A 17th century Dutch trading vessel discovered by a Finnish diver last year on the bottom of the Baltic Sea has been identified and dated, reports Dutch News.
Search for wartime battle ships
The ship known as a ‘fluit’ for its deep hull which allowed it to carry a bigger cargo, was found 86 metres below the surface by Juha Flinkman who was part of a team of divers looking for remains of wartime battle ships.
He told the Telegraaf at the time, ‘My mouth fell open in amazement at what I was looking at, and I had to push my breathing gear back in ,It was a fluit, the queen of trade. We had only ever seen models of this type of ship. When you hovered above it, you could see its peculiar shape, with that weird round hull and a narrow deck. And incredibly, it was still in one piece.’
Discovery of the Swan
During the filming of the documentary “Fluit”, the international diving group Badewanne this summer found “hakkebord” (transom), an elaborately decorated wooden board with its name and other identification marks on the stern.
Incredibly, it was in good condition, pulled from the sand and turned upwards, and the diver immediately saw the shape of a swan and 1636. “This has restored my belief in miracles,” said maritime archaeologist Minna Koivicco.
Martijn Manders, a maritime archaeologist in the Dutch Cultural Heritage Division, said further research is needed to find more detailed information.
“You think so right away, yes! That’s what we want to see. I don’t know if it’s a white swan or something else because there was no paint left on the transom, but this is A good lead. You can still find the place where the ship was built from Transom, even after it has been properly cleaned.“
Manders said he welcomes amateur detectives interested in maritime history to participate in his search. “More and more archives are now available in digital format. This will be a great summer project for non-expert historians to get hooked on. It’s an interesting puzzle, just for the bad summer. It is.“
Approximately 3,000 vessels depart from the highly profitable Baltic trade route each year, boosting the slow, small vessels of competitors. About 70 Zaandam wharfs are built annually.
De Zwan is likely to have been wrecked in a storm, Manders told the newspaper. This may also be a clue. “We know from our research what the weather was like one day in Europe in the 17th century. It would be great if we could know the names of the crew and if anyone survived. It will give the story a personal touch.“
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Dutch News
