Possible Viking ship fragment unearthed in Wijk bij Duurstede
A 53-year-old amateur archaeologist made what officials first described as a possible Viking ship discovery during sewer excavation work in Wijk bij Duurstede, but experts now say the find is uncertain and requires further analysis after initial examination in Amersfoort.
Danny van Basten, who volunteers alongside a team monitoring excavations in areas tied to the former medieval settlement of Dorestad, told RTV Utrecht that the discovery emerged during routine utility work. “During sewer work, a black spot appeared,” he said. “We started excavating it. Eventually, the wood was pulled out by construction workers, and it turned out to be a ship frame of 3.5 meters.”
Van Basten immediately recognized the significance of the find and contacted the municipal archaeologist. A few days later, archaeologists and specialists from across the Netherlands gathered in a warehouse in Amersfoort, where the 3.5-meter wooden piece was placed in a basin of water and carefully unwrapped.
Scheepsarcheologist Wouter Waldus expressed skepticism after examining the object. “If this has been sold as a Viking ship, I have my doubts,” he told the newspaper. Inside the research facility, others reacted with nervous laughter, with one person joking, “We can always say it’s an April Fool’s joke.” Waldus added, “I see no real traces of ship remains.”
The find was located in an area where a riverbank and quay connected to Dorestad existed more than 1,000 years ago, which Waldus said is encouraging context. However, he said the wood is atypical and not immediately identifiable as part of a ship structure. He noted that more may become visible once the clay is removed during cleaning.
According to Waldus, if the object were confirmed as a Viking-era ship component, investigators would expect to find wooden pegs used to join planks, traces of iron, and a recognizable structural shape. “That is not the case yet,” he told RTV Utrecht. “But it could still be. It still needs to be properly cleaned. They have been very careful, which is perfect. But now it is time to go deeper.”
Archaeologist Ernst Dekkers has already begun carefully scraping clay from the wood for analysis. Further cleaning will involve soft brushing and a thin stream of water by specialists. Researchers also plan to examine tree rings to determine the wood’s age and possibly the period it originates from. Results are expected in several weeks.
