Wreck of 16th century ship "Mars" reconstructed in 3D - video

Our readers could read about the wreck of the legendary Swedish vessel “Mars” on Divers24 many times. Partly due to the uniqueness of the vessel itself and the difficulties faced by divers in exploring such a deeply located wreck, but mainly due to the participation of two Poles in the project – Tomasz Stachura and the late Dima Stavrakakis, who contributed to the exploration and documentation of the vessel. Today, we have the opportunity to write about another result of these research works, as the “Mars” has lived to see its detailed 3D model!

During several years of exploring, researching and documenting the shipwreck of the Swedish King Eric XIV, scientists have managed to gather excellent material that has made it possible to create a 3D virtual model of the shipwreck of the “Mars”. This was possible thanks to the contribution of a team of researchers from the department of underwater archaeology at Södertörn University, led by Professor Johann Rönnby.

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The Swedish ship “Mars” was sunk during a sea battle near Öland, in 1564. The combined forces of Denmark and Lübeck caught up with the pride of the Swedish fleet after two days of pursuit and sent her to the bottom. As the old saying goes, “one force for one”. In such a case, 107 cannons and over 800 crewmen were of no use. The giant under the banner of the three crowns had to fall.

For many years divers have been trying to locate the final resting place of this magnificent sailing ship. They succeeded only in August 2011. One of the leading figures of this project was (and still is) Richard Lundgren, who, a few months later, shared his impressions from the discovery and the first exploration during the technical divers’ conference Baltictech 2011, which took place in Gdynia at that time.

For archaeologists involved in similar projects, Mars has special significance. After it was found, the chief archaeologist at the Royal Swedish Maritime Museum, Andreas Olsson, said that it was the missing link in the art of shipbuilding.

When talking about the work involved in creating the 3D model, as well as the wreck itself, Professor Rönnby said that for many the “Mars” was cursed and its tragic fate had already been recorded during the ship’s construction. All for the right cannons, which were made from melted down church bells…

Source: news.nationalgeographic.com