We report the archaeological survey, dendrochronological analysis, and archival research concerning two shipwrecks located in shallow waters outside Vaxholm in the Stockholm Archipelago, Baltic Sea. According to oral tradition, the two wrecks are the remains of Neptunus and To Løver, two former Danish warships that were taken as prizes at the battle of Fehmarn in 1644. The Swedish navy then used the two ships until 1659, when they were reportedly scuttled as a blockage along the sea route towards Stockholm. Before being intentionally scuttled, the two ships drifted away and sank. The work presented in this article confirms the substance of the tradition and reports that substantial portions of the two ships are preserved. Moreover, the two wrecks shed light on the scuttling process and the construction of an underwater barrier.

The Maderö wreck was discovered in the 1960s in the Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden. An archaeological investigation undertaken in 2022 included the inspection and documentation of visible ship parts, sampling for dendrochronological analysis and sampling for ICP analysis from the brick cargo. The results show that the wood originates from the Baltic Sea area and was felled after 1467, while the clay for the brick originates from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern area. The ship's technical analysis shows that it is a large clinker-built merchant ship. Traces of iron on a recovered stone shot indicate that the ship was armed when it sank.

In 2020, the diving group Badewanne discovered an exceptionally well-preserved wreck in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea. Researchers and divers from several different institutions collaborated to survey the wreck with the ambition of gathering as much archaeological information with as little impact on the wreck as possible. This paper summarizes the current state of research and argues that the wreck is the remains of a merchant fluit loaded with grain. Archival research has identified the ship as Witte Swaen, built in 1636 and sunk in 1638. Besides highlighting the fate of this particular fluit, the survey has revealed the characteristic hull shape as well as the sculptural decorations, which diverge from other later archaeologically surveyed fluits in the Baltic.

The 16th-century Riddarholmen Ship was discovered in the middle of Stockholm in 1930. Despite being exhibited since 1947, the efforts to reconstruct the ship have been limited. A substantial portion of the recovered parts has never been put on display. This paper aims to shed new light on the ship´s architecture using the original material from the excavation together with an inventory of the timbers in the collections of the Medieval Museum. From this, it is argued that the ship originally had a full deck, three masts, and a forecastle and that it resembles an early purpose-built, gun-carrying warship.

More than fifty years ago it was suggested that the stronghold of Lojsta slott in southern Gotland might be identical to a stronghold mentioned in a written source as Goltborch. The name has been translated as Gullborg and is probably one of the wooden castles erected by the troops of Queen Margaret of DenmarkNorway beginning in the winter of 1394/95. These were torn down in 1398, rebuilt in 1403, and finally conquered and destroyed by the Teutonic Order in 1404. As Lojsta slott has never been subject to archaeological excavation, the identification has remained an open question. This paper reports a recent underwater archaeological survey carried out in the waters around Lojsta slott, consisting of fieldwork that has included sampling for dendrochronological analysis. The dendrochronological results match the written sources very well and thus confirm the assumption that Lojsta slott is the stronghold of Gullborg mentioned in written sources. Moreover, the survey reveals that the underwater environment in the area has great archaeological potential.

Under 1600-talet utvecklades Sverige till en militär stormakt samtidigt som internationella kontakter och handelsutbyte vitaliserades. I stormaktens mitt, omgärdat av tusentals svårnavigerade öar, skär och lömska undervattensgrynnor låg Stockholm. Härifrån administrerades landets moderniserade och effektiviserade förvaltning av skatter och tullar för de skepp som utgjorde kontakterna med utlandet. Farlederna genom skärgården kantades av en brokig och ständigt föränderlig bebyggelse som till största delen bestod av skepp.

Spåren efter segelfartygen försvann från havsytan så snart kölvattnet lagt sig, och Stockholms skärgård framstår idag i det närmaste som ett orört naturlandskap. I Stormaktsskärgård berättar arkeologen Niklas Eriksson hur staten omformade farlederna och skapade förutsättningar för handelssjöfarten att röra sig bland skären. Eriksson skildrar en landskaps historia i gränslandet mellan stormakten och det öppna havet, berättad utifrån reseskildringar, kartor, fornlämningar, bilder, skeppsvrak och annat källmaterial.Passar bra ihop