The coasts of the North Sea are the scene of a rich maritime heritage, marked by centuries of trade, shipwreck and coastal developments. These shores, especially around Sylt, periodically reveal buried vestiges, offering precious clues to past naval practices. In January 2025, violent storms exhumed a fragment of ship off this German island.
A ship discovered in a fortuitous way, highlighted by the storms
The violent storms “Bernd” and “Charly” struck northern Germany in early 2025. They seriously damaged the beaches of the island of Sylt, in the North Sea. On the west coast of this island prized by tourists, near Routum, the powerful winds and the waves have uncovered fragments of a ship buried under the sand for centuries. On January 12, 2025, bathers discovered the remains on the shore and reported the discovery to the local historian Gunter Schröder. He quickly transmitted information to the Archaeological Office of the Land of Schleswig-Holstein.
These vestiges consist of massive beams and solidly assembled with wooden ankles. Holger Buß, a recognized specialist in historical wrecks, said that these construction techniques, used before the end of the 18th century, made it possible to date the ship at a distant time. According to him, the size of the beams suggests that it could be a large sailboat. A ship formerly subject to the perils of agitated waters of the North Sea. In order to properly study the wreckage, employees of the State Archaeological Bureau went to the island on January 20, 2025 to document it. But everything has not been unrolled as hoped for. The sea was already starting to regain its rights and partially bury the wreck.
The maritime history of the Wadden Sea: a cemetery of ships
The Wadden Sea extends off the German and Dutch coast. It is known for its moving sand benches and unpredictable maritime conditions. These characteristics have made it a real “shipwreck area” over the centuries. Between the 17th and the beginning of the 20th century, nearly 900 shipwrecks were identified in this region.
The wreck in the back. © TAGESSCHAU.DE
But the North Sea, despite its dangers, constituted an essential commercial route between northern Europe and the rest of the continent. The violent winds coming from the West, associated with the absence of sheltered ports and the traitors, transformed the waters of the Waddenmeer into a “deadly trap” for merchant ships and crews. Nevertheless, the strategic ports located around the Frisian islands and on the German coast remained neuralgic points for trade. The captains were trying to follow the ribs to avoid storms in the open sea, but this strategy exposed them to the dangers of sand benches, barely visible and constantly moved by the tides. They had to sail.
These risks were known, but the profitability of maritime trade and the absence of other safer roads obliged ships to take these dreaded waters, often at the risk of the crew and cargo.
A ship among others
These maritime dangers explain why so many wrecks are based today under these shallow waters. Like silent witnesses of the risks that have to face the sailors of the time.
Recent discoveries, like those of Sylt, add to this rich maritime history. Günter Schröder insists on the archaeological importance of these discoveries. “Each wreckage revealed by the tides is a unique window on commercial roads, shipbuilding techniques and the life of sailors in the past ». In 2016, at Hörnum Odde, a wreckage probably dating from 1690 was discovered after a storm. It revealed details on the commercial ships of the time.
Shipping on the west shore of Hörnum Odde in 2016. © Alsh
More recently, in 2022, the wreckage of the three-masted Ulpiano has resurfaced near Süderoogsand. This ship, shipwrecked during a violent thunderstorm in 1870, transported goods before its crew took refuge on the neighboring islands. These wrecks, exposed by storms or coastal erosion, recall not only the danger of the North Sea, but also its crucial role in European maritime trade.
Preserve a fragile heritage: a scientific and environmental challenge
The conservation of historical wrecks is a delicate challenge, especially when the fragments are brutally exposed by natural forces, as in Sylt. Researchers from the Schleswig-Holstein archaeological office emphasize that sand plays a crucial protective role for buried vestiges. By maintaining wood away from air and destructive organisms such as sea tarets, sand preserves structures for centuries. However, once the wood exposed to the elements, it becomes extremely vulnerable to rapid degradation. To avoid the irremediable loss of these fragments, experts plan to use advanced techniques. In particular, dendrochronology, which analyzes the dark circles to determine their age. They also provide 3D statements to document the structural details of the wreck before the tides made it again. These data will reconstruct the history of the ship and its maritime context.
Nevertheless, intervening in the hostile environment of the North Sea represents a major logistical and scientific challenge. Rapid tides and coastal erosion limit intervention windows. They require precise coordination between teams on site and technological tools. This difficulty illustrates a broader problem encountered in underwater archeology. How to effectively preserve and document a maritime heritage exposed to unpredictable natural conditions? By situating this discovery in a global context, Günter Schröder recalls that these vestiges testify on the one hand of past maritime dangers. But on the other hand, they reveal the growing effects of coastal erosion, aggravated by climate change. This research is not only a trip in the past. They underline the urgency to act to safeguard an increasingly fragile heritage in the face of the transformations of our environment.
Source: tagesschau.de
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