Napoleonic cannon found in Kristiansund

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Two divers Nils Aukan and Magnus Tornes were looking for an antique anchor during a dive in Kristiansund. Instead, the men found an iron cannon from the Napoleonic era.

The two men went diving in the municipality of Kristiansund, in the west of Norway, with a very specific purpose. They were looking for an antique anchor, which according to their information should have been on the bottom since 1808.

It was at this time that skirmishes with the British fleet continued in the area. Two units Royal Navy were to cut off and abandon this anchor. These were the corvettes Cygnet and Tatar, which attacked Kristiansund on 8 July 1808. However, the attack was not successful and the local forces repelled the aggressors.

Together with Kristiansund Diving Club we were on a wonderful dive in Markussundet. We were looking for an anchor that two British corvettes had to cut off during skirmishes in 1808 – said Magnus Tornes

Although the divers did not find an anchor during their search, they cannot complain about the overall result. All because instead of an anchor, they discovered an iron cannon sunken in the bottom! The artefact lies at a depth of 34 m and, based on a preliminary examination, the divers determined that it is a 130 cm long iron can non.

On returning home Magnus Tornes released some pictures of the dive on the internet. These quickly aroused interest and the matter of the discovery became widely known. In recent days, the story of both divers has been covered by many news outlets and major editorial offices in Norway.

It was Nils who discovered the cannon buried in the bottom, and later we both took pictures of it – said Magnus Tornes.

Further studies

Interestingly, the cannon found may be older than the anchor they were looking for. The divers informed the Maritime Museum about their find and the cannon will probably soon be examined by specialists. After a detailed examination we will learn more and perhaps archaeologists will discover the history of the historic cannon.

It is unusual that we were looking for an anchor, but instead we found an iron cannon – Nils Aukan said.

This is already the second such find made by divers in Norway in recent times. In mid-December we informed about another interesting discoverywhich Norwegian divers made in Bergen, more than 500 km away.

Photo: Magnus Tornes