Divers exploring oldest warship found off Sweden find “new clues”

October 23, 2026 / 8:23 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

Bubbles rise through the murky green water as divers tenderly explore a rare 15th-century shipwreck off Stockholm's coast, believed to be the oldest warship found off Sweden.

"It's a very big ship, it was around 40-45 meters when it sailed probably," project leader and marine archaeologist Hakan Altrock from Sweden's Museum of Wrecks said, overseeing the dives down to the skeletal remains of what is known as Vrak 5, or Shipwreck 5, on a cool October day.

Located off Haringe Castle south of Stockholm, the vessel is thought to be the oldest warship found off Sweden or Denmark, which were joined in a union with Norway in the 15th century.

First discovered in the late 1800s, the shipwreck is one of five lying on the seabed in the Landfjarden sound, most of which have been dated to the 1600s and 1700s.

But in February 2025, researchers were able to date Vrak 5 to the 1480s, or possibly even the 1460s.

"It's not possible to say if it is Swedish, it could also be Danish," Altrock said, noting that the timber used to build it comes from the area that is now…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/