Mystery wreck discovered in the Baltic Sea!

UPI ^ | Published 10/8/2002 3:06 PM | (Reported by Charles Choi, UPI Science News, in New York)

[vannrox]

Really exciting. I have always been interested in sea mysteries and the like.

[Dog Gone]

At present, neither the Swedish National Maritime Museum nor the Royal Swedish Navy has the money for an investigation.

This is because Sweden spends all its money on social programs. I'm sure the money will be raised by some private group, and we'll learn more about this ship.

Good find!

[justsomedude]

sunspots. either that, or aliens.

[hapsgroupie]

Wow!

[RipeforTruth]

Nice post. I was at sea in the mid-70's when the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a November storm on the Great Lakes. Photos of that wreck exist.

Hopefully some photos will be available of this new discovery.

[MHGinTN]

A methane cloud rising from the bottom of the Baltic Sea woul dhave altered the bouyancy of the wooden ship and it would also have poisoned the crew at their posts if a large enough cloud.

[TomB]

Maybe it was one of those special Swedish self-sinking ships like the Vasa:

"In 1628 the ship was ready. Sunday August 10 was the day of the Vasa's maiden voyage. The beaches around Stockholm were filled with spectators, among them foreign diplomats. The maiden voyage was to be an act of propaganda for the ambitious Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus.

The Vasa set sail and fired a salute. But only after a few minutes of sailing the ship began to heel over. She righted herself slightly - and heeled over again. Water started to gush in through the open gunports. And, to everyones horror and disbelief, the glorious and mighty warship suddenly sank! Of the 150 people on board, 30-50 died in the disaster. When Vasa had been salvaged in 1961, archaeologists found the remains of 25 skeletons."

Funny, the whole idea of a self destructing boat never caught on.

[eastforker]

Sounds like it went down during a storm,the crewmembers on deck probably lashed themselves to the helm to keep from being washed overboard.

[Consort]

Could be a Viking submarine that somehow got runed.

[NautiNurse]

Intriguing story--thanks for posting it.

[AngrySpud]

How in the world can two 65-foot masts survive completely intact after 200 years in 300 feet of salt water?

This reminds me of the improbable final scene in the movie "The Goonies" where the ancient fully-rigged pirate ship sails away.

[THX 1138]

I thought the correct spelling was "Wasa"? At least that's how I've seen it before.

The reason the ship sank so quickly is simple. In the original design, the king's shipbuilders gave it one deck of guns. King Adolphus insisted on a second deck being added. Nobody dared contradict the king, so it was done. Which, of course, made the ship top-heavy.

What an idiot.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Probably because of lack of oxygen, like deep in Lake Superior.

[tjg]

If the water is cold enough it will preserve the wood. People have started salvaging century old logs that sunk during logging operations in the great lakes. The logs are in excelent shape, and worth quite a bit of money.

[MHGinTN]

Are there extensive methane hydrates on the Baltic Sea floor?... I seem to recall so from a world map of major methane deposits in the form of hydrates. BUT I could be mistaken.

[Darksheare]

The Baltic isn't as salty as the rest of the seas/oceans.

[tjg]

Eric above is probably right. It's the lack of O2.

[TomB]

I thought the correct spelling was "Wasa"? At least that's how I've seen it before.

The link and the article are both from the official museum website. So it's safe to assume it's "Vasa",

[Vic3O3]

Neat Swedish ping

[Lower55]

Yah! You betcha!