It is marine archaeologists at the Vasa Museum's sister museum Vrak – Museum of Wrecks who have conducted several investigations at the so-called Vasa trench, the site where the ship Vasa sank in 1628.
Among the finds are stock anchors, parts of barrels, a timber piece that could be part of a mast basket – a basket-like platform that sits in the mast of sailing ships – as well as an object with a rounded edge with a mouth.
"The object with the mouth is stuck silently on the bottom at a depth of around 30 meters and is definitely something we want to take a closer look at," says Jim Hansson, marine archaeologist at Vrak and project leader for the investigations, in a press release.
The recent investigations of the Vasa trench have taken place in three stages. With the help of a research vessel with advanced sonar equipment, where sound waves are used to locate objects underwater, a 3D image of the bottom has been created.
Then, the bottom has been inspected by the navy and their vessel HMS Belos with an underwater robot. Finally, Vrak's marine archaeologists have investigated the site and finds during a number of dives.
"Now we're going to find out if we can investigate the area further and locate more missing parts. Ahead of the anniversary year 2028 when Vasa turns 400 years old, it would be nice to have localized more of the missing objects," says Jenny Lind, head of the Vasa Museum.
