Shipwrecks have always had an ethereal quality. But there is also excitement associated with them, despite the tragedy of the sinking, because of the possibility of discovering hidden treasure.
As a young child this editor loved the Steven Spielberg film, ‘The Goonies,’ because it stimulated a longing for similar adventures with hopes of discovering gold coins in weathered old trunks—without the bad guys.
Divers and explorers often are amazed and mystified by the haunting beauty of ships lying on the seabed, as they offer a snapshot of maritime technology history.
Discovery of sunken ships by companies working in the oil and gas industry is gratifying, providing good stories for an industry currently sinking in a downward spiral of its own.
The Danton shipwreck
Fugro NV, which provides specialist technical services for investigating the earth’s surface, discovered the French naval vessel Danton, 35 km southwest of Sardinia, using its survey technology. Danton was one of the largest vessels of her era, and the find in 1,000 m of water holds international historical, cultural, and environmental interest, as the vessel is in remarkably good condition.
It also lies right on the route of the proposed Galsi pipeline, which, at 2,824 m below the sea, will be the deepest pipeline in the Mediterranean.
The Galsi company, which plans to deliver 8 billion cu m/year of Algerian gas to Sardinia by 2012, is rerouting the 850-km pipeline 300 m to the southeast because of the Danton wreck.
Danton was 146.6 m in length and could reach a speed of 19 knots. It was heavily armored with 32 cannons and two torpedo tubes.
The ship was launched in 1909 and was sunk in March 1917 with 296 individuals recorded as dead or missing. As many as 800 survived, mainly on rafts. Danton had set sail with 946 officers and sailors and 155 passengers—sailors returning to their allocated postings.
Two torpedoes in quick succession from the German submarine U 64 sank the battleship accompanying the French ship, and the Danton could not defend herself. The ship was unaware of the submarine threat until it was too late, and the ship’s artillery could not open fire because no target could be identified.
As the electrics failed, the lifeboats couldn’t be dismantled. Rafts and wood stored on the bridge were thrown into the sea. Naval historians recorded that the Danton’s Captain Delage shouted, “Vive la France” with his officers three times as the crisis erupted; he went down with the ship. It took 30-35 minutes for the Danton to fall to the bottom of the sea.
Nord Stream’s challenge
This is not the first time that such unexpected discoveries have disrupted the planning of gas pipelines; the Baltic Sea is particularly cluttered.
Nord Stream AG, which will send up to 55 billion cu m/year of Russian gas to Germany via pipeline under the Baltic Sea, will raise a shipwreck off the coast of the German island Rugen early this summer, a company spokesman told OGJ. Nord Stream will provide a 60 m corridor to lay its 1,200 km pipeline, which is scheduled to start operations in 2011.
The discovered vessel, at 12.8 m long by 3.5 m wide, is much smaller than Danton; yet it has archaeological importance. It will be transferred to a remote gravel lake where it will join another three ships. Nord Stream will pay all salvage and transport costs.
This ship was part of a 980 m defensive barrier that the Swedish navy set up in the Bay of Greifswald to prevent enemy fleets from entering during the Great Northern War in 1715.
Explosives on the route
It is important to preserve these relics, but the Baltic Sea is a particular headache to Nord Stream. Not only do 100,000 tonnes of unexploded World War II ammunition lie scattered along the route, but the German navy is concerned that one of its live shells might hit the pipeline and set off an explosion during Baltic exercises, according to the organization Managing Cultural Heritage Underwater.
Furthermore, ecologists worried about the effects on fish breeding grounds are protesting. Swedish environmentalists’ fears and its diplomatic concerns about how Russia will increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea to protect the pipeline raise serious questions as to whether Nord Stream can secure permits to meet its start-up date on time.