FALCON POWERS – At a depth of about 58 meters off the Swedish coast, a team of Polish divers discovered the wreckage of an old sailing ship loaded with luxury goods, including ceramic pieces and about 100 bottles of champagne and mineral water.
It is believed that the valuable cargo was likely on its way to the royal table in Stockholm or the residence of the Russian Tsar in St. Petersburg when the ship sank sometime in the second half of the 19th century, according to team leader Tomasz Stachura.
The “Baltic” diving group made this discovery on July 11 during an inspection of important sites about 37 kilometers south of the island of Öland.
Before they were ready to complete the search, two divers, Marek Kakayi and Paweł Truszczyński, decided to dive quickly and emerged after two hours with news of the wreckage and its precious cargo. The “Seltzer” mineral water brand was printed on the glass bottles, as it was believed at the time to have medicinal properties.
As for the champagne brand, Stachura said it has not yet been identified, but “the letter R can be seen on one of the bottles.” He noted that the contents are most likely still in good condition, adding: “At this depth, the wreckage is preserved in an ideal way, with a constant temperature, no currents, and in complete darkness.”
He confirmed that champagne and “Seltzer” experts have contacted the “Baltic” company and expressed interest in conducting laboratory tests on the contents of the bottles, while the Swedish authorities will decide on the next steps.
It is worth noting that the Baltic divers had previously discovered the wreckage of the SS Karlsruhe, the last ship to leave Königsberg in 1945 as part of the evacuation of German civilians during World War II.
