We Couldn't Believe Our Eyes: A Lost World of Shipwrecks Is Found (NY Times)

[petronius]

The medieval ship lay more than a half-mile down at the bottom of the Black Sea, its masts, timbers and planking undisturbed in the darkness for seven or eight centuries. Lack of oxygen in the icy depths had ruled out the usual riot of creatures that feast on sunken wood.

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Archaeologists date the discovery to the 13th or 14th century, opening a new window on forerunners of the 15th- and 16th-century sailing vessels that discovered the New World, including those of Columbus. This medieval ship probably served the Venetian empire, which had Black Sea outposts.

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Remarkably, the find is but one of more than 40 shipwrecks that the international team recently discovered and photographed off the Bulgarian coast in one of archaeology’s greatest coups.

In age, the vessels span a millennium, from the Byzantine to the Ottoman empires, from the ninth to the 19th centuries. Generally, the ships are in such good repair that the images reveal intact coils of rope, rudders and elaborately carved decorations.

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http://nyti.ms/2epImpi

The images with the article are amazing; I'm looking forward to seeing more...


A photogrammetric image of a ship from the Ottoman era that most likely went down between the 17th and 19th centuries. The discoverers nicknamed it the Flower of the Black Sea because of its ornate carvings, including two large posts topped with petals.

[NBachers]

1. Wow, thanks for posting this. Who doesn't love a good ancient historical shipwreck adventure?

Dirk Pitt has been awakened in the middle of the night as he recovers from his recent harrowing escape. A plane is fueled and waiting for him at Andrews Air Force Base. He needs to thwart the Russians in their own back yard before they secure a sunken artifact that will alter the balance of world power for whoever owns it. The Black Sea Crime Syndicate has their own designs . . . and President Donald Trump is pulling the plug on the whole operation, and has inserted a saboteur into the crew.