Świnoujście: wreck of a sailing ship from the 19th century found

Listen to this article A surprising discovery was made by a group of divers in the vicinity of Swinoujscie harbour. While diving at a depth of just a few metres, they managed to find the wreck of a wooden sailing ship! The find, according to initial estimates, dates back to the mid-19th century! The remains

ByMarcin Pawelczyk

Published: September 28, 2014 - 12:08

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 08:26

Świnoujście: wreck of a sailing ship from the 19th century found

Listen to this article

A surprising discovery was made by a group of divers in the vicinity of Swinoujscie harbour. While diving at a depth of just a few metres, they managed to find the wreck of a wooden sailing ship! The find, according to initial estimates, dates back to the mid-19th century!

The remains found are the wreck of a 40m long double masted ship. The overall condition of the find was described as very good, although the bow and stern sections are damaged. The wreck, despite being located near the entrance to the harbour, by the western breakwater, has not been found so far and has not been explored. The discoverers of the wreck from the Sea Heritage Association, who were commissioned by the Maritime Office to conduct research there, are certainly satisfied with this turn of events.

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According to information provided to the local media by Aleksander Ostasz, well known in the diving circles, the find is located at a depth of 4.5 to 6 metres. After sinking, the wreck settled on the bottom slightly tilted to the port side, with the bow directed towards the harbour entrance.

The current knowledge about the ship and her sinking is saturated with speculations and hypotheses, the confirmation of which will take some time. One of the possible versions of the sinking of the ship is that it was sunk on purpose and at the same time blocked the entrance to the harbour during the Franco-Prussian War in the years 1870-1971.

As the case is very fresh, we all have to be patient before we know anything more about the found double masted ship. The most important thing now is for the weather to be good and for funds to be found as soon as possible for the preservation and conservation of the artefacts found.

On the occasion of this discovery, its authors reminded us of several previous discoveries made in the area and stressed that the western part of the Baltic Sea is still a virgin area in terms of wreck exploration. We can be sure, therefore, that more than once and more than twice we will receive news about underwater discoveries from this area.

Source: swinoujskie.info