Wreck of Huis te Warvalo, the Dutch War Ship

The wreck of Huis te Warvalo, a Dutch war ship that sunk in 1715 has been found in mint condition.

A very well preserved wreck of a three masted Dutch figate has been found in the Gulf of Finland. The ship was originally found in 2005 by the Finnish Maritime Administration while mapping the sea bed.

The wreck of a 35-meter-long war ship Huis de Warvalo was found near the Kalbådagrund lighthouse off the coast of Helsinki. The ship had three masts and fourty cannons on two gun decks.

The historical significance of the find was not clear until two years ago, when Sub Zone, an underwater research company based in Helsinki, began examining the site of the wreck. The find is especially significant and unique because no Dutch war ships from the 18th century have ever been found in the Baltic Sea. And certainly none this well preserved have ever been found anywhere.

THREE GREAT 18th CENTURY WRECKS

The Finnish coast of the Baltic Sea is truly a wreck diver's paradise. For centuries, trade ships have sailed along the coastal waters on route between Russia and central Europe, despite the Gulf of Finland being a dangerous, stormy sea filled with treacherous, often uncharted rocks that are hidden just under the surface.

Along the centuries, storms in the rocky, unpredictable waters of the Baltic have sent literally hundreds, if not thousands of ships to the bottom of the sea. In the 18^th century alone, dozens of ships were claimed by the sea near the Finnish coast. Many of the wrecks have already been found, and even more still lie at the bottom of the sea, waiting to be discovered.