Cog finds from the IJsselmeerpolders

Since 1942, about 30 shipwrecks dating from late medieval times have been found in the IJsselmeerpolders, the reclaimed part of the former Zuiderzee in the centre of the Netherlands. A comparison has been made with the 14th century Bremen cog, the best preserved example of this shiptype, in order to determine whether the medieval vessels from the Zuiderzee area show cog-like characteristics. Nine vessels, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, show similarities concerning the plank keel, the stem and stern hooks, the planking of the hull, and the caulking and fastening methods. The transverse and longitudinal stiffening, on the other hand, vary according to the size of the vessels. Differences in the shape and size of the vessels, as well as in the position of the mast, may be connected with rigging and function. From an archaeological point of view, the nine shipwrecks from the IJsselmeerpolders and the Bremen cog belong to the same shipbuilding tradition.