The Week Junior UK – 03 August 2019

14

Scienceand technology

The Week Junior•3August

A

perfectly preserved shipwreck has been found at

the bottom of the Baltic Sea, between Sweden

and Estonia, wherearchaeologists (experts who study

the remains of the past) believe it has been lying

untouched for around 500 years.

The ship–which has been named Okänt Skepp,

which means unknown ship in Swedish–was

discovered by the Swedish Maritime Administration

using sonar in 2009. Sonar bounces soundwaves

off the seafloor to create images of objects lying

there. In thiscase, itrevealedaship lying 140 metres

down. When an international team of archaeologists

sent an underwaterroboticcameratot ake

aproper lookearlier this year,they

werestunned by what they saw.

The team, which

included scientists

from the University of

Southampton, found

that around 99% of

the vesselwasintact.

They wereable to see

the ship’shull, masts,

and evenasmall rowing

boat. Archaeologist Dr

RodrigoPacheco-Ruiz, who

led theexpedition, said that the

wreck looked“almost likeits ank

yesterday.It’satruly astonishing sight”.

Darkness and poor visibility makeiti mpossible to

photograph all of the 17-metre-long ship at once, so

the team photographed it piecebypiece. Then, they

usedatechniquecalled photogrammetry to stitch

the images together onacomputer and builda3D

model of the vessel. Based on its design, the team

believes that the Okänt Skeppwasbuilt between

1490 and 1540, inaperiod known as the Age of

Discovery.This waswhen European shipsexplored

the world looking for new tradingroutes. Experts

think this particular vessel sank in Sweden’sWar

of Liberation, from 1521 to 1523, or duringawar

between Sweden and Russia in the 1550s,

but its origin is stillamystery.

“Weknow it’sthe oldest

shipwreck in the Baltic.

There’snoother ship in

the world of this period

likethis. We have older

ships but they areonly

timbers or metal–we

have never hadaship

likethis, with masts

and anchors in place,”

Pacheco-Ruiz told theDaily

Mailnewspaper.Hehopes

the wreck will help scientists

and historians understand more

about the Age of Discovery.

500-year-old

shipwreckdiscovered

Launching the

camerarobot.

The Mary Rose

The flagship of King Henry VIII’snavy sank during

abattle with the French in 1545. The Mary Rose’s

wreck,raised in 1982, is now displayed in

Portsmouth with 26,000 objects found on board.

RMS Titanic

When thefamous oceanliner hit an iceberg and

sank on its first voyage in 1912, 1,514 people

died. In 1985, anexpedition found the ship split

in half on the seabed 3,800 metres down.

The BlackSwan

TheSpanishship NuestraSeñor adelas Mercedes

wassunk inabattle offPortugal in 1804.Found in

2007 and nicknamed The Black Swan, it had £

million worth of gold and silver treasureonboard.

Threefamous shipwrecks

3D view of the

Okänt Skepp.

An overhead

view of the ship.

T

SHIVER ME

TIMBERS

!

TheBaltic Se

aisvery

cold

and only slightly

salty,w

hich

helpedp

reservet

he Okänt

Skepp’s

wooden planks.