A cannon has been successfully retrieved from the moat of Fort Gerhard! - video

As we announcedn Friday, in Świnoujście an attempt was made to excavate a mysterious object that was located during the clearing of the moat of Fort Gerhard from branches. Initial assumptions were confirmed and a beautifully preserved cannon barrel was brought to the surface.

The find weighs about two tonnes and is made of iron. According to preliminary assumptions, the cannon comes from the late 18th or early 19th century. It was established that it is a front-loading cannon. This type of weapon was used until 1850. It was therefore assumed that the minimum age of the find was 170 years. More details about the history of the object will become known when it is cleaned, which will make it possible to read the inscriptions on it and carry out other research.

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[blockquote style=”2″]”Extraction was difficult because visibility underwater was almost limited to zero by silt. We did everything by touch. My job was to attach the hooks from the crane sling in such a way that the barrel would not slip and fall back into the water. Now, when the object is already pulled out, we will check exactly from what year the cannon can be” – said Lech Trawicki, archaeologist – diver.[/blockquote]

The story began with the “Kaiser”, a beaver that lived in the moat of Fort Gerhard. The beaver started to build a feeding ground, and while clearing the moat bed of branches and trees that had been knocked over by the beaver, a cannon was discovered lying at the bottom.

In addition to cannon barrels, ammunition dating from the Second World War was also excavated. This leads archaeologists to believe that all objects were sunk at the same time, by retreating German soldiers.

[blockquote style=”2″]”This is probably not the only such interesting find pulled out of the moat. There are many more to come, because we know that there are historical treasures under water, but they require the involvement of heavy equipment, and this involves costs,” concluded Piotr Piwowarczyk of the Coastal Defence Museum at Fort Gerhard.[/blockquote]

Fort Gerhard, also called Fort East, was built between 1856 and 1863 and is part of the Świnoujście Fortress. It is located on Wolin Island, near the lighthouse. The fortification is one of the best preserved Prussian coastal artillery forts in Europe.

Since 2010, the Museum of Coastal Defence has been located here. If you have never had the opportunity to visit this place, we recommend you catch up. You can read more about the fort and its current attractions here.

You can find a photo-report from the raising and extraction of the cannon here.

Source: swinoujskie.info

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