Lapuri wreck

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The Lapuri Wreck ( Finnish Lapurin hylky ) is so far the only Viking ship , which in Southern Finland was found. It refers to an early sea route along the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland . In 1997, another Viking Age (800–1050 AD) wreck was found not far away in Dalnaya Bay near Vyborg in Russia .

description

The Lapuri wreck was discovered by a diver in 1976 at a depth of six meters between the island of Lapuri and the Siikasaari peninsula. According to the dating of ceramic finds, the site was a natural harbor in the Middle Ages . The experience gained during the excavation of the ship cemetery at Skuldelev helps to identify and date the ship, which was built in traditional Scandinavian clinker construction. The remains are approximately 9.8 m long and 3.3 m wide. Presumably the original height of the hull was at least 80 cm and the height from the keel to the upper edge should have been 2.3 m.

Over a dozen boat graves, half of which are dated to the Viking Age, have been made in mainland Finland. The main problem in this regard is the number of rivets obtained. This is not insignificant, since at Lapuri the planks were fastened with iron and wooden nails, the latter of which leave no traces on land. Another probably Scandinavian ship is the medieval ship from the 13th century, which was found at the Turku / Åbo castle .

Most of the Finnish finds belong to the shipping traditions of northern and central Finland. A small Viking boat from the 10th century, the “Laivajärvi boat” from near Tornio / Torneå , was found in the far north. Its planks were sewn together.

excavation

The bottom consists of thin mud of easily movable layers of sand that are clayey on top. Two broad planks were partially visible, and there was a pile of stones three meters apart. All other remains were covered by sediment. In 1977 the wreck was partially (about 25%) excavated during a four day campaign. A sample of the rock pile was taken for geological analysis. In 1985 the excavation site was damaged by an amateur diver who illegally removed part of the cairn. Two further excavations, carried out by Maria Hölttä, took place in 1992 and 1993. The pile of stones and the sediment layers were removed. Visible parts were photographed and filmed. At the end of the excavations in 1993, the wreck was covered with a thin cloth and a layer of sand about 30 cm thick.

Dating

Animal hair seals were considered to be the most reliable specimen for dating. A 14 C dating from 1977 was 980 ± 90 years. Another sample was taken from a piece of cloth in 1993. The result (Hel-3379) was 570 BC. Chr. ± 110 years. There is currently no clear explanation for this large discrepancy in dating.

Current, sedimentation, erosion

There are irregular, often changing currents in the Lapuri Strait. The wreck has been partially covered by sediments since 1977. In order to determine the process of sedimentation, some samples were taken inside and outside the wreck. During field research, it was observed that sand sucked up and transported by the current created a layer of up to five centimeters per day.

The stones

The wreck was flattened on the ocean floor by the weight of the stones. The port side had more damage than the starboard side because the hull was tilted towards it. The stones had apparently also slipped over the starboard side. Most of the frames were broken under their weight, but it was possible to reconstruct their original shape.

The inclination may have been caused by the stone load. Inside the hull, 268 stones of various sizes with a total weight of 1400 to 2000 kg were found. Over 70% concentrated on the starboard side. The mineral content of the stones was analyzed. They appear to be granite of local origin. The conclusion is that the stones were used not as ballast but as a load to keep the ship on the seabed.

literature

  • Harry Alopaeus: The Lapuri Ship Find. In: Deutsches Schiffahrtsarchiv 11, 1988, pp. 21–34.

Web links

Coordinates: 60 ° 28 '17.4 "  N , 27 ° 35' 13.2"  E