An underwater video recorded this spring began circulating among German preservation officials, revealing surprisingly detailed structures on the Lake Constance lakebed. The footage, gathered by remotely operated vehicles, followed several months of mapping that confirmed 31 wreck sites ranging from wooden sailing vessels to paddle steamers and at least one aircraft, the German State Office for Monument Preservation in Stuttgart announced.
Underwater archaeologists working on the Wrecks and Deep Sea project, active since 2022, scanned the lake floor and flagged more than 250 anomalies; 186 were re-examined, and 31 proved to be wrecks or other culturally valuable debris. The standout find was an almost completely preserved nineteenth-century wooden cargo sailing ship with its mast, bowsprit, deck structures, and steering gear intact, a rarity in freshwater.
Two paddle steamer hulls were also identified. Based on size and layout, researchers linked them to SD Baden, launched in 1871 and decommissioned in 1930, and SD Friedrichshafen II, launched in 1909 and sunk after an air raid in 1946. Images showed the handwheel of Friedrichshafen II and both ships’ bows resting upright on the silty bottom.
The State Office used bathymetry, side-scan sonar, and high-resolution sub-bottom profiling. “The results demonstrate the relevance of the methodological approach: only through the combination of high-resolution data collection and targeted sonar re-examination can natural structures be reliably distinguished from technical objects on the lake bottom,” said Julia Goldhammer, a project archaeologist.
Sonar at one site revealed at least 17 wooden barrels scattered across the sediment. “The barrels are partly well preserved; individual specimens have lids, bottoms, and potentially barrel marks. So far, there are no clues about the associated transport ship; further investigations are planned,” said Alexandra Ulisch, a scientific staff member on the project, in comments reported by Die Zeit. Ulisch later remarked that “wrecks are much more than just lost vehicles — they are real time capsules that preserve the stories and craftsmanship of days long past,” according to CBS News.
Low currents, limited oxygen in the lake’s deepest pockets—reaching 251 meters—and sparse colonization by invasive quagga mussels helped protect organic materials, allowing clamps, mooring pins, and a gear ring with its ratchet to remain visible. No recovery is planned; the State Office emphasized preserving the documentary value and noted the high cost of lifting and conserving waterlogged timber. Instead, the team will continue detailed digital documentation and work with international experts on historical classification and precise dating.
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