Centuries-old Baltic shipwrecks found

A dozen centuries-old shipwrecks — some of them unusually well-preserved — have been discovered in the Baltic Sea by a gas company building an underwater pipeline between Russia and Germany, Swedish experts said Tuesday.

The oldest wreck probably dates back to medieval times and could be up to 800 years old, while the others are likely from the 17th to 19th centuries, said Peter Norman, of Sweden’s National Heritage Board.

The 12 wrecks are in Sweden’s economic zone but not in the planned route of the pipeline, the Swedish heritage board said. Nord Stream, which plans to start construction in April, has promised to make sure its activities don’t damage the wrecks, it said.

The heritage board said three of the wrecks have intact hulls and are lying upside-down at a depth of 130 metres