April 24, 1715. Denmark and Sweden are fighting against each other in a bloody sea battle not far away from the Bay of Kiel. At that time, the superpowers are in an on-going dispute about territories and trade routes, reaching its climax in the morning of that day. The first salvo fired by the superior Danish fleet hits the Swedish flagship Hedvig Sophia five times below the waterline. There are losses on the Danish side as well. However, in the end the situation seems nearly hopeless for Sweden. Unfavourable wind conditions and the powerful adversary make it impossible to break the Danish blockade and escape to safe Swedish waters. When no reinforcements arrive, Fleet Admiral Hans Wachtmeister is driven to the verge of surrender. As there’s no time to waste, he devises a subtle stratagem posing scientists a riddle for a long, long time.
The documentary “Battle for the Baltic Sea” delves deep into the extraordinary history of Hedvig Sophia. And after decades of investigation, archaeologists can finally close the case “Ostseewrack [wreck of the Baltic sea]”.
