Kronan Royal War ship Diving the time capsule

A few summer seasons in the end of 1980's, I had the benefit of serving as one of two masters on the research vessel Altair. I was lucky to take part in the Archaeological investigation of the Swedish Royal Warship Kronan, that exploded and sank 1676. She was a mighty war machine, of her time but unfortunately the Swedish navy was in a poor state, miss managed and her demise could in a sense be blamed on that. As we in modern times, look into the "bigger picture"when analysing  incidents, I think this "battle fiasco" could be root caused quite far up the hierarchy ladder.
For more and better details of the History and story of the wreck. Please find the link below for the Official "Kronan" web site.
I have made just over 100 dives on this wreck(Logged). The following pictures is a little mixture of scans from photographs of that time, end of the 80-ies. A few UV-shots is poor quality but some shots is nice. Unique brackish water have made wonders for preservation of the remains. And I would like to point out that the remains of the dead crew/soldiers are treated with respect on the sea bed, and after each dive season, put to rest and "read over", by the village priest, in common grave together with former ship mates, in Hulterstad grave yard on the Island of Oland, were many of the bodies was washed up on the beach during the days following the battle. Approximately 800 souls went down with the ship.

Några sommar säsonger i slutet på 1980 talet hade jag förmånen att få arbeta som dykande befälhavare på vraksökningsfartyget Altair. Jag fick då bl.a delta i de arkeologiska undersökningarna av det Svenska Regalskeppet Kronan som exploderade och sjönk utanför Öland 1676. Hon var en mäktig krigsmaskin för sin tid. Den Svenska flottan var dåligt rustad och orutinerad, så var även Kronan och hennes manskap. Nuförtiden så har vi ju ISM system för att lyfta ansvaret från fartyget till ledningen iland. Kronans undergång, och hela detta sjöslags fiasko  kan härledas till just dålig organisation och styrning väldigt långt upp i hierarkin. För mera detaljer om den riktiga historien och om vraket Kronan vänligen se länken nedan för "Kronans" officiella hemsida.
Jag hann med att goera 100 och några till loggade dyk på detta vrak. Följande bilder är ett antal blandade scannade fotografier från den tiden, slutet på -80. Några sämre UV bilder, men några är bättre. Det bräckta vattnet bidrar till att så många av föremålen är så välbevarade. Jag skulle vilja understryka att kvarlevor från besättningen/soldaterna behandlas med respekt på havsbotten. Efter var dyksäsong så förs dessa iland till den sista vilan tillsammans med sina forna skeppskamrater, i en gemensam"grav" på Hulterstads kyrkogård, under det att byprästen läser några ord. Hulterstad där många döda från sjöslaget flöt iland under de följande dagarna. Ungefär 800 man ur besättningen gick ned med fartyget

 The Research vessel Altair has got 1200 wreck discovered in her time since built 1962,

 Diving along  upper gun deck of the vessels port side now flat against the sea bed. Note cannon wedged in the gun port. Right side, white measuring tape, along the deck beam where the deck planking used to rest upon. Left side mesuring tape along the beam for the deck above. See the diver in the back ground, just imagine the limited height awvilable for the crew working the gun deck.  

 I think this picture was the last dive for the season? not sure..

 Film team Steve,Nick and Lisa, from "National Geographic Society", onboard to do a 30 minute documentary about the wreck, here planning the dive.

Below My dive log, Dive 57-58. 

Many sequences planned for one dive for the National Geographic film.  I was to man the suction lift, recover and ascend with a wooden sculpture, slinging and hoisting a cannon and "work around the Newly discovered cannon" in the Larings galleriet(quarter gallery? my own translation) then finally "riding a cannon" that were to be recovered later. To ensure that the film team got their pre-planned material, The focus on my air supply failed, so ran out of air, and had to resort to the spare package(cylinder and regulator), that is always located at the bottom, by Kronan's stern, to enable my safe return to the surface.

 

 Me riding one cannon and Nick (NGS) filming

"Human remains" that do not constitute a "closed find", (artifacts that do not belong together) are carefully registered, after which they are respectfully removed from the site for burial together with remains of others, in the end of the dive season.

 Låringsgalleriet. A cannon being carefully cleared. Cannon shiny when clay removed.

 

 Above, Dive 60, in my diving log.

