old shipwreck holds untouched Chinese porcelain

An 18th-century shipwreck discovered off Norway nearly 2,000 feet down appears to still hold rows of Chinese porcelain in their original stacks, preserving an unusually clear trace of a vanished trade route on the seabed. What happened? The wreck was located in the Skagerrak Strait by Espen Saastad, a watch designer who also operates a small remotely operated underwater vehicle survey business. Norway’s Directorate for Cultural Heritage announced the find in June, reported GEEKSPIN. What researchers have already seen is striking: mostly Chinese porcelain, neatly arranged and largely undamaged, along with chandelier fragments, goblets, bottles, and grain barrels. ROV footage…