Using the new AutoMIRA georadar system, the team uncovered evidence of the 1718 transport route.Credit: NIKU/Erich Nau
Posted on 01/22/2025 3:22:05 AM PST by SunkenCiv
In 1718, Sweden's King Charles XII came up with a bold plan to transport twelve big warships, each weighing up to 30 tons, overland from Strömstad to Iddefjorden. This operation is known as Galärvegen or the "Galley Road." It was part of an attempt to surprise the Fredriksten Fortress at Halden, Norway. The fortress, a key military stronghold on the border, had successfully repelled previous Swedish attempts to capture it. By moving his ships over land, Charles XII hoped to bypass a blockade at the fjord's entrance and launch a surprise attack from the sea.
The scale of this operation was huge: 800 soldiers worked hard to move the galleys across 25 kilometers of tough land. They used pulleys, hoists, blocks, horses, and greased logs to complete the operation. Moving such big ships was hard, but they did it really well...
The team started by looking for signs of prehistoric settlements and old ship settings. But when they used the new AutoMIRA georadar system, they uncovered evidence of the 1718 transport route. The georadar showed several parallel straight structures, which experts think are the remains of timber logs. Workers put these logs down to stabilize the ground for the heavy galleys. These traces stretch over 160 meters...
The georadar survey also revealed other historical elements at Blomsholm such as prehistoric burial mounds and signs of ancient settlements. The site had earlier been a field hospital during Charles XII's campaign, and nearby several soldiers were laid to rest. These discoveries make it harder to interpret the data, as centuries of human activity have altered the landscape.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeologymag.com ...
Using the new AutoMIRA georadar system, the team uncovered evidence of the 1718 transport route.Credit: NIKU/Erich Nau
bkmk
thanks
my pleasure.
Fascinating. That would’ve been something to see…..
All the effort with the ships seems to gone for nought, and siege, and the entire war, wound down after Charles XII died on December 11, 1718 when he was hit in the left temple by a “projectile” on December 11, 1718. (Per wikipedia. I was interested in how the tactic worked out.)
**** happens. :^)
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