The Mars 2013 expedition has come to an end

In recent weeks, a group of divers led by Richard Lundgren conducted the next stage of work investigating and documenting the condition of the legendary Swedish vessel Mars. Among the group that was lucky enough to dive on the wreck were Tomasz Stachura and Dimitris Stavrakakis, well known to our readers.

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During the dives, as on previous occasions, the wreck was carefully photographed and fragments of the findings were taken, which will be used for further research. Among the excavated artefacts, the most exciting is (how else) one of the cannons with which the Swedish galleon was equipped.

The Mars was the flagship of the Swedish King Eric XIV’s fleet. The ship was a true masterpiece of boatbuilding, which gave its enemies a chronic headache. With 107 guns manned by 800 men, the colossus was the largest ship of its time.

In 1564, the combined forces of Denmark and Lübeck, after a fierce, two-day chase and firefight, sent the hated ship to the bottom of the sea. There it lay undisturbed by anyone until 2011, when members of Richard Lundgren’s expedition found it. This year’s dives are already the next stage of discovering the secrets hidden by Mars.

We will probably be able to learn more about the expedition during this year’s technical diving conference – Baltictech 2013, which will be held in Gdynia.

You can find more interesting photos here.

Photo: Tomasz Stachura