HUNDREDS of bottles of champagne and fancy mineral water have been discovered in a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean.
A team of Polish divers discovered the wreck of an ancient sailing ship loaded to the brim with luxury goods.
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Among the wreckage, divers found porcelain items and around 100 bottles of champagne and mineral water at a depth of 59 meters off the Swedish coast.
Private diving group Baltictech made the discovery on July 11 while checking out points of interest about 20 nautical miles south of Oland Island.
Tomasz Stachura, leader of the Baltictech diving group, said: “There was so much that it was difficult to estimate the values.”
Stachura said two divers had been gone for nearly two hours after going out for a “quick trip,” so they “knew there was something really interesting at the bottom.”
They were surprised to discover hundreds of bottles of champagne and mineral water produced by Selters, a German brand that still exists today.
Stachura said: “We found a 19th century sailing ship in very good condition, loaded on the sides with champagne, wine, mineral water and porcelain.
“We saw more than 100 bottles of champagne and baskets of mineral water in clay bottles.
“I’ve been a diver for 40 years, but I’ve never seen crates with bottles of alcohol and baskets of water like this.
“Interestingly, the ceramics factory where the water was bottled also exists and we are in contact with them to find out more details.”
The clay bottles helped us date the wreck to between 1850 and 1867.
Stachura believes the cargo was on its way to Russian Tsar Nicholas I, who reportedly lost a ship in the region in 1852.
He added: “That would explain why the ship was carrying this cargo – which was all very exclusive.
“At that time, mineral water was treated almost like a medicine and only went to the royal table.
“Its value was so precious that transports were escorted by police.”
He said they have informed Swedish authorities about the discovery, but he believes they will need a year or more to organize a rescue mission.
Stachura stated, “It’s been there for 170 years, so leave it there for another year.
“We will have time to better prepare for the operation.”
The mineral water brand, Selters, was printed on the stoneware bottles.
Stachura added: “The brand of champagne has not yet been determined, but the letter R can be seen on a cork.
“At this depth the wreckage is perfectly preserved, the temperature is constant, there are no currents and it is dark.
“This preserves the wreckage in a wonderful way.
He said he believes the contents are still in good condition.
He said Champagne and Selters experts have already contacted Baltictech and are interested in carrying out laboratory tests on the contents of the bottles.
Divers from Baltictech previously discovered the wreckage of the SS Karlsruhe, the last ship to leave Koenigsberg in 1945 as part of the evacuation of German civilians in the Second World War.
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