The best-preserved 16th-century warship on earth to 48 bronze guns, carved timbers, the hull standing proud of the seabed at…The best-preserved 16th-century warship on earth to 48 bronze guns, carved timbers, the hull standing proud of the seabed at 75m, all in near-freezing brackish water that shipworm cannot live in. Divers describe swimming through a Renaissance battle frozen mid-explosion. The largest warship in the world when built, Mars was boarded by Lübeck forces in 1564, caught fire and blew up with around 800-900 men aboard. Legend said she was cursed because her guns were cast from melted church bells. Found in 2011 after decades of searching; the low salinity of the Baltic is why she survived where an Atlantic wreck would be gone. Anchorage: Open sea site; Öland's harbours are the shelter. Hazards: 75m in cold water on a legally protected wreck. Access is by research permit, not booking. Altro