Discovery of Champagne Wreck in the Baltic Sea

The Secrets of the Baltic Sea Floor

The Baltic Sea floor is a treasure trove of mysteries, with countless sailors having met their fate beneath its cold, unforgiving waves. Many have perished in fierce battles, while others succumbed to treacherous weather and rocky hazards. Along with them, their ships and the treasures they carried have been lost to time.

This month, a team of Polish divers embarked on an expedition to explore a seemingly unremarkable wreck located just a few miles off the coast of Sweden. Initially, their first dive revealed a modest merchant vessel resting at a depth of 58 meters (about 190 feet). However, Tomasz Stachura, the leader of the Baltictech diving group, sensed that there was more to this site than met the eye.

The following morning, driven by his intuition, Stachura returned to the wreck site. To his astonishment, he discovered a trove of crates that appeared to be filled with Champagne, along with fine wine and exquisite porcelain. It was as though the ship’s cargo was destined for a grand celebration.

“We quickly realized that this was a kind of treasure,” Stachura remarked, excitement evident in his voice. He meticulously took photographs and cleaned the labels, but unfortunately, they proved to be illegible. Still, the distinctive shape of the bottles strongly suggested that they contained Champagne. As he examined them more closely, he noticed tiny bubbles forming inside the bottles. “It occurred to me that, perhaps, they are still drinkable,” he added with a grin.

While the wreck itself is not an uncommon sight—approximately 100,000 sunken ships are believed to rest on the Baltic seabed, according to Jim Hansson, a maritime archaeologist at the Vrak Museum of Wrecks in Sweden—discovering a cache of Champagne is exceedingly rare. “Finding Champagne in a wreck is a remarkable occurrence,” Hansson stated, taking a break between dives with the Swedish Coast Guard. “It’s not something you come across every day.”