Ships have sailed the Baltic Sea since the Viking era. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Sweden, then one of Europe's super powers, waged war against neighbouring countries for the control of the Baltic Sea. Numerous naval battles where fought and many warships where lost. Winter storms and ice has always been a danger for shipping and the cold waters have claimed many victims. Two world wars have added its toll of shipwrecks, English submarines where feared during the First World War and Russian in the second. An estimated 50.000 shipwrecks are still to be discovered outside the East Coast of Sweden.
Since 1999 an ambitious project to survey the waters outside the island Öland in the south Baltic Sea has been ongoing. The objective is to locate lost shipwrecks of historical value and carry out extensive video documentation. The project will be ongoing for years to come. State of the art survey equipment such as side scan sonar are being utilized.
Öland
Marine Archaeological Survey Project
What makes the Baltic Sea so unique is the way the wrecks stay preserved. It is not unusual to find completely intact wooden sailing ships and steam ships from 19th century with paint still on them. A good example of this is the world famous 17th century warship Wasa that was raised from 20m completely intact in 1956. The reason for the intact shipwrecks is the low salinity where the ship worm, Teredo navalis, cannot exist. In more salty waters, wooden ships and even wooden constructions on modern wrecks are destroyed. Also the cold waters and low oxygen level limits corrosion on iron constructions. Marine growth is sparse and the deeper wrecks are clean.
The shallow depth of the Baltic Sea makes it ideal for divers to explore. The average depth is only 60m. Even far off shore the waters are relatively shallow. Approximately 80% of the Baltic Sea has diveable depths for divers using air or mixed gas.
The specific wrecks we are looking for include treasure ships and 16th-17th century war ships. In the spring of 2002 the search for the admirals lost fleet project began. In 1676 Sweden lost two major warships in the battle of Öland. One of them is yet to be discovered, the Svärdet, carrying 86 bronze cannons. The Svärdet was commanded by the heroic Admiral Claes Uggla, who followed his ship to unknown depths.
The search for the admirals lost
fleet>>
Overview map of some of the wrecks located so far