The ancient ship was found loaded “to the brim” with luxury items, including porcelain and around 100 bottles of champagne and mineral water.
They say champagne gets better with age, but does itWould you dare to try a bottle from the 19th century??
In a recent diving expedition, some Polish technical divers stumbled upon a wreck that could easily have been mistaken for an old fishing boat. The sonar didn’t reveal much, suggesting there was little of interest beneath the surface.
However, divers Marek Cacaj and Pawel Truszynski decided to investigate further. Their curiosity paid off when they spent two hours exploring a well-preserved 19th century sailing ship 190 feet deep in the Baltic Sea and discovered a stash of vintage champagne bottles still hidden among the wreck.
According to team leader Tomasz Stachura, they believe that the precious objects, including champagne bottles, mineral water bottles and porcelain objects, could 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.
“I’ve been diving for 40 years, and it often happens that we find one or two bottles on a wreck, but discovering so much load is a first for me“Stachura told The Associated Press this week.
The mineral water brand, Selters, which At that time it was believed to have medicinal properties, was printed on the stoneware bottles. The brand of the champagne has yet to be determined, but the letter R could be seen on a cork, according to Stachura. He also believes that the contents are preserved in good condition.
“At this depth, the remains are perfectly preservedthe temperature is constant, there are no currents and it is dark,” Stachura explained. “This preserves the remains in a wonderful way.“.
He said that the Champagne experts and Selters have already contacted Baltictech and are interested in perform laboratory tests on the contents of the bottles. But they are swedish authorities those that will decide the next steps in the exploration of the wreck, Stachura said.
Video editor • Theo Farrant
