Centuries of Preserved Shipwrecks Found in the Black Sea

This shipwreck from the Ottoman period was discovered 300 metres below the surface of the Black Sea. It's one of a trove of ships recently found by a research vessel.

This ship from the cache of recently discovered shipwrecks is from the medieval period. The unusual chemistry of the Black Sea's depths has kept the ships remarkably well-preserved. The image is a photogrammetric model constructed from over 4,000 high-resolution photographs.

The Stril Explorer was studying how ancient people responded to a rise in the Black Sea 12,000 years ago. During the research, however, the crew found a number of shipwrecks, dating back to the ninth century.

Researchers were using a combination of sonar and ROVs to map the seafloor when they found the shipwrecks.

This photogrammetric model of a Byzantine shipwreck shows the Surveyor ROV passing over it.

The shipwrecks were astonishingly well-preserved. Here, in the detail of the stern of an Ottoman shipwreck, the carved tiller lies by the stern post and rudder. Coils of rope are still hanging from the timbers.

The Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Surveyor Interceptor is over three times as fast as conventional ROVs. During this survey, the ROV operated at depths of over a mile (1800 meters).