Shipwreck Found in Svalbard - Could Originate From 18th Century Russia

Marine archaeologists from the Norwegian Maritime Museum discovered a shipwreck last year at Kokerineset in Grønfjorden in Svalbard. 

Without fully knowing what they had found, the archaeologists began searching for something that could indicate the shipwreck's age.

"We did as we usually do, we looked for screw threads, screws, paint - things that are common in construction after around 1850. But there were no metal or fasteners, just wooden pegs," says Jørgen Johannessen, archaeologist at the Norwegian Maritime Museum, to High North News.

In addition, the first impression was that the ship was built in the Dutch construction style, which was used between 1600 and 1800. 

This made the researchers curious. 

"Not many wrecks of this type have been found in Svalbard, perhaps none," says Johannessen. 

"In addition, not very few shipwrecks have been found in Svalbard that are dated with a construction year before 1900. Perhaps only three," he adds.

The wreck was found in the intertidal zone and was highly exposed to being carried away by the tide or ice. After the archaeologists had conducted their investigations, the Governor and the Svalbard Museum brought the parts to Longyearbyen. 

Now, researchers are in Longyearbyen to document the parts with scanners and to take dendro samples. The samples are used to find out where the timber comes from and in which year it was cut.

Pomor ship

Johannessen explains that, based on previous investigations, they are working with a hypothesis that the ship was used during the Pomor trade and was actually built in the areas around the White Sea in Russia, despite the ship being in Dutch style.

"The ship is made of pine, which does not quite align with Dutch shipbuilding. The pine is densely grown and comes from an area where trees do not grow particularly fast, meaning it is cold there," says Johannessen and continues:

"We suspect the White Sea. We know that Tsar Peter the Great decreed that all ships should be built in Western style, that is, in Dutch style." 

"We therefore believe that this is a ship built somewhere in the White Sea after Peter the Great made this decision."

Based on this and with some help from historians, researchers believe the ship can be dated to the Pomor trade between 1710 and 1760 and thus is well over 200 years old.

"About one percent of the trade from the White Sea went up to Spitsbergen. It was a small but important part of the trade, which was mainly based on walrus and polar fox," explains Johannessen. 

If the hypothesis is correct, the wreck could be the oldest found in Svalbard and at the same time shed light on the Pomor trade that took place in Svalbard.

Preserved in cold Arctic water

Finding shipwrecks in cold Arctic waters usually means the wreck is well preserved.

"A shipwreck from the 18th century would have been quickly eaten up by shipworm if it had been on the seabed in Southern Norway, says Johannessen and adds:

"The shipworm lives in warm saltwater, and there is little of it in the North. There are no microorganisms that have eaten the wood on this wreck. It is extremely well preserved precisely because it has been in cold saltwater. However, the fact that it has been tossed around in the intertidal zone means that it has taken some damage."

When the archaeologists dived in Grønfjorden last year, they measured eight degrees in the water down to a depth of 77 metres.

"That is warm! If it gets warmer than ten degrees, the shipworm reproduces," says Johannessen, and adds that climate change can also affect archaeological finds in the sea.

Answer in June

The project is funded by the Governor of Svalbard, and the Svalbard Museum is responsible for the collection of the wreckage. 

The results of the tests will be available in June, and then the researchers will know if the hypothesis about the ship is correct.