The Discovery of a Champagne-Laden Wreck in the Baltic Sea

The Hidden Treasures of the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea floor is a treasure trove of secrets, holding untold thousands of stories from sailors who have perished beneath its frigid waves. Many lost their lives to fierce battles, while others succumbed to tempestuous weather or treacherous rocks. Alongside them, their ships and the treasures they carried sank into the deep.

This month, a dedicated Polish diving team embarked on an expedition to explore a small wreck located just a few miles off the coast of Sweden. During their initial dive, they discovered what appeared to be a modest merchant vessel resting approximately 58 meters (about 190 feet) beneath the surface. However, Tomasz Stachura, the leader of the Baltictech diving group, felt an instinctive pull that there was more to this wreck than met the eye.

Returning the next morning for a closer investigation, Stachura was astonished to find crates upon crates that seemed to contain Champagne, alongside barrels of wine and exquisite porcelain. It was as if the cargo was destined for an extravagant celebration. “We realized that this was a kind of treasure,” he remarked, exhilarated by the discovery. He diligently captured photographs and attempted to clean the labels, although they proved to be illegible. Nevertheless, the distinctive shape of the bottles led him to believe they were indeed filled with Champagne. Upon examining the bottles more closely, he noticed tiny bubbles. “It came to me that, perhaps, they are drinkable,” he mused.

While the wreck itself is not an uncommon sight—approximately 100,000 sunken ships are estimated to rest on the Baltic seabed, according to Jim Hansson, a maritime archaeologist at the Vrak Museum of Wrecks in Sweden—the discovery of Champagne is a rarity. “It’s not so common,” he stated, as he prepared for further dives with the Swedish Coast Guard, highlighting the significance of this unexpected find.