A very cool find in the Baltic Sea!

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

A very important find with ancient and intact shipwrecks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100309/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_sweden_shipwrecks

 

[33&athird]

That's amazing- they look to be in very good shape, all things considered. I hope they get some cool information from it, even if just from diving. The sheer scope is impressive, along with the timeline. I wonder what the pipe company is going to do about it:scratch2:...

My first thought is that they found Leonard Cohen's typewriter, then I remembered he threw it in the Aegean sea.

 

[dokblues]

Very Nice! I love it when they discover long lost relics on the ocean floor. It`s Great that they are in what appears to be Excellent condition and they can surely get lots of good information and perhaps some artifacts from them.

 

[spartanmanor]

Great story. Lets hope they do the right thing.

 

[gearhound]

To me the question would be.............................................

What is so special about that area, that those ships would be found virtually intact?

Can't wait to see the mini-series on the Sci-Fi......er......Discovery Channel.


Steve

 

[niklasthedol]

The Baltic Sea has a very low salt intensity.

"dolph"

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

What is so special about that area, that those ships would be found virtually intact?
Steve

Low salt content and that area doesn't have the type of worms which eat wood.

 

[onepixel]

I read in another article yesterday, in that region they've estimated about 10,000 ships sitting on the bottom from over the centuries. As for those recent finds I don't thing they are going to salvage them.

 

[Goodwill_HiFi]

They're quite a few ships, in good shape, in the great lakes, too. Granted they don't go back as early since we haven't been in this part of the world as long. I wouldn't doubt there's a few Indian canoes down there, Though.

Unfortunately, the invasive Zebra mussels are starting to damage the wrecks, now. They build up so thick and then brake off, taking some of the wood with them.

 

[DaWoofer]

I believe also it has to do with the layering of the type of water present with less oxygen, especially in the Black Sea where they have found similar well preserved ships.

 

[moinau]

I've sailed the Baltic Sea numerous time since 1967. It is a Sea, Lake, or Bay, depending of who you are talking with, with great and very complex history. All those wrecks found so far , probably only 1/1000th of what's there, are because of trading and all of the wars fought since the Roman times. Because of the make up of this sea, historically it is a treasure unequaled anywhere in the world.

 

[Goodwill_HiFi]

I believe also it has to do with the layering of the type of water present with less oxygen, especially in the Black Sea where they have found similar well preserved ships.

Yes, the cold water holds less oxygen....... depth helps too, I believe. One day, the local air museum had an open house, that I decided to attend. I was in the lobby reading a magazine about an old military airplane that had been found and pulled up out of Lake Michigan. The article sited the cold water as being a big reason why it was in good shape. I enjoyed the article, and the exhibits, plus the car/truck show outside. When leaving someone told me not to forget to go check out the restoration shop..... it was the building down the driveway. I stopped and walked around the shop unsupervised....... and there was the airplane I had just read about :thmbsp: I had no idea it was there.... the article hadn't mentioned that.

 

[Numistrek09]

I heard about this the other day and am quite interested to see what is discovered down there.

Lots of factors involved in the preservation of these wrecks. In the great lakes it is the fresh water + cold, in the black sea it's the salt. It's just too salty for anything to live down there. It's literally a dead zone. I believe the Baltic has more to do with the low oxygen content. But sometimes even low Ox and cold/salty conditions arn't enough. Just look at the wreck of the Titanic.

 

[niklasthedol]

I've sailed the Baltic Sea numerous time since 1967. It is a Sea, Lake, or Bay, depending of who you are talking with, with great and very complex history. All those wrecks found so far , probably only 1/1000th of what's there, are because of trading and all of the wars fought since the Roman times. Because of the make up of this sea, historically it is a treasure unequaled anywhere in the world.

According to the International Hydrographic Organizations "Limits Of Oceans And Seas", the Baltic Sea is bordered by the coasts of Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany and extends north-eastwards of the following limits:
In the Little Belt (Dansih Waters): A line joining Falshøft 54° 47' N, 9° 57',5 E and Vejnæs Nakke, Ærø 54° 49' N, 10° 26' E.
In the Great Belt (Danish Waters): A Line Joining Gulstav (South Extreme of Langeland Island) and Kappel Kirke 54° 46' N, 11° 01' E on the Island of Lolland.
In Guldborg Sound (Dansih Waters): A Line joining Flinthorne Rev and Skjelby 54° 38' N, 11° 53' E.
In the Sound Øresund (Danish and Swedish Waters): A Line Joining Stevns Lighthouse 55° 17' N, 12° 27' E and Falsterbo Point 55° 23' N, 12° 49' E.

Baltic Sea is a sub division of the North Atlantic.
Sub divisions under the Baltic Sea are:
Gulf of Bothnia
Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Riga

Baltic Sea is not a lake.

Temperatures of the Baltic Sea can be from 0°C/partly frozen to somewhere in the 20's°C.
The Baltic Seas has been suffering from a lot of alga over the last decade.

A lot of wars have been fought in the Baltic Sea.
Significant for the Baltic Sea and partially the North Sea (also part of the North Atlantic) and surrounding waters is the Hanse Federation from ~1100 to ~1600 AD.
This was a very early trade federation and they developped ability to communicate over long distances between the cities of the Hanse Federation by means of fires.
As Denmark is said to have been the inventor of the sailing ship and Denmark, Sweden and Holland historical have been the all time greatest sailing nations, the control of the waters within the Hanse Federation was extreme.
My guess is that a lot of wrecks; a lot more than normal, ended up on the bottom due to wars and the Hanse federation.

"dolph"

 

[mech986]

Yes, the cold water holds less oxygen....... depth helps too, I believe. One day, the local air museum had an open house, that I decided to attend. I was in the lobby reading a magazine about an old military airplane that had been found and pulled up out of Lake Michigan. The article sited the cold water as being a big reason why it was in good shape. I enjoyed the article, and the exhibits, plus the car/truck show outside. When leaving someone told me not to forget to go check out the restoration shop..... it was the building down the driveway. I stopped and walked around the shop unsupervised....... and there was the airplane I had just read about :thmbsp: I had no idea it was there.... the article hadn't mentioned that.

OT but now you've got to tell us where and what the name of the museum is!

Thanks!

 

[Goodwill_HiFi]

Lots of factors involved in the preservation of these wrecks. In the great lakes it is the fresh water + cold, in the black sea it's the salt. It's just too salty for anything to live down there. It's literally a dead zone.

Aren't you thinking of the Dead Sea?

 

[finnbow]

I visited the Vasa that was mentioned in the article when I was in Stockholm in 1980. It's pretty awesome to see a ship nearly 400 years old up close and personal. They've found it was necessary to preserve the ship with years of polyethylene glycol spray treatment and subsequent drying. A little discussion of why it survived in Stockholm's harbor is offered here.