A team of Polish divers has discovered a 19th century shipwreck filled with more than 100 bottles of champagne and other luxury goods off the Swedish coast. The diving group BaltiTech found the wreckage of the old sailing ship earlier this month south of the Aland islands, between Sweden and Finland. Two people from the team decided to dive in to analyze the wreck and when they emerged two hours later, they knew “there was something very interesting on the bottom,” Baltitech said in an online post.
Divers exploring ancient Greek shipwreck make huge archaeological discovery Archaeologists discover 'world's oldest shipwreck' that sank 3,300 years ago The divers found the ship was "in very good condition, loaded to the sides with champagne, wine, mineral water and porcelain." The team estimated there were more than 100 bottles of champagne on the wreck as well as baskets of mineral water in clay bottles. The group found the clay bottles were produced by a German manufacturer known as Selters between 1850 and 1867.
“I have been diving for 40 years, and it often happens that we find a bottle or two in a wreck, but to discover so much cargo, it’s a first for me,” team leader Tomasz Stachura told The Associated Press. The team said the goods may have been on the way to the royal table in Stockholm or the Russian tsar’s residence in St Petersburg when the ship sank sometime in the second half of the 19th century. “In those days, mineral water, was treated almost like medicine and only found its way to royal tables.
Its value was so precious that transports were escorted by the police,” Baltitech said. Tomasz said the Champagne is still in good condition. Moment Titanic sub spins out of control with panicked passengers stuck on board Archaeologists recovered treasure from ancient shipwrecks in South China Sea Incredible discovery as Shackleton's missing shipwreck found after 60 years “At this depth the wreckage is perfectly preserved, the temperature is constant, there are no currents and it’s dark,” he said.
“That preserves the wreckage in a wonderful way.” The team are in contact with experts who are interested in doing laboratory tests on the contents of the Champagne and mineral water bottles..
