Utrecht ship
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
| {{Infobox ship begin
|infobox caption= |display title= }} {{Infobox ship image |Ship image = Vaste collectie Centraal Museum Utrecht 12.jpg |Ship image size = |Ship caption = The Utrecht ship at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country= |Ship flag= |Ship name=Utrecht ship |Ship namesake= |Ship operator= |Ship ordered= |Ship awarded= |Ship builder= |Ship original cost= |Ship laid down= |Ship launched= |Ship sponsor= |Ship completed=997-1030 |Ship acquired= |Ship commissioned= |Ship out of service= |Ship struck= |Ship fate=Museum ship }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class= |Ship type=Cargo ship |Ship tonnage= |Ship displacement= |Ship tons burthen= |Ship length={{convert|17.8|m|ft}} |Ship beam={{convert|3.8|m|ft|abbr=on}} |Ship draught= |Ship draft={{convert|0.7|m|ft}} |Ship hold depth= |Ship decks= | Ship propulsion=Sail
|Ship sail plan=Rhine river |Ship speed= | Ship complement=
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The Utrecht ship is a tenth-century cargo ship found during excavation works at the Van Hoornekade in Northern Utrecht, Netherlands, in 1930. It is displayed at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Construction
The Utrecht ship was constructed between 997 and 1030 in the Netherlands of a local oak tree, which was carved out to make the bottom of the ship. An array of planks and beams were afterwards added to the ship to create the hull. The ship is {{convert|17.8|m|ft}} long, {{convert|3.8|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide and had a draft of {{convert|0.7|m|ft}}. She could carry about 13 tons of cargo.{{cite web |url=https://www.centraalmuseum.nl/nl/vaste-collectie/het-utrechtse-schip |title=Het Utrechtse Schip |publisher=centraalmuseum.nl |date=2017 |access-date=27 April 2023}}
The ship was most likely constructed to serve as a cargo ship and sailed along the Rhine from Utrecht to settlements alongside the river.{{cite web |url=https://museumtijdschrift.nl/tentoonstellingen/het-utrechtse-schip/ |title=Het Utrechtse Schip |publisher=museumtijdschrift.nl |date= |access-date=27 April 2023}}
Discovery
File:Utrechtse schip in 1930 opgegraven.jpg
The remains of the ship were found during excavation works at the Van Hoornekade in Northern Utrecht, Netherlands, on 3 December 1930. Those who had initially discovered her believed the wreck to be that of a Roman ship, but after the use of tree-ring dating in the late 1950s, it was determined the ship was much younger, dating back to the 10th century.{{cite web |url=https://www.utrechtaltijd.nl/verhalen/de-ware-identiteit-van-het-utrechtse-schip/ |title=Het verhaal van het schip in het Centraal Museum |publisher=utrechtaltijd.nl |date=19 December 2016 |access-date=27 April 2023}}
The director of the Centraal Museum dr. W.C. Schuylenburg, decided to preserve the ship and had the wreck be taken to the museum by use of a specially constructed train rail and by ship across the river Vecht. The ship was brought to the basement of the museum, for which they had to demolish a part of the exterior walls of the building to fit the ship inside.{{cite web |url=https://www.oud-utrecht.nl/nieuws/1038-utrechts-schip |title=Utrechts Schip |publisher=oud-utrecht.nl |date=1 April 2022 |access-date=27 April 2023}}
After initial examinations by researchers from across the globe, dr. Schuylenburg decided to conserve the ship by treating the wreck with a mixture of carbolineum and linseed oil, which can still be smelled on the ship to this day. A ship building company reconstructed the ship after its treatment.
Public exhibition
File:Centraal Museum Utrecht.jpg
The ship has been on display to the public at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands, since 1936.{{cite web |url=https://www.rtvutrecht.nl/nieuws/3569329/is-het-utrechtse-stinkschip-vandaag-precies-1000-jaar-oud-de-jaarringdiktes-zijn-een-soort-streepjescode |title=Is het Utrechtse stinkschip vandaag precies 1000 jaar oud? 'De jaarringdiktes zijn een soort streepjescode' |publisher=rtvutrecht.nl |date=22 April 2023 |access-date=27 April 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)}}
Category:Archaeological sites in the Netherlands
Category:Ships preserved in museums