Divers Recover Silver Coins From 16th-century Swedish shipwreck

Scuba divers from Ocean Discovery/Deep Sea Productions have recovered silver coins that date back to the 16th Century from the sunken Swedish warship Mars.

The legendary battleship was only recently discovered by divers who were enjoying scuba diving adventures in waters near the coast of the Baltic island of Oland last summer and its artefacts are now slowly being recovered.

The silver coins are said to date back to the time of Sweden's King Erik XIV who reigned between 1560 and 1568.

In a statement, Ocean Discovery/Deep Sea Productions, said: "The coins are in excellent condition and of great historic interest, especially considering where they were found."

Mars was one of the largest ships known in the Baltic during this era, with a crew of 800 and 107 guns. The warship was sunk during a two-day sea battle with the Danish-Lubeckian Navy in 1564. After being hit by cannon fire, this vessel went up in smoke and sank to the bottom of the ocean and despite searching for the ship for years, divers failed to locate the wreckage until 2011.

The sunken wreck was discovered 75 metres deep on the ocean bed and is reportedly made out of solid oak. Bronze cannons have also been sighted along the seabed close to the shipwreck.

The latest scuba diving expedition to Mars, was overseen by Johan Rönnby, a professor of marine archaeology at Södertörn University College.

The island of Orland near Sweden is a popular destination for scuba diving excursions due to its huge collection of sunken First World War wrecks, the 18th century Jutholman wreck, and the 19th century Emmy Hasse wreck that all lie deep in the ocean.

Though it is not one of the warmest scuba diving destinations, Sweden offers plenty of breathtaking underwater diving sites including flooded mines and approximately 40,000 sunken vessels.

Diving to the bottom of the ocean to explore historic wrecks is becoming an increasingly popular activity during scuba diving holidays and many diving enthusiasts head to Sweden to explore sunken vessels including the 12-century Foteviken ships; Emmy Hasse, a 79-metre-long British steamer; Vasa, a Swedish 64 gun battleship; Ringaren, a merchant ship; and Elefanten, a Swedish warship.