Proceedings e report - Firenze University Press

THE WRECK OF VROUW MARIA - CURRENT SITUATION AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
by the Pro Vrouw Maria association established particularly for the purpose. In authorization and
supervision of the National Board of Antiquities of Finland six artifacts were raised for confirming the
identification of the vessel. [3]
Since then the wreck has drawn wide attention. Research has been done by the Maritime Archaeology
Unit of the National Board of Antiquities of Finland and samples have been taken and analyzed, but
excavations have not taken place. Currently there is a lively discussion about the future of the wreck,
one of the possible scenarios being to raise and conserve the hull and its contents.
2. The wreck and its cultural historical value
The wreck is located in the outer archipelago of South-Western Finland in the waters administered by
the Metsähallitus, the Finnish government land authority. It is protected by the Antiquities Act,
according to which a circular exclusion zone with a diameter of 1500 meters has been established. In
addition and very significantly, the wreck happens to lie within a so-called “strict preserve” part of the
Archipelago National Park. This is bound to affect any actions being planned in the wreck-site,
possibly even banning any drastic actions. [4]
The wreck lies at a depth of 41 meters on an even depression surrounded by rocky skerries, on a
bottom consisting of clay topped by sand and gravel. It lies evenly on its keel, almost completely
exposed, listing slightly to starboard. The hull is carvel-built and made of oak, with a length of 26
meters and beam of seven meters. It appears as exceptionally well preserved with about 90 % of the
hull preserved and the lower sections of the two masts remaining in place. [5]
Archival sources classify Vrouw Maria as a snow-ship, meaning that it had certain type of rigging. It
was a relatively small ship of modest outlook built for practical purposes. Still, there are some deck
fixtures adorned with vine patterns and other decorations. Inside the hold, most visible items are
hundreds of clay pipes scattered on the rest of the cargo. Zinc ingots, packing crates and barrels can
also be seen, but none of the Empress Catherine’s art objects have been seen. [6]
Fig. 2 and 3: Artist interpretations of the wreck and the hold.
Both drawings: Tiina Miettinen, the National Board of Antiquities of Finland
The Vrouw Maria report published in 2007 by the Maritime Archaeology Unit of the National Board
of Antiquities of Finland states that based on the excellent state of preservation, on the wide variety of
its contents and on the extensive range of historical data, the wreck is of major cultural historical value
on the national and international levels. It is a link in the long history of East-West merchant route in
the Baltic Sea. While snow-rigged ships were common in the 18 th century, this is the only known
wreck of such a ship in Finland and the only comparable wreck known elsewhere is the Sjöhästen in
Sweden, which is a warship and thus differs from Vrouw Maria. [7]
3. Marine archaeological wood
Dead wood in any environment is naturally and unavoidably attacked by biological organisms, and
there are also threats of chemical and physical kinds. The actual sinking moment means a very
dramatic change of environment and is prone to cause severe reactions in materials. The typical
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