Sweden: Maritime Administration discovers well-preserved 150-year-old cargo vessel

The Swedish Maritime Administration discovered a remarkably well-preserved vessel at a depth of around 35 metres during sea measurements outside of Umea, last month. The location of the wreck outside of Holmsund has been determined, as per the reports of Vrak. It was the English cargo ship Annie that sank in 1891, according to scuba divers who have dived on the site. Scuba diver Mikael Rönnkvist said that as soon as they heard of a vast unknown wreck that was undamaged, they wanted to look it up. They were able to descend down and study the well-preserved steamship after some detective work with Simon Kenttä, who is also a seasoned wreck explorer. They noticed the ship's name on the bell and on the steering wheel, which also said 1877 and London. Everything is still there, and the timber is in good condition because of the brackish water. The presence of well-preserved wrecks along the Norrland coast is remarkable, according to Rönnkvist. Because the sea isn't very deep there, the ice pushes and destroys the wreckage.

There were 18 crew members on board

The steamboat, owned by Fredrick Gordon and Co, had loaded wood in Sävenäs outside of Skellefte and was on its way to Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire, England, on the penultimate voyage. There were a total of 18 crew members on board. The ship was constructed in Sunderland and measured a little over 70 metres in length.

The ship ran aground east of Angesön, outside of Umea, due to carelessness and ambiguity with the navigation. It was damaged on the bottom and took in water. It sank after a salvage ship arrived to begin towing. The crew, on the other hand, was rescued, according to Vrak. In the English naval declaration, the captain and one of his friends were judged to have acted indecently and were condemned to a six-month suspension from service.

Given that most of the treasures remained on the ship and its location is now known, archaeologist Göran Ekberg of the state's Maritime Museum cautioned that the wreck would likely be looted, according to Sputnik. Ekberg told Swedish public television SVT that people can't help themselves when it comes to looting. Clocks, compasses, tableware and bottles, he claims, are the items that are most likely to be looted.

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