Baltic

At the age of 67, Wolfgang Kulow sets spectacular diving record

"Setting such a demanding world record begins with an idea. To realize it, you need a highly motivated team. I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this challenge", said the extreme athlete right after setting the world record on September 27, 2016.

At a diving depth of up to 10 meters, Wolfgang Kulow traversed the 20 km (12.5 mile) distance from the Danish island of Lolland to the German island Fehmarn in only four hours and nine minutes, setting the world record for the "fastest underwater crossing of the Fehmarn Belt".

Researchers plan to continue their work during the summer. Weather conditions permitting, the Finnish research company SubZone will dive to probe the wreck and further document their findings.

Well-preserved 300 year-old frigate discovered in the gulf of Finland

The wreck, which has been confirmed to be that of 300-year-old frigate Huis te Warmelo was found at a depth of 64 metres near Helsinki. The vessel was once part of the Dutch navy, specifically a region known as West Frisia. The ship was identified on the basis of hull dimensions, location, structure and armament.

A Finnish brewery has recreated a Belgian beer from bottles that sank 170 years ago on a merchant ship in the Baltic Sea

Wreck beer recreated

The brew was reproduced thanks to elaborate research by Finnish and Belgian scientists who teamed up after the wreckage was discovered off Finland's Aaland Islands in 2010.

Divers exploring 40 feet down found only five bottles of beer next to 145 champagne bottles -- confirmed as the world's oldest drinkable bubbly -- in the long-lost wreck. The Government of the autonomous Åland Islands is the owner of the findings and had the beers analyzed at VTT Technical Research Center in Finland.

Imperial Russian submarine Akula (Russian: Акула - Shark) and armoured cruiser Ryurik, 1913

WW1 Russian submarine located by Estonian divers

The 400-ton Russian submarine, commissioned in 1911, was the biggest in the pre-revolutionary Russian navy. During the first world war, she served in the Baltic Fleet making 16 patrols and unsuccessfully attacked the German coastal defence ship SMS Beowulf.

In November 1915 during her 17th patrol, she struck a mine and sank near Hiiumaa with the loss of all 35 seamen and came to rest at a depth of about 30 meters.

  U-26 was lost with all hands in August 1915
U-26 was lost with all hands in August 1915

Finnish divers locate intact WW1 German submarine in the Baltic

At the beginning of World War I the German submarine U-26 disappeared without a trace.

On October 11, 1914, she sank the Russian cruiser Pallada inflicting the first loss of the war on the Russian navy. The boat did not return from sea in August 1915 and is assumed to have struck a mine or suffered a technical failure off the coast of Finland.

The Finnish group of divers who goes by the name Badewanne states on their website:

A German U-boat sank SS Kyros in 1917 while she was transporting a precious cargo of cognac
A German U-boat sank SS Kyros in 1917 while she was transporting a precious cargo of cognac

Wreck laden with precious cognac located in the Baltic

The vessel rests at a depth of 80 meters and appears to be free of mud. According to some reports, it was carrying mixed cargo including steel products and as many as 1,000 bottles of cognac and 300 bottles of liqueur.

Raumanmeren Hylky-Team is a group of divers and wreck hunters who primarily search for shipwrecks in the Baltic sunk by German submarines during the First World War of which they have located around 20.

S-7 was a Stalinets-class submarine of the Soviet Navy.  During World War II, the submarine took part in the Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1942. S-7 scored victories, but was sunk in action.
S-7 was a Stalinets-class submarine of the Soviet Navy. During World War II, the submarine took part in the Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1942. S-7 scored victories, but was sunk in action.

Russian submarine S7

In the 1930s, the Soviet Union built a series of submarines called the S class, based on German designs.

In the summer of 1942, the S7 sank the Swedish cargo ships Margareta and Luleå, delivering iron to Germany. Shortly after, the sub was cruising on the surface at night, off the Swedish coast not far from Norrtälje, when she was spotted by the Finnish submarine Vesihiisi. The Vesihiisi fired one torpedo and the S7 sank quickly.