Karlsruhe 2021 expedition - diving on the wreck of an unknown sailing ship

The Karlsruhe 2021 expedition, organised by the Baltictech group, has already completed its first day of diving. As a warm-up, the divers explored the wreck of an unknown sailing ship resting nearby.

The divers taking part in the Karlsruhe 2021 expedition, organised by the Baltictech group, have already had their first day of diving. Because they have chosen the wreck of an unknown sailing ship for the unraveling and checking of all the equipment. The vessel sank 500 m off steamboat wreck Karlsruhe. The group had located the wreck during one of Baltictech’s previous expeditions.

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Following a diving reconnaissance, the diving team collected photographic documentation and made preliminary findings. Located near Karlsruhe the wreck is a metal sailing ship. The vessel has interesting decorations on the bow, as can be seen in the photos provided by Baltictech. The origin of the unknown sailing vessel and the circumstances of its sinking are not known.

The first day is behind us. We started by examining a smaller wreck 500m away from Karlsruhe. It turned out to be a metal sailing ship with a decorated bow. Maybe it was a vessel from the same convoy, sunk a few minutes after Karlsruhe? It will probably be very complicated to check this.

This is how the team of Karlsruhe 2021 spent last Sunday, the first day of the expedition. As dusk fell, the Glomar Vantage anchored above the expedition’s main target. Monday promises to be exciting. Unless something unforeseen happens, the divers will start diving on the wreck of the SS Karlsruhe.

Finally at night we moved over our wreck and stabilised the anchors. On a big Project everything takes a lot of time. Setting 4 anchors is about 4-6 hours, so we often wait and wait….

Man does not live by diving alone

However, diving and exploring wrecks is not all that the participants of the expedition do. As the Karlsruhe 2021 expedition is a very large and serious undertaking, the participants use their free time to acquire new knowledge and skills.

We used the excess time for rescue training in the decompression chamber. The mood is great, the Glomar Vantage ship is excellent, the team is strong and we all commit 100%. Today we descend to Karlsruhe, set the lowering rope permanently and start the tests. Let’s have more information tomorrow.

All that remains for us is to wait and keep our fingers crossed for good weather and for what is in the crates that the Germans took in the last transport from besieged Königsberg.

Facilities and support

The entire project is financed by the Baltictech Group from private funds. The main sponsor of the expedition is the SANTI Company, which for years has been supporting the project of searching for the Polish submarine ORP Orzeł. In addition, Glomar Offshore, the owner of the vessel Glomar Vantage, and the companies Suex and JJ-CCR, which support the project with equipment.

Baltictech

It is a diving group from the Tricity which deals with research on Baltic wrecks and which promotes the Baltic Sea as one of the most interesting diving sites in the world. One of their most important activities is lobbying for greater accessibility of the Baltic wrecks for the diving community. Every two years the group organises a conference in Gdynia, where we share our knowledge and experience with other divers.