As you read this story, you will learn the following:
-
The French military has accidentally discovered the deepest shipwreck ever found in French waters.
-
After preliminary sonar readings, remotely operated vehicles inspected the wreck, which dates back to the 16th century.
-
Experts plan to further investigate the site, including the well-preserved cargo of the deep-water wreck.
A routine sonar survey of the French seafloor unexpectedly discovered a 16th-century shipwreck about 1.5 miles off the coast of La Matière. The wreck lies 8,200 feet underwater, making it the deepest shipwreck ever found in France. This depth also makes it one of the best-preserved areas free from salvage and plunder.
A routine military operation to inspect the country’s seafloor in 2025 resulted in an unusual sonar reading, according to a translated statement from the Méditerranée de la Mer, a French government agency. A joint team from the French Navy’s Expert Center for Human Diving and Underwater Interventions and the Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research Department obtained preliminary visuals using the A18D deep-sea autonomous underwater vehicle. This resulted in a second remotely operated underwater vehicle examining the site and mapping it through detailed photography.
“The sonar detected a fairly large object, so we returned with the device’s camera and again used the underwater robot to capture high-quality images,” Thierry de la Burgade, deputy director of maritime affairs, reportedly said. AFP.
They found a ship more than 98 feet long and 23 feet wide, likely a 16th-century merchant ship, carrying ceramics. Color images show at least 200 clay pots now trapped under the sediment. The spherical pitcher with a retracted spout and ribbon handle features the monogram “IHS” (a Greek symbol representing Jesus Christ) and a geographical pattern possibly inspired by plant life.
“These jugs are a well-documented characteristic of Ligurian production from the 16th century,” the agency wrote, describing a region in what is now northern Italy. The team also found approximately 100 yellow plates, as well as shipboard equipment including anchors, cannons and two cauldrons.
The wreck (named Camarat 4 because of its location) has remained undisturbed since its sinking – salvage missions were not possible at that depth, and no robberies occurred in the centuries that followed.
“Camarat 4 is a remarkable discovery because of its depth, unprecedented nature and the opportunity it offers to study an almost complete 16th-century architectural complex,” the team wrote.
Due to its heavy cargo load, experts believe the ship was sailing southwest from what was then Liguria (now northern Italy) when it sank. According to Arnaud Schaumasse, head of the underwater archeology department of the French Ministry of Culture, “it is the deepest shipwreck ever discovered in French territorial waters.” AFP.
The French agency plans to create a digital 3D model of the ship and hopes to return to the site to sample artifacts.
“This represents a unique research opportunity,” the team wrote. “Exploration around the site, comprehensive photogrammetry of the wreck and targeted sampling of artefacts form an initial research perspective, which will be carried out with the assistance of a team of experts.”
You may also like