"Staged" film sequences again while pretending to excavate around "my personal skeleton- find" from last year -87 (dive 21 in my log) , actually filmed by Bengt Grisell, and our local on board camera, directed and monitored from the surface by Björn Axen, which also made it to the final cut of National Geographic TV production. Photo below depicting the actual surfacing, recovery of these remains, that were brought ashore for further analysis my Swedish Criminal Forensic Expert JanLindberg.

Below, Dive 21, in my log.

Finding the skeleton, A a brownish scull lying on its side, half in bedded on the white "morän" sand. From his neck, brown cervical vertebrae's lining up in a row disappearing into the white sand, a meter further down, something that I immagined might be further skeleton parts protruding the sand bed? I did not touch anything, reported to Lars Einarsson, in charge of the excavation, he investigated later that afternoon, and confirmed the closed find, and adjacent a brass plate containing some artifacts...  he carefully covered it up for further investigations at a later time.(following year obviously)

 

 

 One closed fine, remains of a what was possibly a soldier found with some of his belongings, amongst them his sword, musket and a golden ring with in scripted initials, which set our whole vessel a blase. Just imagine if we could be able to identify the remains?? Lars have the vessels records, so he was going to go thru the list. Unfortunately  Kronan carried a couple of houndred soldiers destined for our Swedish colonies on Rugen(Northern Germany) Those men were not on the list. Most probably the military remains was one of these soldiers.

 Cannon found inside laarings galeriet(or admiral Lorenz Creutz quarters). smaller size 16 pound(size/weight of the cannon ball) Notice the clean shiny finish of the part that has been submerged in the clay for all these years, no oxygen or corrosion. Like brand new...amazing

Above a cannister shot (Kartesh), Wooden shell containing bigger size led bullets, to inflict as much damage to the enemy as possible.

 Multitude of beautiful carvings and sculptures.

 The soldiers musket, the reddish colored crust around the mechanism constitutes "corrosion crust" later cleaning revealed that the musket was loaded, the musket bullet still in the barrel.

 "Lunt stake" at the bottom of the photo above. Used to ignite the powder, fire the canons

 Lasse shaking his head, while Captain Niit takes a dive. from the bridge wing..

Goooooood life!!!!!

 Anders Franzen, who's hard detective work led him and his team of divers and scientists to the discovery of Kronan. But it took many years, and many hours of towing sonar equipment.
Bengt Grisell then had an idea that the many cannons onboard must create a magnetic abnormality, so he designed a  tool to use for searching just that, and voila'...they found it... 
Anders,  most famous for finding the Royal warship Wasa(Wasa museet Stockholm), had set out to find a number of old wrecks, which had played a big role in Swedish history. Below we are moored at Dalaroe Island in Stockholm archipelago, visiting Anders little "fishing hut". During a very short expedition , searching for one wreck namely "Lybska Svan" in Naemndoe fjaerden.

 Back to Kronan where Bengt Grisell will enter the same type(a replika)diving bell, as used in 1680 to salvage many of the cannons from Kronans wreck. NGS is filming this historical event. Bengt will show that the divers actually left the "bell" and swam out to tie knots around the cannons. They wore leather suits and drank Vodka to keep warm, duration about 20 minutes, (27 meters depth).

 Bengt Grisell and the ships rat Ragnar(Rattus Rattus). Bengt was the first to dive on Kronan (in over 300 years) after him and his friend discovered her on a beautiful sunny summers day. Probably the best dive of his life after searching for many years.

 Forensic expert Jan Lindberg, analysing the shoe that contained the bones of an entire foot, he could also see that one toe had been broken at some stage in this poor mariner/soldiers life.

 After the dive season. Swedish coast guard come out to the wreck site and help out with recovery of the big and heavy cannons. All is brought back to the Museum in Kalmar. A truly interesting and amassing display of how the life was onboard this vessel. A time capsule, many hundreds of people and their belongings. Many of them not even sailors, military or mariners...

One of the cannons got the remains of poor crew man  stuck to its side in a

"corrosion crust".parts of the spine, vertebras and ribs. Testament to the truly cruel and

violent death. When the vessel capsized, the poor souls had nowhere to run when water poured

in thru the open gun ports, and when tons of big cannons came rolling across

the deck, crushing much in its path. 

I can strongly recommend visiting this Kalmar County Museum...These pictures represent a few seasons back in the 80's.

 

Below a link to The National  Geographic Society TV-documentary, a transferred VHS, raw copy from "back in the old days". I have not managed to get a hold of their company to attain a better quality copy.

Kronan movie National Geographic Society  

Below a link to Lars Einarssons blog, from the actual dive site, over a couple of seasons.

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