Spökskeppet

The roughly 27-metre-long wreck was discovered by accident in 2003 during searches for the DC-3, the Swedish reconnaissance aircraft shot down by Soviet military aircraft in the 1950s.

It was first documented in 2007 using a ROV. The ship, with its hull intact, stands upright on its keel down in the depths. The preservation environment is ideal in the icy waters, which lack light and oxygen as well as hungry shipworms. As proof, the ship’s two masts still remain at their full length.

The ship is probably a fluit, built using a Dutch building technique. The fluit was a flat-bottomed type of ship that had a large cargo capacity. It featured a curved stern and narrow upper deck. The fluit was one of the most important types of merchant ships of the 17th century.

Wood samples from the remains that were analysed and dated show that some of the ship’s timber was felled sometime between 1669 and 1693.

A carved male figure sporting a big beard and a plumed hat was also among the remains. The sculpture possibly depicts a merchant. It was subsequently taken into the care of museum authorities in the Netherlands.