Shipwreck Exploration

Shipwrecks are the store house of knowledge for archaeologists but wealth for treasure hunters. Innumerable ships of various countries were lost in due to natural calamities, human error and warfare. Some shipwrecks have been excavated and others await the scientific spade of the marine archaeologists. Shipwrecks of the world:

Mary Rose was built in Portsmouth between 1509 and 1511 and served in Henry VIII's Navy for 34 years before sinking on 19th July 1545. In 1982, after many years of painstaking search and investigation the wreck of Mary Rose was recovered from the seabed and preserved carefully with unprecedented interest and support from the public.

In 1912 the luxury liner Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank with 1500 passengers to the Atlantic seabed in 12,500 ft. below. In 1986, Alvin and Jason the undersea craft (submersibles), under the leadership of Robert Ballard, toured around the wreckage and documented the remains. Similarly, Wasa, the Sweden ship which sank in 1628 was retrieved in 1958.

The Ulu Burun shipwreck is datable to 14th century BC. The excavation yielded copper, tin and glass ingots, unworked ivory, gold and silver jewellery, metal and stone artifacts etc. The hull construction is similar to that of later period Greco-Roman ship. On the basis of comparison with wreck objects and land site antiquities it is suggested that the ship was sailing from east to west.

In India a 18th century shipwreck is located at 19 m water depth off Poompuhar. Shipwrecks of same period were also discovered in Goa waters. Shipwrecks were also located in Lakshadweep waters.