The virtual Shipwreck Museum – see what lies at the bottom of the sea!

Since 2013, the research team of the National Maritime Museum led by PhD. Tomasz Bednarz has been carrying out scientific and research projects in the field of underwater archaeology, in which an innovative method of underwater documentation is being developed in the form of photogrammetric 3D models of wrecks from the Gulf of Gdansk.

The method of photogrammetric 3D documentation of wrecks located on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, developed and implemented by the NMM team, allows for quick and accurate documentation of wrecks “in situ”, even in a very poor underwater visibility.

Technology is going to the bottom of... the Baltic Sea!

Using appropriate computer programs from the SfM (Structure from Motion) category, a system for creating documentation of objects under water has been developed, thanks to which 3D models – says PhD. Tomasz Bednarz, Head of the Digitalization Department at the National Maritime Museum in Gdansk. – Wreck models are not only visually appealing presentations, but also a universal and precise measuring tool for underwater archaeology. In addition to their aesthetic values, the presented 3D wreck models are faithful representations of objects and allow for the creation of any cross-sections, projections and animations. – he explains.

See also: Diving in the Baltic Sea

Models are also an effective tool for monitoring and protecting underwater cultural heritage. This method is used and developed in parallel by two research centers, the National Maritime Museum in Gdansk (wrecks from the Gulf of Gdansk) and Texas AM University (Gnalic Project). Both institutions are leaders in the field of building underwater photogrammetric 3D models.

Virtual Open-Air Museum of Shipwrecks on Your Computer

In 2015, the National Maritime Museum in Gdansk began implementing a two-year project entitled “Virtual Open-Air Museum of Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Gdansk. Records and inventory of underwater archaeological heritage”, financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the National Maritime Museum in Gdansk. One of its effects is a website, where photogrammetric 3D models of wrecks from the Gulf of Gdansk are posted, along with their descriptions and additional documentation created as part of the project. The website is available in Polish and English.

– The website contains photogrammetric 3D models that can be viewed from any perspective and distance, also in full-screen mode. – explains PhD. Tomasz Bednarz. – Models of underwater objects can also be viewed on smartphones using virtual reality devices such as Google Cardboard or Oculus DK1 and DK2. This additionally enhances the feeling of three-dimensionality and spatiality of the presented underwater sites. Materials from the “Virtual Open-Air Museum of Shipwrecks” website are used in educational classes held in the NMM facilities, enriching the museum’s educational offer – he adds.

Sunken collections, or what will we see?

At present, the open-air museum offers 25 researched wrecks for close inspection. Among them, we can find, among others, the wreck of the XVIIth-century ship W-6 called “Solen”, which sank in the Battle of Oliwa in November 1627; the wreck of the XIXth-century ship F53.31 “Glazik”, which sank with a cargo of stones; the wreck of the XIXth-century ship F53.27 “Porcelanowiec”; the wreck of the XIXth-century ship F53.14 “Portowiec”, the wreck of the XVIIth-century ship W-21, the wreck of the XIXth-century W-23 “Loreley”, which ran aground near the entrance to the port of Gdansk in 1887 and the wreck of the XVIIth-century merchant ship F53.30 “Szklany”, which sank with a cargo of barrels filled with iron bars and glass bottles with tin caps.

The NMM research team was nominated for the prestigious TRAVELERY 2015 National Geographic award in the “Scientific Discovery of the Year” category for developing and implementing an innovative method of underwater documentation of wrecks in 3D. The research manager received the Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship Award in the “Pomorskie Museum Award 2015” competition for the idea and implementation of the project “Archaeological research of wrecks from the Gulf of Gdansk using 3D photogrammetric documentation”.