Ground-truthing hydrographically identified wreck targets

Abstract

This paper presents the results of preliminary archaeological investigations of five underwater targets in the Gulf of Finland carried out in 2025. The study aimed to establish the nature of the investigated targets and to obtain archaeological evidence for a preliminary assessment of their character and age. The sites were examined using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), supported by scanning sonar and, where conditions permitted, photogrammetric documentation. Of the five targets investigated, four were confirmed as wooden sailing-vessel wrecks, while one, target 1 proved to be a natural seabed formation. The confirmed wrecks represent vessels of different periods and states of preservation: target 2 is provisionally dated to the 16th or 17th century, target 3 to the 18th or 19th century, and targets 4 and 5 to the 19th century. The results demonstrate the value of archaeological ground-truthing for verifying wreck interpretations based on hydrographic and other remote-sensing data, while also highlighting the limitations of dating shipwrecks on the basis of individual technological features.