A team of divers dedicated to combing the Baltic Sea for shipwrecks said they finally have reason to celebrate after discovering a 19th-century vessel laden with about 100 sealed bottles of champagne.
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Divers discover 19th-century shipwreck laden with 100 champagne bottles
The wreck was located about 20 nautical mile south of the Swedish island of Öland.
Stachura, who specializes in underwater photography, said the ship was in “very good condition” and “loaded with champagne, porcelain wine and mineral water.”
After analyzing some of the items on board, the divers estimate that the ship capsized in the second half of the 19th century.
The divers did not initially expect the wreck to be “anything significant,” Stachura said in an email to The Washington Post Thursday, adding that the team “even hesitated for a moment whether to dive at all.”
But two of the team’s crew, Marek Cacaj and Pawel Truszynski, were determined to check out the wreck, Stachura said, adding that the pair were gone for almost two hours.
Stachura said he knew, in that moment, that the team had likely located something special.
While the Baltitech team have found “numerous wrecks” in the Baltic sea, it is unusual to find a shipwreck “loaded to the brim” with champagne, Stachura said.
“I have been diving for 40 years, and it often happens that there is one bottle or two... but to discover a wreck with so much cargo, it’s a first for me,” he said.
The team also discovered clay water bottles on the wreck, with the German brand name “Selters” stamped onto them.
During this time period, the German brand was “highly valued” and “often reserved for royal tables,” Stachura said. The water was “considered almost medicinal.”
Selters, which appears to still be producing water, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Developments regarding the team’s discovery will be shared at the Baltictech 2024 Conference, which be held in November in Poland.
While the divers notified Swedish regional authorities about their finding, they might not be able to crack open the ancient champagne just yet.
Further exploration and the possibility of hauling the cargo to the surface “will take time due to administrative restrictions,” Stachura said, though he didn’t seem to fazed about waiting to review the treasure above water.
“It had been lying there for 170 years, so let it lie there for one more year, and we will have time to better prepare for the operation,” he said.