Seven uncharted shipwrecks discovered during operation Open Spirit
In less than a week, the annual minesweeping exercise Open Spirit has led to the discovery of seven hitherto unknown wreckages in Estonian waters.
Alongside explosives, wreckages have been identified mainly in the vicinity of Saaremaa and Muhumaa islands.
The exact origins and purposes of the found wreckages require further investigation, but according to preliminary data the findings include a submarine, a World War II-era plane, a cargo ship, a landing craft, and two as-of-yet unidentified wrecks. Additionally, wreckage from a sailing ship has been discovered in the Bay of Tallinn.
After termination of the exercise on May 29, information from the discovered wreckages will be passed on to the Estonian Maritime Museum.
As of this morning, Open Spirit has led to the discovery of 55 sea mines and seven explosive devices, including a torpedo, an aircraft bomb and a projectile.
The minesweeping operation includes participants from 15 countries, with a total of 18 ships and seven diving units. It is the largest operation of its kind in the Baltic States, with over 800 marines from the United States, Belgium, Estonia, the Netherlands, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, France, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Denmark and the UK taking part.
Editor: A. Kaer