BS: Old ships!

Subject: BS: Old ships!
From: beardedbruce
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 06:53 AM

Gas pipeline probe uncovers shipwrecks in Baltic Sea
         

Mon Mar 8, 2:17 pm ET

STOCKHOLM (AFP) – A dozen previously unknown shipwrecks, some of them believed to be up to 1,000 years old, were discovered in the Baltic Sea during a probe of the sea bed to prepare for the installation of a large gas pipeline, the Swedish National Heritage Board said Monday.

"We have manage to identify 12 shipwrecks, and nine of them are considered to be fairly old," Peter Norman, a senior advisor with the heritage board, told AFP.

"We think many of the ships are from the 17th and 18th centuries and we think some could even be from the Middle Ages," he said, stressing that "this discovery offers enormous culture-historical value.

The shipwrecks were discovered during a probe by the Russian-led Nord Stream consortium of the sea bed route its planned gas pipeline from Russia to the European Union will take through the Baltic.

"They used sonar equipment first and discovered some unevenness along the sea bottom ... so they filmed some of the uneven areas, and we could see the wrecks," Norman explained.

The discovery was made outside Sweden's territorial waters, but within its economic zone, he said.

None of the wrecks were in the actual path the Nord Stream pipeline is set to take, but they were in its so-called anchor corridor, meaning they are in the area where ships laying the pipeline might anchor, Norman said.

"That's one of the reasons this probe was done: to avoid damaging wrecks on the sea bed," he said, adding that the Swedish National Heritage Board had received assurances from Nord Stream that "the positioning of the wrecks will be taken into account when they lay the pipeline".

Due to its low temperatures and oxygen levels, the Baltic Sea is known as an ideal environment for conserving shipwrecks, which can remain virtually unblemished for hundreds and even thousands of year.

According to Norman, some 3,000 shipwrecks have been discovered and mapped in the Baltic, but experts believe more than 100,000 whole and partial wrecks litter the sea bottom.

"What makes this discovery so unique is that these wrecks have their hulls fully intact," Norman said, adding however that there were no plans to raise the wrecks, which lie at a depth of more than 100 metres (328 feet).

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 07:41 AM

It seems likely that there will be follow-up on this story. Love to see some of the images.

I wonder if they were all sunk by "loose lips"?

Or by large bubbles of "methane."

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 11:47 AM

Kraken.

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: frogprince
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 11:57 AM

It's getting pretty bad when a librarian can't even spell Crackin'!..

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 02:08 PM

Kraken.

Of course fp meant Crackin' by Krakens was the cause of the ships' sinkings?

John

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Tig
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 04:53 PM

I wonder if any of them were built by Badger's family. His Grandad and Great Grandad Adamson owned a shipyard up Tyneside. His brother has been doing some research into the family history and has a published a short family history including a list of what they built, when they built it and who for. He hopes to add to this as any more turn up.

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Riginslinger
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 04:29 PM

If they can find long boats returning to port, there might be some loot on them.

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 04:41 PM

I ask this respectfully...but they never seem to mention finding skeletons etc....do they usually disperse or something, or is it just not mentioned? mg

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Riginslinger
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 07:35 PM

I would suspect the wrecks would have to be pretty recent to have skeletons lurking about.

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: frogprince
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 07:37 PM

If I'm remembering right, no one has found a trace of human remains in exploring the Titanic.

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 08:49 AM

I suspect that those who explore underseas wrecks are careful not to publicly disclose what they observe with regard to human remains; there is a high potential if such observations are disclosed for an emotional and negative response from the public.

I seem to recall that human remains were recovered in the excavation of the Vasa in Stockholm Harbor. The survival of such remains depends on a whole range of factors including water temperature, rate of sedimentation, and presence of marine organisms that dine on such fare.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: EBarnacle
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 09:01 AM

Here's another release that was in Art Daily:

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=36761

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 08:36 PM

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to access the link to the above story. There's a nice image of a ship's wheel.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Hrothgar
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 09:57 PM

Am I too cynical?

"None of the wrecks were in the actual path the Nord Stream pipeline is set to take"

... or they aren't going to tell about any that are in the path, because that will cost them time and money?

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Gurney
Date: 12 Mar 10 - 02:26 AM

Human remains. Like Charley, I read somewhere that the skeleton of an Elizabethan sailor was found, and that he had had syphilis, judging from his joints. Maybe on the Vasa, or the Mary Rose. The skeleton of a dog was definitely on the Mary Rose.

Different on the Titanic. There is a kind of lamprey eel down there that eats whales, let alone humans. The most poignant photo from that wreck was a pair of mens shoes a short way from the wreck, side be side. Looked like some poor sod was wearing them when they arrived there.

Subject: RE: BS: Old ships!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 12 Mar 10 - 04:41 PM

The best place in the world for preserved wrecks is the Black Sea, because all the water below a few hundred feet is oxygen-free and saturated with poisonous levels of hydrogen sulfide that kill all marine life that might damage timber. There are intact shipwrecks down there dating from classical times.