the ships, the sunken treasures of the Baltic Sea

In the northeast of Europe hides the largest underwater museum in the world. In Sweden, the Baltic is a sanctuary of wrecks, there would be more than 10,000, sometimes a few meters from the shore. In the port of Stockholm, underwater archaeologists prepare to dive to study five ships that have been lying in the water for several centuries. “The Baltic Sea is different because it is less salty. There’s not a lot of oxygen in the water, so we don’t have all those molluscs nibbling on the wood of shipwrecks. All over the world, boats would have been eaten”explains Jim Hansson, underwater archaeologist.

A 17th century ship in pristine condition

In the middle of the boats, the oldest of which dates from the 16th century, they measure the hulls and analyze each piece found to date the tub. “The best possible preservation is to leave them in water”, supports the archaeologist. In a museum in the capital is exhibited the Vasa, a 70-meter-long Swedish navy vessel dating from the 17th century in an unparalleled state of preservation and which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.