The Underwater Heritage Association has identified the wreck of a 1914 dredger.

The Underwater Heritage Association has announced the identification of the wreck of a 1914 German dredger.

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A wreck not very often visited by divers, known in the diving community as the “Dredger Piaśnica”, has been identified. All thanks to the actions taken by the Podwodne Dziedzictwo Association. After many years of resting on the sea bottom as an unnamed wreck, the vessel has finally regained its identity.

Identification of the wrecked dredger

As the association announced on its website, the wreck is the dredger Dampfbagger G.G.16. The vessel belonged to the company Gebruder Goedhart of Düsseldorf, and sank on 17 December 1914. The wreck rests on the bottom, at a depth of 22 metres, about 4 Mm from the shore, at the level of the river Piaśnica. This is where the name comes from.

Because the wreck of the dredger Dampfbagger G.G.16 rests about halfway between Stilo and Rozewie, it is not very often visited by divers. Nevertheless, as the association emphasises on its website, it has its own interesting history. Today, thanks to passion, perseverance and experience in solving similar puzzles, we can finally get to know it.

I came across the clue which enabled me to identify this object while working with old German newspapers. In one of the newspapers I was perusing, “Die Presse”, published on Thursday, December 17, 1914, I came across a reference that immediately caught my attention: “The dredger G.G.16, belonging to the company Gebruder Goedhart of Düsseldorf, towed with the tug “Karl Kiehn” from Hamburg to Danzig via Holtenau, on Saturday at 6 a.m. capsized 14 Mm north-west of Rixhöft and sank.” – writes Michal Rajmund of the Underwater Heritage Association, who managed to solve the mystery of the dredger.

The cause of the sinking of the dredger Dampfbagger G.G.16 was identified as a strong storm and large waves that flooded the vessel. All five crew members were rescued. Now, thanks to establishing the name of the wreckNow, thanks to a new photo, a picture has been found of the dredger in its heyday. We must admit that the dredger is impressive and looks very beautiful. More information about the wreck and its information can be found at Underwater Heritage Association.