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28 June 2019
CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO OLD DREAM
The large team have returned from an expedition to test UAV and GPR technology that was recently proved successful in locating a lost U.S. aeroplane from World War 2, 300 feet below the ice in Greenland and, continue filming for a documentary about the mission.
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TIMELINE

1653 – 1654

Het Wapen van Amsterdam was built and added to the Dutch fleet with a crewe of over 200 and, between 80 – 100 passengers.

Early 1667

Along with four others in the convoy, the ship makes its annual journey to the Dutch colonies to collect valuables.

Early September 1667

Carrying what is believed to be the some of the most valuable cargo ever, the ship along with 4 others in the convoy, sets sale from India to make its way home to Amsterdam.

19th September 1667

On its journey home, the convoy is caught in a raging Atlantic storm. One ship smashes and disintegrates into the Faroe Islands. Het Wapen van Amsterdam is swept into the Skeiðarár­sandur estuary off Iceland’s south coast.

19th – 20th September 1667

Most survived, only to perish on the vast sands in brutal weather conditions. Survivors were spotted from scattered farms resting at the foot of the great glacier, Vatnajökull. Survivors took what they could carry, including a large quantity of the finest silk.

20th September Onward

Survivors took what little they could carry, including a large quantity of the finest silk which was bartered for horses needed to get to Reykjavik so they could board a ship back to Holland. The remaining treasures sank into the sands, inside the wreck.

EXPLORATION BEGINS

1960 – 1970

Now a legendary event and Iceland’s worst maritime disaster, the Icelandic government permits entrepreneur Bergur Lurusson to search for the wreck and recover its cargo on a profit share basis which also included local land owners. The team didn’t have much luck and nothing was found during this period.

1970 – 1981

Bergur teamed up with entrepreneur and well know vessel recovery expert Kristinn Gudbrandsson. All kinds of equipment was used, including an amphibious vehicle. Eventually, the team claims they have discovered the ships location.

1982 – 1983

In July 1982, excitement mounts as the team announce that they have discovered the location. The goverment passes a special law and acts as guarantor for the full 50 Million ISK ($1.8 Million in todays value) needed to fund the recovery. Digging commences.

September 1983

Overwhelmed with disappointment, the team discovers only a German fishing trawler, stranded in 1903. In response to a bankruptcy claim, the government paid the creditors of Gullskip Ltd, the company responsible for the search. The dream faded back into the sands of time.

EXPLORATION BEGINS

1960 – 1970

Now a legendary event and Iceland’s worst maritime disaster, the Icelandic government permits entrepreneur Bergur Lurusson to search for the wreck and recover its cargo on a profit share basis which also included local land owners. The team didn’t have much luck and nothing was found during this period.

1970 – 1981

Bergur teamed up with entrepreneur and well know vessel recovery expert Kristinn Gudbrandsson. All kinds of equipment was used, including an amphibious vehicle. Eventually, the team claims they have discovered the ships location.

1982 – 1983

In July 1982, excitement mounts as the team announce that they have discovered the location. The goverment passes a special law and acts as guarantor for the full 50 Million ISK ($1.8 Million in todays value) needed to fund the recovery. Digging commences.

September 1983

Overwhelmed with disappointment, the team discovers only a German fishing trawler, stranded in 1903. In response to a bankruptcy claim, the government paid the creditors of Gullskip Ltd, the company responsible for the search. The dream faded back into the sands of time.

EXPLORATION BEGINS

1960 – 1970

Now a legendary event and Iceland’s worst maritime disaster, the Icelandic government permits entrepreneur Bergur Lurusson to search for the wreck and recover its cargo on a profit share basis which also included local land owners. The team didn’t have much luck and nothing was found during this period.

1970 – 1981

Bergur teamed up with entrepreneur and well know vessel recovery expert Kristinn Gudbrandsson. All kinds of equipment was used, including an amphibious vehicle. Eventually, the team claims they have discovered the ships location.

1982 – 1983

In July 1982, excitement mounts as the team announce that they have discovered the location. The goverment passes a special law and acts as guarantor for the full 50 Million ISK ($1.8 Million in todays value) needed to fund the recovery. Digging commences.

September 1983

Overwhelmed with disappointment, the team discovers only a German fishing trawler, stranded in 1903. In response to a bankruptcy claim, the government paid the creditors of Gullskip Ltd, the company responsible for the search. The dream faded back into the sands of time.

A NEW ERA

2013

Gisli Gislason, an Icelandic entrepreneur, breathes life back into the dream. After gathering all the information about the ship and previous recovery attempt, he begins securing authorisation from the Icelandic government. An interesting fact revealed itself during the research process. Bergur Larusson’s mother was in fact the sister of Gisli’s great grand­mother.

4th July 2018

Alexey Dobrovolskiy of Latvian based SPH Engineering, now a project 1667 team partner, and his research team used new UAV and GPR technology to locate a lost U.S. aeroplane from WW2, 300 feet below the Greenland ice. This was know as the Lost Squadron project.

26 – 27 July 2019

The 1667 team, a film crewe and team partner SPH Engineering begin an expedition to test the chosen technology that will be used to locate the ship. SPH Engineering are also joined by Russian geological physicist Alexander Luchnikov directly after their most recent search and recovery mission in harsh conditions of Greenland.

27 July 2019

The viability of the new technology is proven as the team uses it to relocate ‘The Anomaly’, the next target site that remained unexplored by the previous team as the project went bankrupt. The next expedition will see an army of GPR equipped drones surveying the larger area.