Marine archaeologists suggest a searchlight may explain Helsinki shipping halt

A metal object found off Helsinki that stopped shipping for several hours on Saturday evening may be part of an old shipwreck, possibly a searchlight, marine archaeologists told Yle.

Police said the heavy object, about 40 centimetres in diameter, had been deemed harmless. The Navy’s initial assessment was that it was a mechanical component from a very old shipwreck.

Sami Brchisky, a special researcher and marine archaeologist at the Finnish Heritage Agency, said the object appeared to be made of copper and resembled a searchlight. In the police photograph, a fitting on top appears to be for an electrical connection, leading to a curved section that could be the back of a reflector.

Brchisky said ships used searchlights of this type mainly in the first half of the 20th century. He stressed that the object was only partly visible in the image, but said a searchlight seemed the most likely explanation based on the photograph.

Another agency marine archaeologist, Riikka Alvik, said a part of a ship’s steam engine or a water tank also came to mind. She noted that parts can break away from wrecks on the seabed as metal and wooden joints deteriorate.

Alvik said some parts of Soviet torpedoes had looked similar, and that reporting the object was warranted. A collision with a large piece of floating metal would pose a risk to shipping, she said.