Between AD 1070-1090, five Viking ships were sunk in Skuldelev, Denmark, to a dam along a narrow channel. Skuldelev ships got their name from this city. Centuries passed, and historic ships were almost forgotten. But, local fishermen knew about this shipwreck lying in shallow water. According to legend, these historic ships were supposed to be the ship of the medieval Queen Margaret. In 1898, the sunken ship fragments were found by a captain who gave the finds to the National Museum. And in 1924, when the passage through the dam expanded, some historic ship fragments were saved.

Finding Parts

In 1953, professional diver Jan Uhre located the fragments of a historic ship in dark water. In 1956, sports divers Åge Skjelborg and Hartvig Conradsen discovered an old ship skeleton with a bad appearance at a depth of about 2 meters. They immediately reported to the National Museum that they found a shipwreck. The museum, represented by Ole Crumlin-Pedersen and Olaf Olsen, in 1957, researchers; Together with Åge Skjelborg, Hartvig Conradsen, and Per Wulff, began to investigate the area. It soon became clear that this was not Queen Margaret's historic ship, but a Viking ship from the Viking Age. Yet, the dam could have been used until the middle ages. Many stones had to be lifted before they could reach the ships below.

Viking Ship Museum and Skuldelev Ships

In 1962, the working area was dried using a cofferdam and converted into a land excavation. Investigations continued until 1969. All parts of the historic Viking ship were recovered and canned with PEG. Before the protection, all parts of the Viking ship were drawn in full scale on transparent plates. At first, it was believed there were six Viking ships, but five ships were found during excavations. These historic ships are still numbered "1, 2, 3, 5, and 6" today. All Viking ships found are described as dating to the 11th century AD. The ships in question are on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, near Copenhagen. These ships;

Skuldelev 1, 13-16 m long Viking cargo ship,

Skuldelev 2, c 30 m long Viking warship built in Ireland,

Skuldelev 3, 9-12 m long Viking cargo ship,

Skuldelev 5, 15-18 m long Viking warship,

• Skuldelev 6 is a 9-11 m long Viking fishing boat.

A new building has been added to the museum so that the Skuldelev Ships exhibited can be observed. The Roskilde ships, which were found under the museum in 1997, continue to be explored.