Past Projects
The stories told by Sverker Hallstrom's salvaged wrecks evoke as much of a sense of
mystery as the immortal lines written by William Shakespeare. Take a journey back in time
to re-visit four different vessels - the 'RMS Douro', the 'Royal Nanhai', the 'Vung Tau'
and the 'Soleil D'Orient'- as we invite you to unravel their strange histories and see
their rare and beautiful treasures!
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RMS
Douro - A luxurious British Royal Mail steamer that sank, on her 62nd
trans-Atlantic journey, after a collision with another ship in European waters in 1882. In
addition to her 'high society' passengers, she was carrying a cargo-load of gold
sovereigns, of which can be purchased on this site.
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Royal
Nanhai - The project name given to the excavation of an otherwise nameless
vessel estimated to have sunk around 1440 - 1470 in the South China Sea. She was carrying
a cargo of Thai Celadon porcelain.
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Vung
Tau - A Chinese trading junk, carrying valuable porcelain from the KangXi
period of the Ching (Quing) dynasty, which sank around 1690 off the southern coast of
Vietnam.
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Soleil
D'Orient - A large vessel laden with priceless gifts from the King of Siam to
France's 'Sun King'. An elusive wreck, she was last seen departing from Port Daufin,
Madagascar, in 1681. The search, however, is still not over and this project may yet be
resumed by Hallstrom Holdings. |
Current Projects
At any given time, Hallstrom Holdings is actively involved in several projects.
Some are still being researched, while others are approaching the excavation phase. These
current projects comprise shipwrecks such as the 'Prins Frederick', the 'Mankalihat' and -
as yet still highly confidential - a wreck of significant historical value lying somewhere
in the Indian Ocean.
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Brederode
- This momentous discovery - a Dutch East India Company vessel which sank off Cape
Agulhas, South Africa, in 1785 - has just been announced (22 September 1999). For the
latest information, read the press release.
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Mankalihat - A
freighter laden with copper which sank off the coast of Mozambique in 1943. After a long
search - owing to her position of sinking having been inaccurately recorded - the wreck
was recently found. After the construction of a special underwater crane has been
completed, Hallstrom Holdings, in partnership with Mr Leif Vogel, will begin the process
of recovery. It is scheduled to take place mid-2000. Watch this space for more details!
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Prins
Frederik - A luxurious Dutch steamer - with a cargo laden with silver coins -
which sank after a collision with another ship in the Bay of Biscay in 1890. The wreck -
presumed to be in very deep waters - has yet to be located. |
Future Projects
Many of Hallstrom Holdings' projects involve vessels that have been lost to the
world for centuries, leading Sverker Hallstrom far across the seas in his determination to
bring their stories to light. Depending on a number of factors, some of these projects are
put on hold or perhaps take longer to realize.
Sometimes it is owing to inclement weather conditions in a
particular search area (such as the monsoon season), or perhaps to the unavailability of a
particular survey vessel or specific equipment owing to their use in a different project,
on the other side of the world! Often, however, the projects require a significant amount
of research and planning before they can get started, sometimes even taking years.
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