Divers salvage 900 bottles of rare French cognac and liqueur from Swedish shipwreck

12:58 • 05.11.19
Event

A ship carrying French cognac to Tzar Nicholas II's Russia was sunk in the Baltic Sea more than 100 years ago. The cargo has now been salvaged.

On May 19th, 1917, at the height of World War One, Swedish steamer S/S Kyros set its course to Petrograd (today known as St Petersburg).

It was delivering 50 cases of cognac and 15 cases of liqueur from France to Russia through neutral Swedish territory, according to The Local. 

But just off Åland island in the Baltic Sea, it was stopped and checked by German submarine UC-58, whose captain decided to sink the steamer because the alcohol was considered an illegal contraband product.

The crew were transferred to another ship and were able to return home to Sweden safely – but the cognac and liqueur was left at the bottom of the sea.

After years of preparation, Swedish salvage hunters Ocean X Team and Icelandic iXplorer teamed up with international vessel Deepsea Worker to retrieve the bottles.

"The importance of this event cannot be overemphasized – it's not only a find of rare cognac and liqueur but also a part of history of the former imperial Russia," said the Ocean X Team in a statement.

The wreck was discovered in 1999, but has been damaged by fishing trawls and it was long too dangerous for divers to access it.

But using Deepsea Worker's special underwater robots, the teams managed to salvage the cargo of around 600 bottles of De Haartman & Co cognac and 300 bottles of Benedictine liqueur.

The cognac is no longer in production and Benedictine, created more than 500 years ago by French monks, is today owned by Bacardi.

"[We] are excited to hear about the find and are eager to learn if the product has been preserved for the duration of the stay under water," said Petra Caspolin, Nordic marketing manager at Bacardi, in a statement. 

 

LATEST NEWS

Videos

15:20 • 24.05.21

Interview with Francis Malige, EBRD Managing Director

11:39 • 24.04.21

Armenians Commemorating 106th Anniversary of Genocide

09:40 • 23.04.21

Biden Under Pressure to Recognize Armenian Genocide - KTLA 5 News

15:34 • 22.04.21

Governance and Oversight Capacities Account for Our Bank's Robust Management System - Philip Lynch, Independent Board Member at Ameriabank

14:09 • 21.04.21

'Mr. President, It Is Now in Your Power to Right Decades of Denial' - US Congressman Adam Schiff Urges Joe Biden to Recognize Armenian Genocide

12:37 • 03.04.21

Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in Despair After Trauma of Military Defeat - France 24

17:33 • 11.03.21

Interview with Kakhaber Kiknavelidze, an Independent Member of Ameriabank Board of Directors

17:57 • 26.01.21

Only Terrorists Keep Hostages, Putting Forward Preconditions for Their Release - Edmon Marukyan

13:33 • 22.01.21

Rep Adam Schiff Says Congress Should Recognize Artsakh

09:42 • 29.12.20

UN's Guterres Issues Global Appeal to Make 2021 'Year of Healing'

18:41 • 24.12.20

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Landing Animations

13:33 • 31.10.20

Azerbaijan Uses Prohibited Phosphorus Chemical Munitions - Defense Army Video

16:37 • 30.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Units Neutralizing Azerbaijani Arms Supplies

11:25 • 28.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Units Neutralizing Azerbaijani Drone

13:45 • 24.10.20

Nagorno-Karabakh's Status Has Been At the Heart of Our Approach - Zohrab Mnatsakanyan

11:51 • 24.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Releases Video Featuring Damaged Azerbaijani Military Equipment

11:40 • 24.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Units Inflicting Manpower Losses on Azerbaijan

10:39 • 24.10.20

Gas Pipeline Damaged in Azerbaijani Fire Targeting Nagorno-Karabakh's Capital

12:41 • 23.10.20

President Armen Sarkissian Meets Emmanuel Macron at Élysée Palace

12:16 • 23.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Neutralizes Azerbaijani Military Hardware

12:02 • 22.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Units Neutralizing Azerbaijani Military Infrastructures

10:35 • 22.10.20

President Armen Sarkissian Meets with NATO Secretary-General in Brussels

10:51 • 17.10.20

Buildings and Homes Lying in Ruins in Nagorno-Karabakh's Capital After Azerbaijani Shelling

15:09 • 15.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army's Precision Fire Gives Deadly Blow to Enemy

13:13 • 13.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Units Destroying Azerbaijani Tank

12:56 • 12.10.20

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Ceasefire Does not Mandate Azerbaijan to Kill Civilians and Hit Civilian Settlements

12:23 • 12.10.20

Armenians Protest Outside Turkrish Embassy in Los Angeles

17:23 • 09.10.20

Losses in Azerbaijan's Military Featured in Defense Army Footage

15:53 • 09.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Neutralizing Adversary's Transport Column

14:11 • 09.10.20

Turkey openly backs Azerbaijan 'far more aggressively than in the past' - ABC News on Syrian mercenaries fighting in Karabakh

15:52 • 08.10.20

Iconic Armenian Church Hit in Azerbaijani Attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh City (photos)

10:57 • 08.10.20

Artsakh Defense Army Continues High-Precision Strikes

14:24 • 07.10.20

War Situation in Karabakh on European Parliament's Agenda

19:31 • 05.10.20

Call for Urgent Action: Armenian Journalist Brings Intn'l Colleagues' Attention to Situation iin Artsakh After Azerbaijani Attacks

16:17 • 04.10.20

Turkey's Support to Syrian Mercenaries Fighting Against Artsakh: Facts About Azerbaijani Aggression

12:39 • 04.10.20

Nagorno-Karabakh's Capital Under Azerbaijani Strikes

13:49 • 03.10.20

Armenian Armed Forces Neutralize Azerbaijani Defense Positions

10:12 • 29.09.20

ArmenianTroops Destroy Azerbaijani Armored Fighting Vehicle on Frontline

23:42 • 28.09.20

There is a solid evidence that Azerbaijan has launched a thoroughly planned attack on the NKR

18:45 • 28.09.20

EU calls for Immediate End to Hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh

Show all

Most popular articles Today Yesterday For a week

Politics

Law

Economy

Event

Press digest

Science/tech

Sports

Culture

Entertainment