The swedish wooden war ship “BIRGER JARL” 1808-1813 in danish waters (Baltic sea).
The Birger Jarl, a Swedish oak frigate, sank on April 28, 1813. Built in 1808, it was 146 feet long, 36 feet wide, and had a draft of 11 feet. It sank after springing a leak; only 9 of 171 crew survived.
Originally misidentified as the “Billard” due to a language misunderstanding, the ship was later correctly identified after the discovery of wreck timber with Swedish military markings and a uniform button. The wreck is well-preserved at 25 meters depth and features 36-pounder iron cannons, confirming its armament.
The Birger Jarl represents a rare type of shallow-draft Swedish archipelago frigate known as a hemmema, designed to be rowed. Its unique dimensions—wide, long, but shallow—matched drawings found in Danish and Swedish naval archives. Multiple diving expeditions and sonar scans confirmed the vessel’s identity and historical value.
Source: Link
Here my Survey Report in English or German
The Dive
I dived the wreck on May 5th 2025 during one 40 minutes dive.
The team
We dived the wreck in May 2025 during our “Marine research Germany” expedition.
Model
You can find the 3D files in my Download area
Video with explanations
German:
English: