BBC NEWS
In a remarkable find, a team of divers from the Polish diving group Baltitech has discovered a 19th Century shipwreck in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Sweden. Initially thought to be a fishing boat, the divers were amazed to find the wreck “loaded to the sides” with champagne, wine, mineral water, and porcelain. Over 100 bottles of champagne were counted in the wreck.
The discovery has led Tomasz Stachura, leader of Baltitech, to speculate that the shipment may have been intended for a Russian tsar. Baltitech specializes in exploring shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea and has described the find as “treasure.” Stachura expressed his excitement, saying, “I’ve been a diver for 40 years. From time to time, you see one or two bottles, but I’ve never seen crates with bottles of alcohol and baskets of water like this.”
The clay water bottles bearing the brand name Selters, a German company, helped the team date the wreck to the period between 1850 and 1867. While champagne may be of interest to many people today, mineral water was considered an exclusive product at the time and was treated almost like medicine. It was only available to the most prestigious tables, sometimes even requiring police escorts for transport.
Stachura told the BBC that he believes the goods could have been heading for the table of Russia’s Tsar Nicholas I, who reportedly lost one of his ships in the area in 1852. He explained that the exclusive cargo would make sense if the ship was indeed destined for royalty. Typically, wrecks are found with cheaper cargo, which sets this particular discovery apart.
He speculates that the ship may have been heading across the Baltic Sea to either Stockholm or St. Petersburg, which aligns with his theory. As for the champagne and prestigious mineral water, Stachura believes both would be drinkable today.
