This year's expedition to the wreck of the "Mars" has begun! - video

Once again, an international expedition has set off to the wreck of the magnificent 16th century Swedish ship ‘Mars’ to conduct research at the site. The organisers said they will provide regular updates on progress during its duration and encourage people to follow the project’s social media profiles.

The Mars shipwreck was discovered in 2011 and every summer since then a research expedition has set out to explore and document this amazing vessel. This year’s project started on June 28th and from the information we have we know that the research team managed to prepare a base camp on Öland, as well as two days of fruitful dives.

-- Advertisement --

Of course, we don’t know the full list of objectives set by the organisers and participants, but from their announcements we know that during this year’s expedition video footage will be recorded, which will be the basis for a National Geographic documentary.

The international project carried out around the wreck “Mars the Magnificent”, brings together the best experts and specialists from around the world. This year the expedition is supported by experienced GUE divers from the USA, Great Britain, Ukraine, Korea, Russia, Denmark and Sweden, for whom in majority it is the return to this wreck. In the past also Poles – Dimitris Savrakakis and Tomasz Stachura made their valuable contribution to the development of the project.

Photo: Tomasz Stachura

The activities carried out around the wreck of the “Mars” are an excellent example of digitally executed excavations and non-invasive methods used in modern underwater archaeology. The fragile wreck has been lying on the bottom of the Baltic Sea since 1564. In addition, the depth of 72 metres is undoubtedly a hindrance to the daily work of archaeologists.

However, thanks to the advances of modern technology, ‘Mars’ can be documented using photogrammetry, creating extremely accurate 3D models that are of great research value. These then serve scientists on the surface, contributing to a better understanding of this archaeological site.

This year’s expedition will run for the next two weeks, and the organisers promise frequent updates on the progress of the work, as well as the opportunity to participate in live transmissions. It is therefore worth subscribing to and following the profiles associated with the Mars the Magnificent Project.

Source: Organiser