Six Centuries of Maritime History Unearthed During Varberg Tunnel Construction in Sweden

Six shipwrecks discovered during Varberg Tunnel work

Construction of the Varberg Tunnel on Sweden’s west coast unexpectedly revealed six shipwrecks ranging from the 14th century through the 17th century. The finds, exposed where the old shoreline and harbor defenses once stood, offer a rare window into medieval and early modern shipbuilding, trade and everyday maritime life in the Baltic region.

Key discoveries

• Wreck 2 (c. 1530s) — The most intact find: an oak sailing vessel built in the latter half of the 1530s from timber sourced in west Sweden. Constructed in a clinker-built technique (overlapping planks), the wreck retains two starboard hull sections and scattered timbers. Notable is a berghult (a protective rock beam or reinforcing strip applied outside the hull), and traces of fire on that strip suggest the ship may have been intentionally burned before it sank. Evidence indicates the vessel was at least partially decked.
• Wreck 5 (17th century) — Also oak and clinker-built, this vessel shares several traits with Wreck 2. Specialists believe both ships likely operated around the medieval towns of Varberg and Ny Varberg, and Wreck 5 may have sailed widely across the Baltic Sea.
• Wreck 6 (undated timber; caravel-style) — The only caravel-style hull among the finds, with planks fastened edge-to-edge to the frame rather than overlapping. It preserves a rabbeted (grooved) keel that shows Dutch shipbuilding influence, though the timber could not be precisely dated.
• Wrecks 3 and 4 (14th century) — Flat-bottomed medieval trading vessels typical of regional commerce. These will be analyzed further to shed light on trade routes and ship use in the Middle Ages.

Context and significance

Arkeologerna’s project manager Elisabet Schager identified wrecks 2, 5 and 6 as especially interesting. Wreck 2 was the best preserved and the only one with a continuous structural section; wrecks 5 and 6 had to be removed quickly because of tight construction schedules, and additional portions may still lie buried beneath the site.

The discoveries are being investigated in collaboration with Bohuslän Museum, Visual Archaeology and Cultural Environment Halland. As large infrastructure projects continue along Sweden’s west coast, archaeologists are increasingly encountering vessels in areas that were once underwater or served as harbors but are now part of urban terrain.

'It will be very interesting,' Schager said. 'We will have a lot of exciting things to tell in the future.'

Further study of timbers, construction techniques and any preserved artifacts promises to refine dating, reveal ship origins and illuminate medieval and early modern Baltic maritime networks. The Varberg finds are therefore important not only for local history but also for broader studies of shipbuilding, seafaring and trade in Northern Europe.