The Swedish Maritime Administration discovers a well-preserved 150-year-old cargo ship
The Swedish Maritime Administration discovered a remarkably well-preserved vessel at a depth of about 35 meters at sea measurements outside Umeå, last month. The wreck’s location outside Holmsund has been determined, according to reports from Wreck. It was the English cargo ship Annie that sank in 1891, according to divers who have dived on the site. The diver Mikael Rönnkvist said that as soon as they heard about a large unknown wreck that was undamaged, they wanted to look it up. They were able to go down and study the well-preserved steamship after some detective work with Simon Kenttä, who is also an experienced wreck explorer. They noticed the ship’s name on the watch and on the steering wheel, which also said 1877 and London. Everything is still there, and the timber is in good condition due to brackish water. The occurrence of well-preserved wrecks along the Norrland coast is remarkable, according to Rönnkvist. Because the sea is not very deep there, the ice presses and destroys the wreck.
There were 18 crew members on board
The steamboat, owned by Fredrick Gordon and Co, had loaded firewood in Sävenäs outside 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 meters in length.
The ship ran aground east of Angesön, off Umeå, due to negligence and ambiguity with the navigation. It was damaged on the bottom and took in water. It sank after a salvage vessel arrived to begin towing. The crew, however, was rescued, according to Wreck. In the English naval declaration, the captain and one of his friends were judged to have acted indecently and were sentenced to six months’ suspension from service.
Given that most of the treasures remained on the ship and its location is now known, archaeologist Göran Ekberg at the State Maritime Museum warned that the wreck would probably be looted, according to Sputnik. Ekberg told Sweden’s public television SVT that people can not help themselves when it comes to looting. Watches, compasses, crockery and bottles, he claims, are the objects that are likely to be looted.
