SEA-ING GHOSTS
Spooky 400-year-old ‘ghost ship’ found perfectly preserved in icy waters off coast of Finland
A SUNKEN ship has been found in almost perfect condition despite spending 400 years underwater.
Divers made the mysterious discovery while exploring the Baltic Sea off the coast of Finland.
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The divers, from the non-profit Badewanne team, have come across shipwrecks before but never one as old and undamaged as the Dutch merchant vessel.
The ship has been dated back to the 17th century.
It dates back to a time when the Dutch Empire spanned five continents, becoming an economic superpower that was single-handedly responsible for half of Europe’s shipping by 1670.
The ship is called a 'fluyt', a type of vessel designed to carry maximum cargo with only a few crew.
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Even though a lot of these ships were used back then, few examples remain today.
The shipwreck was found near the mouth of the Gulf of Finland.
It was around 280 foot (85 metres) below the surface.
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Despite some minor damage from modern fishing nets, the ship is largely still intact and preserved in the icy water.
The cold temperatures, darkness and low levels of salt mean organisms that usually eat wooden shipwrecks are not present.
The ship is in such good condition, experts still aren't sure why it sank.
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Jouni Polkko, from Badewanne, the diving team that found it, said: “There are no hints for that.
“The hull is intact. It's in the middle of the sea, so it didn't run aground.
“Maybe it capsized in a storm, or the pumps were stuck and the ship got too much water in because of a leak.
“Or maybe the rigging was frozen and made the ship unstable. But we really don't know.”
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