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A 16th-century trading vessel was discovered by researchers using an underwater drone at a depth of 2,567 meters. Arnaud Choma, head of the underwater archaeology department at the French Ministry of Culture, said this is the deepest find of its kind in French territorial waters.
What Did the Researchers Report?
Deputy Maritime Prefect Thierry de la Burgade confirmed that an underwater drone accidentally spotted the sunken ship while patrolling the seabed as part of a government project to explore and monitor France’s deep-sea resources.
Researchers from the underwater archaeology department who studied the find said “time seems to have stood still in the 16th century.” The team believes the 30-meter-long, 7-meter-wide ship came from northern Italy, loaded with ceramics and metal rods. Because of the great depth, the wreck and its cargo have been well-preserved, Science Alert reports.
Archaeologist Marine Sadanía said the team found 200 faience jugs with pointed spouts at the wreck site, which researchers have dubbed “Kamarat 4.” Some of these vessels bore the monogram IHS (the first three letters of Jesus’ name in Greek) or were decorated with floral and geometric patterns. Sadanía said these details indicate the jugs came from Liguria in what is now northern Italy.
The team also found about a hundred plates, two cauldrons, an anchor, and six cannons. Nearby they saw piles of modern debris, including soda cans and plastic cups. Despite that, the site has remained untouched and unplundered for centuries because of its great depth, Sadanía said.
Over the next two years, the team plans to create a three-dimensional digital model of the ship and recover artifacts from the seabed for detailed study.
The deepest sunken vessel previously discovered by French archaeologists, in 2019, lay at a depth of 2.3 kilometers near the southern city of Toulon. That wreck was the French submarine La Minerve, which sank in 1968 with 52 crew members aboard just four minutes after starting its mission.
