A 17th century Swedish Navy shipwreck buried underwater in central Stockholm for 400 years has suddenly become visible due to unusually low Baltic Sea levels, marking the latest centuries-old vessel to be found in the country’s waters.The wooden planks of the ship’s well-preserved hull have since early February been peeking out above the surface of the water off the island of Kastellholmen, providing a clear picture of its skeleton.”We have a shipwreck here, which was sunk on purpose by the Swedish Navy,” Jim Hansson, a marine archeologist at Stockholm’s Vrak – Museum of Wrecks, told AFP.AdvertisementAdvertisementHansson said experts believe that after serving in the navy, the ship was sunk around 1640 to use as a foundation for a new bridge to the island of Kastellholmen.Archeologists have yet to identify the exact ship, as it is one of five similar wrecks lined up in the same area to form the bridge, all dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.”This is a solution, instead of using new wood you can use the hull itself, which is oak” to build the bridge, Hansson said.”We don’t have shipworm here in the Baltic that eats the wood, so it lasts, as you see, for 400 years,” he said, standing in front of the wreck.The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. / Credit: Jonathan NACKSTRAND /AFP via Getty Images(Jonathan NACKSTRAND /AFP via Getty Images)Parts of the ship had already broken the surface in 2013, but never before has it been as visible as it is now, as the waters of the Baltic Sea reach their lowest level in about 100 years, according to t …
