO: AFP
STOCKHOLM – A 17th-century Swedish Navy shipwreck, buried underwater in central Stockholm for 400 years, has suddenly become visible due to unusually low Baltic Sea levels.
The wooden planks of the ship’s well-preserved hull have, since early February, been peeking out above the surface of the water off the island of Kastellholmen, providing a clear picture of its skeleton.
“We have a shipwreck here, which was sunk on purpose by the Swedish Navy,” said marine archaeologist Jim Hansson at Stockholm’s Vrak – Museum of Wrecks.
Mr Hansson said experts believe the ship, after serving in the navy, was sunk around 1640 to serve as a foundation for a new bridge to Kastellholmen.
Archaeologists have yet to identify the exact ship, as it is one of five similar wrecks lined up in the same area to form the bridge, all dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
“This is a solution. Instead of using new wood, you can use the hull itself, which is oak” to build the bridge, Mr Hansson said.
“We don’t have shipworm here in the Baltic that eats the wood, so it lasts, as you see, for 400 years,” he said, standing in front of the wreck.
Parts of the ship first broke the surface in 2013, but it has never been as visible as it is now, as Baltic Sea waters reach their lowest level in about 100 years, according to the archaeologist.
“There has been a really long period of high pressure here around our area in the Nordics. So the water from the Baltic has been pushed out to the North Sea and the Atlantic,” Mr Hansson explained.
A research programme dubbed “The Lost Navy” is under way to identify and precisely date the large number of Swedish naval shipwrecks lying on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. AFP
