''Mars'', also known as ''Makalös'' ("peerless; astounding"), traditionally referred to as ''Jutehataren'' ("The Dane Hater"), was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster ...

that was built between 1563 and 1564. She was the leading ship of King

Eric XIV of Sweden Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535). He was also ruler of Est ...

's fleet, and at 70 meters and equipped with 173 guns, was one of the largest warships of the time, even larger than the famous Swedish ship '' Vasa''. In 1564, during the

Northern Seven Years' War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denm ...

, she caught fire and exploded during the First battle of Öland in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

Wreck location

On 19 August 2011, it was announced that the shipwreck of ''Mars'' was possibly found by a team of divers, at a depth of 75 meters and around 18.5 kilometers north of Öland, after several years of research. Although not examined by archaeologists yet, in a statement by

technical diver Technical diving (also referred to as tec diving or tech diving) is scuba diving that exceeds the agency-specified limits of recreational diving for non-professional purposes. Technical diving may expose the diver to hazards beyond those normally ...

Richard Lundgren, it was announced that "Everything suggests that it is indeed the ''Mars'' that we have found". On 1 November 2011, it was announced that the shipwreck had been confirmed to be ''Mars''. According to Richard Lundgren, one of the divers who discovered the wreck, unique ship cannons had been identified along with "other findings" which confirmed the identity. A production on the Smithsonian channel shown on 6 August 2018 added further evidence of the resting place of Swedish Ship "Mars" . The ship's name was further confirmed by the finding of silver coins within the extensive wreckage of the vessel. The coins were minted by Eric XIV of Sweden the year before the battle in 1563. The First battle of Öland was the first time that ships used extensive cannon fire rather than boarding (with hand-to-hand fighting) as the means to sink (or capture) an enemy's vessel. The length of the warship was confirmed in the same broadcast as over 200 feet (60.96 meters).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mars, Swedish warship Shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea Ships of the Swedish Navy Archaeology of shipwrecks 16th-century maritime incidents Ships built in Sweden 16th-century ships Age of Sail naval ships of Sweden Shipwrecks of Sweden

Wreck location

See also

References