This is the moment a remote-operated camera glides over the lakebed to reveal a 19th-century cargo sailing ship lying almost completely intact on the bottom of Lake Constance.
The rare find was announced by the State Office for Monument Preservation in Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, on 12th August.
The footage shows barnacle-covered wooden barrels, a handcart, and finally the ship itself, with its mast and yard still standing.
LAD in the RPS/ISF of the LUBW, Marcel Edel/Clipzilla/NX
Even parts of its cargo – sandstone blocks once used as building materials – remain visible in the silt.
The vessel lies at great depth, with details such as bow clamps, belaying pins, and a toothed wheel with pawl still clearly recognisable on the wooden hull.
Researchers believe the ship most likely carried goods across the lake and its connecting rivers in the 1800s.
It is the most significant of 31 previously unknown wrecks found during a systematic survey of the 539 square kilometre lake, which reaches depths of up to 251 metres.
The project began in 2022 and will continue until 2027, combining high-resolution mapping with sonar and diver inspections.
Other wrecks include two paddle steamers – believed to be the SD Baden, launched in 1871 and scuttled in 1931, and the SD Friedrichshafen II, launched in 1909, damaged by bombing in 1944 and sunk in 1946.
Researchers also found a debris field of 17 wooden barrels and a handcart, likely from another ship that has not yet been located.
The barrels contain a yellowish-white substance thought to be quicklime, a historic building material.
All of the wrecks will remain on the lakebed, as experts say recovery would be too costly and they are best preserved underwater.
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Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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