During the first week of September, the Norwegian Maritime Museum will head out to locate and document the shipwreck Minerva, in collaboration with archaeologists from Ireland and Trondheim. The vessel sank outside of Finneset in Grønfjorden after running aground in 1920. Originally built as a luxury yacht, the ship was later refitted for Arctic tourism. The painter Thorolf Holmboe portrayed Minerva in the ice, and the painting now hangs in the Norwegian Maritime Museum. Eventually, the ship was used for transporting coal until it was wrecked.
In addition to the archaeological investigations of Minerva, the archaeologists will also examine remains that may belong to other wrecks in the area around the old whaling station at Kokerineset. The researchers will employ various marine archaeological methods, including side scan sonar and underwater drones. They will also attempt to find ship timber that can be used for dating the material through dendrochronology.
It is rare for archaeological diving to be conducted in Svalbard. This investigation therefore helps to address a neglected area — underwater archaeological heritage.
The lecture will be held partly in Norwegian and partly in English.