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Abstract
Vrouw Maria, a merchant vessel sailing from Amsterdam to St Petersburg in 1771, ran aground in the northern Baltic Sea. Her cargo included Dutch works of art bought by Catherine the Great. The wreck was located in 1999, 41-m deep. This study aims to understand environmental factors and physical stresses affecting the wreck, using three different approaches—studying the wreck as an artificial reef; describing the conditions inside the wreck; and measuring the physical stresses caused by currents. The methods applied were biological, archaeological, hydrological, geological and physical. The data will be a basis for further monitoring.
© 2010 The Authors
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Walter and Andrée de Nottbeck Foundation for financial support. Also all those involved in locating and surveying the Vrouw Maria and her environment between 1999 and 2009: Christian Ahlström, Anne Ala‐Pöllänen, Riikka Alvik, Eero Ehanti, Vesa Hautsalo, Veijo Kinnunen, Rauno Koivusaari, Harri Kuosa, Matias Laitinen, Ismo Malinen, Maija Matikka, Marja Pelanne, Jouni Polkko, Petri Puromies, Pasi Raasakka, Mari Salminen, Kalle Salonen, Sallamaria Tikkanen, Essi Tulonen, Stefan Wessman, and finally the National Board of Finland and Finnish Institute for Marine Research.