Robot collides with ghost ship hidden at the bottom of lake for 700 years

(NLDO) - While surveying the bottom of Lake Mjøsa, the Norwegian military discovered a 10-meter-long ghost ship, mostly buried in sediment.

According to Live Science , the ghost ship was accidentally discovered by an underwater vehicle in 2022, during a survey to map the bottom of Lake Mjøsa for the Norwegian military.

The images captured by this robot quickly attracted the attention of scientists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

But some obstacles occurred and it was not until October 2024 that the team of authors was able to conduct a survey of the ghost ship's location, through a remote-controlled device tethered to the research vessel.

Part of the ghost ship exposed from the sediment - Photo: NTNU

Preliminary results show that the ghost ship lies at a depth of up to 400 m and is a "føringsbåt" type of ship that locals used centuries ago to transport passengers and goods.

Bad weather prevented the team from deploying the sampling robot, so the exact age of this ghost ship remains unknown.

However, based on the design, scientists estimate the ghost ship could be up to 700 years old, or a few centuries "younger".

NTNU scientists on a survey trip in October - Photo: NTNU

Norwegian føringsbåt have flat bottoms, making them unsuitable for open seas, but they are very convenient for navigating here.

The newly discovered føringsbåt was built with a vertical stern, a feature that only appeared after the 1300s and is what helped scientists deduce its age. Earlier Viking ships were similar at both ends.

The images also show what appears to be a central rudder at the stern, also a departure from the Viking ships of the ruler period.

The ghost ship was built of wooden planks over a frame in the traditional Scandinavian style of the period and was about 10 m long.

Lake Mjøsa is the largest lake in Norway and is located about 100 km north of the capital Oslo.

The lake is very deep and covers an area of ​​more than 360 square kilometers, but only a few square kilometers of the lake bottom have been mapped.

It was an important trade route between the many prosperous communities along the lake's shores, since at least the 8th century.

The area where the ghost ship is located has strong currents, which is a major obstacle to research.

However, scientists affirm that they will continue to visit this area and deploy other measures to learn more about the ship, which may reflect a slice of ancient history in the area.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/robot-dung-do-tau-ma-an-nap-700-nam-duoi-day-ho-196241121111720115.htm