Sunken 19th-Century Ship with Champagne, Mineral Water for Kings Found in Baltic Sea

Polish divers have discovered a sunken 19th-century sailing ship in the Baltic Sea with more than 100 bottles of champagne, wine, expensive mineral water and porcelain on board.

The BBC and The Washington Post write about it.

The ship was found at a depth of 58 metres, 37 kilometres from the Swedish island of Eland. According to Tomas Stahura, head of the diving team, this is a unique find, as usually only one or two bottles of alcohol are found after shipwrecks, but here it is a whole cargo.

The divers were able to establish the approximate date of the ship's sinking - between 1850 and 1867.

At first, the team was even hesitant to explore the site, but two divers decided to dive anyway. They spent almost two hours underwater and returned with news of an amazing find.

A particularly interesting discovery was clay bottles of mineral water made by the German brand Selters, which was very expensive at the time and was served mainly at royal tables. Tomasz Stachura suggests that the cargo could have been intended for the Russian Emperor Nicholas I, as one of the royal ships was shipwrecked in the area in 1852.

Divers claim that the champagne and mineral water from the sunken sailing ship have retained their taste and can be consumed even now. Henry Jeffries, author of The Empire of Booze, jokes that the cold and darkness of the seabed are ideal conditions for preserving alcohol for more than 150 years.

However, wine expert Leta Bester warns that the quality of champagne can be a ‘lottery’. She noted that champagne produced without aging is not intended for long-term storage, so it is difficult to say how well its taste has been preserved.

Bringing the cargo to the surface will take time and coordination with the Swedish authorities. Tomasz Stachura said they are willing to wait to better prepare for the operation.