1642/43 – Year of construction of the Hansa ship is confirmed

The dendrochronological investigations took more than a year, but now scientist Daniel Balanzategui from the Technical University of Lübeck has finally made a breakthrough. The Hanseatic ship was built in 1642 or 1643!

To do this, Balanzategui analysed exactly 214 pieces of wood and measured a staggering 21,129 tree rings. The frame parts, as shown in the photo, were ultimately decisive. The frames are mostly made of oak that was felled in the greater Lübeck area and in the south-western Baltic Sea region. Some of this wood still has the so-called wane, the last pronounced annual ring before felling. This last annual ring dates back to winter of 1641/42 or spring of 1642 in most samples. Since trees were usually felled during the winter months and the wood was used in the summer months, it can be assumed that the ship was built in 1642 or 1643 at the latest.

Photo: F. Rösch.