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The Plus Wreck: Late 19th-Century Windjammer in Finland's Åland Islands

Located in the Åland Archi­pelago of the Baltic Sea is the wreck of the late 19th-century, German-made, three-masted, iron-hulled barque named Plus, which was lost on a stormy night in 1933. Andrea Murdock Alpini describes his journey there and his dives on this wreck.

Words:
Andrea Murdock Alpini
Images:
Andrea Murdock Alpini
A rare photo of the sailing ship Plus at anchor in a harbour
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Wrecks & Archaeology

Today, I head to Stockholm. There, a ship is waiting, which will carry me to Mariehamn, the largest town in the Åland Islands. Once I arrive in this autonomous region of Finland, my return to the Baltic Sea will finally be accomplished. The last time I was here was 15 years ago, and since then, I have never forgotten it.

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Finland: 17th to 19th-Century Wrecks at Hanko

To help promote dive tourism in the Baltic Sea, the European Union’s Project Baltacar, a collaboration between Sweden, Finland and Estonia, has developed underwater heritage trails for visiting a selection of unique wreck sites in the three countries. In Finland, the project has established buoys and created dive site maps for a group of five wrecks from the 17th to the 19th centuries, located just outside Hanko. Susanne Lundvall reports.

Words:
Susanne Lundvall
Images:
Will Appleyard
Jessica Olofsson
Diver at port side of the figurehead wreck Osborn & Elisabeth in Hanko, Finland
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Wrecks & Archaeology

The dive equipment was packed, and I would soon head to Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport to catch my flight to Helsinki in Finland. It was time for another wonderful weekend of diving in the spirit of history, under the leadership of Project Baltacar.

Arriving in Helsinki, I picked up my fully packed dive bag. It weighed 22.5kg, and the maximum weight allowed by Finnair was 23kg. At the car rental company, I met my dive friends from Stockholm and England. The plan for the afternoon was to drive from Helsinki to Hanko, which takes about two hours.

Well-preserved 300 year-old frigate discovered in the gulf of Finland

Divers reported that the vessel was extremely well-preserved and that the wooden structures were in surprisingly good condition, since all cannons were still located on the gun deck.

Wrecks & Archaeology

The wreck, which has been confirmed to be that of 300-year-old frigate Huis te Warmelo was found at a depth of 64 metres near Helsinki. The vessel was once part of the Dutch navy, specifically a region known as West Frisia. The ship was identified on the basis of hull dimensions, location, structure and armament.

Finnish media report the find of 15th century treasure ship

Wreck hunter claim to have found the wreck of the Hanneke Wrome, which sank with valuable cargo and some 200 passengers and crew on 20 November 1468.

Wrecks & Archaeology

Finland’s accomplished diver and wreck researcher Rauno Koivusaari, who discovered the famous treasure ship Vrouw Maria in 1999, has now also found the wreck of the Hanneke Wrome just south of the island of Jussarö in Finland. According to historic documents, the ship was carrying 10,000 gold coins, estimated to be worth around €50 million today.

Wreck beer recreated

In the summer 2010 divers salvaged beer and champagne bottles from the 1840s in an old shipwreck in the Åland archipelago. Based on extensive scientific analysis Stallhagen has succeeded in recreating the historical recipe and produced a fresh version of the 170 year old beer.

Wrecks & Archaeology

The brew was reproduced thanks to elaborate research by Finnish and Belgian scientists who teamed up after the wreckage was discovered off Finland's Aaland Islands in 2010.

Divers exploring 40 feet down found only five bottles of beer next to 145 champagne bottles -- confirmed as the world's oldest drinkable bubbly -- in the long-lost wreck. The Government of the autonomous Åland Islands is the owner of the findings and had the beers analyzed at VTT Technical Research Center in Finland.

WW1 Russian submarine located by Estonian divers

Estonian divers have discovered what they believe to be one of Russia's first battle submarines. Akula was the first Russian submarine able to cruise long distances. In 1912 Akula made the world's first multi-torpedo volley with five torpedoes.

Wrecks & Archaeology

The 400-ton Russian submarine, commissioned in 1911, was the biggest in the pre-revolutionary Russian navy. During the first world war, she served in the Baltic Fleet making 16 patrols and unsuccessfully attacked the German coastal defence ship SMS Beowulf.

In November 1915 during her 17th patrol, she struck a mine and sank near Hiiumaa with the loss of all 35 seamen and came to rest at a depth of about 30 meters.

Finnish divers locate intact WW1 German submarine in the Baltic

The U-26 wreck is in very good condition, probably the best preserved WWI German U-boat wreck in the world.

U-26 was lost with all hands in August 1915
Wrecks & Archaeology

At the beginning of World War I the German submarine U-26 disappeared without a trace.

On October 11, 1914, she sank the Russian cruiser Pallada inflicting the first loss of the war on the Russian navy. The boat did not return from sea in August 1915 and is assumed to have struck a mine or suffered a technical failure off the coast of Finland.

The Finnish group of divers who goes by the name Badewanne states on their website:

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Finland's Ojamo Mine

Diving the Ojamo lime mine in Finland, 138 meters of water, 4°C.

Imagine sub-zero temperatures and a hole in the ice. That is your entrance to the underworld of Ojamo, the most popular diving site in Finland.

Words:
Antti Apunen
Images:
Janne Suhonen
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Tech and Training



Ojamo lime mine is situated 60 kilometers west of Helsinki. It attracts thousands of visitors every year. The mine area is part of the city of Lohja, known for its industry.

The mining operations began here in the 19th century. When the open pit got too deep, mining was taken into the tunnels. More technology was introduced to boost the human powered operations. Ojamo mine was a key driver of development for the area for decades. It fuelled the local economy and provided work for the locals.

Beer from 1840's shipwreck anyone?

Researchers from Finland have found a bottle of beer from a shipwreck in the 1840s. The chemical analysis of the beer would allow them with the help of the master brewer to re-create a beer that tastes much the same.

Wrecks & Archaeology

A few bottles of beer were found in an old shipwreck in the archipelago of Åland in Finland during the summer of 2010. Researchers have now managed to isolate four different species of live lactic acid bacteria from the beer.

The 2010 discovery of the ship, believed to have sunk in the 1840s, also included the world's oldest champagne considered drinkable which has since been auctioned off.

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