A legendary Swedish warship, known as Mars, showed the archaeologists the new secrets. The latest discoveries from the wreckage were revealed during a press conference in Öland, ScienceNordic reported.
The remains of warship Mars were discovered at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in 2011, the grenades and cannons, and up to a thousand soldiers were on its board when it exploded in the Baltic Sea, 454 years ago. The medieval ship Mars belonged to the Swedish navy and was one of Northern Europe’s largest and most feared naval vessels used in the Northern Seven Years’ War.
The maritime archaeologists’ team has presented the latest findings from the wreckage during a press conference in Öland. Researcher Rolf Fabricius Warming who involved in the investigation noted that,
“This year, we have come closer to the people aboard. We found more skeletal parts, including a femur with trauma around the knee which we believe to stem from a sharp-edged weapon,”
The scientists also found large guns and a hand grenade, those mean that it was a very intense and tough battle. The warship had between 800 and 1,000 men were on board. That is comparable to the population of an entire medium-sized town at the time.
“Most of them died in the explosion or when the ship sank into the watery depths,”
Warming says.
The ship contained silver treasure and gun
For maritime archaeologist Mikkel Thomsen from the Viking Ship Museum, Denmark, looking at the well preserved, and complete remains captures a snapshot of a moment in time. Researchers had previously discovered silver treasure among the Mars wreckage. This time, one of the most spectacular finds was a large grapnel (grappling hook) an anchor-like hook, which hung from the bowsprits of warships and was used to cling onto another ships in order to board it.
“It’s totally unique. Together with other exciting finds, it can shed new light on Medieval and Early Modern naval warfare,”
Warming says, and adds that the divers also found remains of possible arms and armour, including helmets and swords.
For the maritime archaeologists, the wreckage gives a snapshot of a piece of military history. For the political historians, it’s also an international history as the Seven Years’ War was fought across national boundaries.
