Wrecks & Archaeology

Possible wreck of WW2 minisub located off Northern Ireland

Alex Attwood has banned diving at the site of the discovery near the Foyle Bridge. He said it was important that the wreck was not disturbed until it was positively identified.  "The wreck is in quite low water, it is quite accessible," Mr Attwood told the BBC.

BBC Northern Ireland Environment Correspondent Mike McKimm said that was unlikely to be a full-sized submarine.

"A German U-boat, for example, would sit almost 10m high and would have been visible, even at high tide in the Foyle, which has an average depth of just over 5m."

A German U-boat sank SS Kyros in 1917 while she was transporting a precious cargo of cognac
A German U-boat sank SS Kyros in 1917 while she was transporting a precious cargo of cognac

Wreck laden with precious cognac located in the Baltic

The vessel rests at a depth of 80 meters and appears to be free of mud. According to some reports, it was carrying mixed cargo including steel products and as many as 1,000 bottles of cognac and 300 bottles of liqueur.

Raumanmeren Hylky-Team is a group of divers and wreck hunters who primarily search for shipwrecks in the Baltic sunk by German submarines during the First World War of which they have located around 20.

The divers say the vessel has remained quite intact. They will decide whether to try to raise the contents after closer examination.

No Secret for Victoria!

Victoria stands up vertically, with the bow rammed into the seabed.

What does a fish exporter from Norway, a Chief Information Officer and diving instructor living in the Netherlands, a renowned lawyer based in Cyprus, a Project Manager working in Sweden, and an expat French Technical Diving Instructor have in common?

Shipwreck CSI

Vasa on display in Stockholm

All artifacts and other features, such as a ship’s timbers, are measured, drawn in detail, and photographed. Archaeological excavation underwater is usually done by hand with the aid of a hand-held dredge, commonly called an “air-lift.” Sediment is often screened so that not even the smallest artifact is lost.

Who Owns a Shipwreck?

Wreck of the African's Company Steamship Soudan in Funchal Bay, Madeira, ILN 1875

New technology now allows for the exploration of deep-water wrecks previously not accessible. But, who really owns a shipwreck?

Most countries, especially coastal states, have their own legislation that regulates the exploration and exploitation of shipwrecks as a cultural or economic resource.

A rendition of U-533 resting on the seabed off Oman

German WW2 u-boat located off Oman

U-533 was a Nazi German U-Boat (Type IXC/40) that operated during World War II between April 15, 1943 and October 16, 1943. It was first launched on September 11, 1942 with a crew of 53, under the command of Helmut Hennig.

It was sunk by a Royal Air Force Blenheim bomber while it was operating in the Gulf of Oman. Of the crew of 53, only one survived by staying afloat without a life jacket for 28 hours until he was rescued by the HMS Hiravati near Khor Fakkan.