The basic scientific program executed under the "The sunken ships secrets" project is drawing up the register of objects laying at the bottom of the Russian Federation Northwest water areas. First of all – at the bottom of east part of Gulf of Finland and in the region largest lakes – Ladoga, Onega, Chudskoje, Pskovskoje. Under this program searches, inspection, identification and stating of objects condition are carried out. The last two factors allow to estimate the importance and value of objects laying at the bottom. What is essentially meant here is revealing and the account of property of material, historical, cultural value and belongs to the state under the laws in force.
However the Russian state was never interested in this property. Works on the sunken objects search and drawing up of their register were conducted neither by authorities of the Moscow empire, nor by authorities of Empire, neither by authorities of RSFSR and the USSR, nor by authorities of the Russian Federation. The problem of drawing up of hydroarcheologic map of the USSR put forward by academician R.A.Orbeli in 1937 has remained an idea. And meanwhile waters of Northwest of Russia undoubtedly are one of the richest, if not the richest in lost ships region in the world. Our database on losses contains more than 10000 cases. And it is no more than 30 % from the real number. Moreover, one of the features of our region is exclusively good safety of the lost ships unlike in other countries and the World ocean regions. These ships lying at the bottom are in essence natural competitive advantage of Northwest of Russia.
It is necessary to tell, that the Russian Federation is the last state of the Baltic region and one of few states in the world where similar researches have not been executed yet, and the underwater objects register has not been made.
In Sweden National Wreck register is kept by the Swedish sea museum. In Finland National Wreck database – by the Sea museum of Finland. In Denmark - National Wreck database – by Center for Maritime Archaeology. In the Great Britain National Register of historic Vessels has been created. In Poland creation of sunken ships databases is executed by Central Sea museum in Gdansk. It is necessary to note, that except for the central or national registers, regional registers kept by province authorities also exist in all countries. Besides national and regional divers associations keep their own registers.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine - former republics of USSR have the registers program. And the State program of Ukraine Underwater heritage researches and the State register of immovable monuments of Ukraine drawing up was approved in Ukraine in 2004.
Results of our program are an evident acknowledgement on exclusive rich heritage of Northwest of Russia waters. Considering variety of the finds made since 2002, we have divided them into 6 basic groups, some of them are presented in separate catalogues.
1. Ships, vessels and water crafts.
Ships are the basic object of search works executed under project expeditions as they are of the greatest interest and of high value for history studying. Besides ships and vessels are the most mass (except anchors) group of objects laying at the bottom along the most ancient trade route of Northern Europe from the Baltic to the Caspian sea. This trade corridor has been used possibly since V or VI century AD. (see history section)
Probably, here the world's largest collection reflecting all the forgotten history of Northern Europe shipbuilding is stored. It is difficult to count up precisely, what percent of all vessel types mentioned in saved written sources is known for they construction for scientists today. But it is known absolutely precisely, that this percent is insignificant. Judge by reference books only about 400 ships-monuments are stored in the world 80 % of which concern to XX century. Constructions and parameters of the overwhelming majority of vessels ploughed seas and oceans during other 19 centuries, in essence, are unknown. What were the most ancient «leather vessels» or «long ships» and Scandinavians’ «merchant ships»? For certain there were tens of constructions only some of which are known to us. And what snekker looked like? What was three-mast cogg? What were hulk and nef? The mankind knows almost nothing about it today. The whole layer of world culture history is actually lost. And we hope, that there is a chance to return the lost knowledge, having found the ships which were driven by representatives of today's Germany, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, France, Italy, the United States America, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Spain.
As to our national history texts of annals and bylinas have accustomed us to an idea, that Slavs were remarkable sailors since ancient times. But actually no real proof of these legends has been found till nowadays. We believe that wreck of the ships which names are known for us only from ancient manuscripts lay exactly at the bottom of local water areas. There are many names of them – ushkuj, nasad, lodja, lojva, a plane with an attic, small plane, pauzok, busa, karbus... But today historians know neither what they looked like, nor their dimensions and their constructions. We hope our researches will eliminate these lacunas in national history. And from the point of view of 300-years Russian fleet history the bottom of Gulf of Finland is generally a unique storage where samples of all battle and transport ships types, which have been a part of the Navy for 300 years, are kept. Even incomplete listing of their names impresses: brigantines, ostrovskije boats, skampavejas, galleys, snows, shkutes, fluyts, tyalks,ewers, cats, craers, frigates, capital ships, bombard ships, battle-boats, battle yole, packet ship, cotters, yachts, brigs, golets, galjots, floating batteries, prames and semiprames, schooners, boats, gemams, transports, paddle steamers, steamer-frigates, steam battle-boats, corvettes, clippers, screw sailing frigates, monitors, torpedo boats, fleet attendance torpedo boats, cruisers, armoured cruisers, minelayers, battleships of coastal defense, fleet attendance battleships...
Without any doubt, Gulf of Finland, Ladoga, Ilmen, Onega, Pejpus are one of the most perspective regions for outstanding archeologic discoveries of world value. And remains of the ships lying at their bottom are exhibits of the world biggest sea museum.