'Viking' shipwreck discovered off Swedish coast

An 800-year-old shipwreck was discovered by divers off the south coast of Sweden virtually buried under the sea floor.

The vessel, which some Swedish reports have claimed is a Viking ship, was found in the Baltic Sea at Sturko, The Local reported.

Lars Einarsson, underwater archaeologist at Kalmar Lans museum, told the news website, "This is an extraordinary medieval wreck. We've found that the wood was cut down between 1250 and 1300. When the divers recovered fragments for dating, they were literally 'looking' with their hands. The sediment is so easily disturbed that it makes it almost impossible to see what you're doing. In some ways, it would be easier if the ship was ten times deeper."

Experts are hoping the ship may contain medieval treasures that would make the cost of recovering it worthwhile. But Einarsson said it was unlikely to be a Viking ship.

He said, "It was built in the same style as the Viking ships, but that's not saying much -- some ships on Norway's west coast are still built in that style. This is certainly a medieval wreck, and this is exciting as there haven't been many found from this time."

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