Artillery weapons have survived almost in their original form.
Zaporizhzhya archaeologists raised a unique carriage from the time of Hetman Mazepa from the Dnieper. This is probably part of the Cossack siege cannon, thanks to which the Cossacks destroyed enemy fortresses during the Turkish campaign. Artillery armament has been preserved almost in its original form.
How unique this gun carriage was told on November 25 in the TSN.Ranok story.
Underwater archaeologists came across a long log during another dive. Looking around, they realized: this is an artillery carriage for a heavy gun, which, apparently, more than three centuries. Rescuers and the military helped archaeologists retrieve the find from a depth of 9 meters. Scientists would hardly be able to cope on their own, because its weight is one ton of 200 kilograms. It is not an easy task to pull an oak structure ashore.
Historians say that there are only a few such devices in Europe. They are convinced that the cannon on the carriage of the early 18th century was cast for a campaign in Turkey under the chairmanship of Hetman Mazepa. “Mazepa was the first to pass Khortytsia through the rapids with his flotillas, which he built at the request of Peter I,” said Georgy Shapovalov, Doctor of Historical Sciences.
It should be noted that a few centuries ago, long distances guns were transported only in disassembled form, so the gun carriage was transported separately. Most likely, scientists say, he was in the water because of a shipwreck.
The four-meter gun carriage has been preserved in almost authentic condition, archaeologists say. Even the red paint remained in some places. Locks and forging – all as three hundred years ago. Preserved so well, because it was almost completely immersed in the Dnieper silt.
“Made of oak, chained with iron. There are devices, holes where the gun was inserted, the check is in place – everything is in place. It can now be used with guns of that time,” – said underwater archaeologist Valery Nefedov.
The carriage will also be restored in Zaporizhia, at the Institute of Underwater Archeology. In the spring, the search will resume, as archaeologists do not give up hope of finding a three-ton gun. If you’re lucky, and the ship on which the weapons were transported.