Latest news with #ThierrydelaBurgade
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Shipwreck over a mile deep has centuries' old artifacts—and modern garbage
A shipwreck accidentally discovered off France's southeastern coast near Saint-Tropez appears to be a striking well-preserved 16th-century Italian merchant ship. At 8,422 feet below sea level, the vessel is likely the deepest of its kind ever found in French waters, according to the official announcement. But next to scattered ceramics, metal bars, and rigging rests what appear to be jarring reminders of modern life. Earlier this year, French military personnel noticed an odd ping while guiding an underwater drone along a routine surveying expedition. Although intended to monitor potential oceanic resources and deepsea cable routes, the equipment flagged something sizable already laying over 1.5 miles below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. 'The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device's camera, then [again] with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images,' deputy prefect Thierry de la Burgade told CBS News on June 12. What the officers found appears to be a largely intact 16th-century Italian merchant ship measuring roughly 98-by-23 feet. The vessel was loaded with cargo on its final voyage, including around 200 jugs with pinched spouts. Some of the relics feature the monogram 'IHS,' the first three letters in the Greek name of Jesus. Meanwhile, others are covered in geometric or plant-inspired patterns. These details suggest the jugs originated in the Liguria region of present-day northern Italy. Additional finds included piles of roughly 100 yellow plates, a pair of cauldrons, an anchor, and six cannons. Archeologist Marine Sadania called the wreck an 'exceptional' find.'[T]he site—thanks to its depth which prevented any recovery or looting—has remained intact, as if time froze, which is exceptional,' she added. Other more recent artifacts appear to have also joined the vessel at its final resting place. Photos released by French authorities depict at least two objects that look suspiciously similar to aluminum drink cans. It's difficult to glean more information about the potential trash due to the image resolution. However, explorers have identified plastic bags at some of the deepest points in the world's oceans, so it's not a stretch to conclude that soda cans lay amid this roughly 500 year-old Italian shipwreck. The mystery objects may be identified in the near future. Sadania and colleagues are planning to create a 3D digital model of the vessel over the next two years while also retrieving site samples for further analysis. '[The wreck] is a remarkable discovery for its depth, unprecedented character and the opportunity it offers to study an almost intact 16th-century wreck,' France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archeological Research said on June 11.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Underwater drone stumbles upon France's deepest shipwreck
Archaeologists have discovered by chance what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 1.5 miles underwater off southern France, the deepest such find in its section of the Mediterranean or any other French waters. Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sunk. Despite a little modern waste dotting its sunken cargo at 8,422 feet below sea level, researchers were excited about the potential of an archaeological site largely preserved intact. "It's the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters," Arnaud Schaumasse, the head of the culture ministry's underwater archaeology department, said late Wednesday. France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research released images of the shipwreck on social media, saying the vessel was discovered "during a military operation to explore the seabed." An underwater drone stumbled upon the sunken ship by chance in early March in waters near Saint-Tropez in southeastern France, deputy maritime prefect Thierry de la Burgade said. "The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device's camera, then against with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images," he said. The drone was patrolling the seabed as part of a government project to explore and monitor France's deep-sea resources, from minerals to deep-sea internet cables. Archaeologist Marine Sadania said experts discovered 200 jugs with pinched spouts among the wreckage at the site they have dubbed "Camarat 4." Some of these jugs were marked with the monogram "HIS," the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, or covered with plant-inspired or geometric patterns. Those details seemed to indicate the jugs hailed from the Liguria region in what is now northern Italy, she said. "Camarat 4 is a remarkable discovery for its depth, unprecedented character and the opportunity it offers to study an almost intact 16th-century wreck," France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research said. "As if time froze" Experts also identified piles of around 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, an anchor and six cannons. Modern waste, such as a soda can or an empty yogurt container, were spotted too. One image released by officials appeared to show an aluminum can next to an anchor. But despite this, "the site -- thanks to its depth which prevented any recovery or looting -- has remained intact, as if time froze, which is exceptional," Sadania said. Over the coming two years, she and colleagues plan to draw up a 3D digital version of the ship, as well as extract samples from the site to better study them before returning them to the public domain. According to the defense ministry in charge of exploring France's deep seas, researchers can remove an item from a shipwreck by guiding a submarine robot with pincers or arms, via a long cable linking the device to a boat on the surface. Officials said further analysis will be carried out by ceramic experts, archaeologists and specialists in naval architecture. The deepest French authorities had found a sunken vessel until now was 2.3 kilometers under sea level off the southern city of Toulon in 2019. The wreckage belonged to La Minerve, a French submarine that plunged to its demise in 1968 with 52 navy crew on board, only four minutes after the start of a routine assignment. Video shows Air India plane crashing in Ahmedabad Air India plane crashes shortly after takeoff, carrying more than 240 people An accused woman skips her pedicure, kills her ex-husband
CBS News
2 days ago
- Science
- CBS News
Underwater military drone accidentally stumbles upon deepest shipwreck ever found off France: "As if time froze"
What technology could change the way we learn about shipwrecks What technology could change the way we learn about shipwrecks What technology could change the way we learn about shipwrecks Archaeologists have discovered by chance what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 1.5 miles underwater off southern France, the deepest such find in its section of the Mediterranean or any other French waters. Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sunk. Despite a little modern waste dotting its sunken cargo at 8,422 feet below sea level, researchers were excited about the potential of an archaeological site largely preserved intact. "It's the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters," Arnaud Schaumasse, the head of the culture ministry's underwater archaeology department, said late Wednesday. France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research released images of the shipwreck on social media, saying the vessel was discovered "during a military operation to explore the seabed." Archaeologists say they discovered by chance what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 1.5 miles underwater off southern France. National Navy via France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research An underwater drone stumbled upon the sunken ship by chance in early March in waters near Saint-Tropez in southeastern France, deputy maritime prefect Thierry de la Burgade said. "The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device's camera, then against with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images," he said. The drone was patrolling the seabed as part of a government project to explore and monitor France's deep-sea resources, from minerals to deep-sea internet cables. Archaeologist Marine Sadania said experts discovered 200 jugs with pinched spouts among the wreckage at the site they have dubbed "Camarat 4." Some of these jugs were marked with the monogram "HIS," the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, or covered with plant-inspired or geometric patterns. Those details seemed to indicate the jugs hailed from the Liguria region in what is now northern Italy, she said. "Camarat 4 is a remarkable discovery for its depth, unprecedented character and the opportunity it offers to study an almost intact 16th-century wreck," France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research said. "As if time froze" Experts also identified piles of around 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, an anchor and six cannons. Modern waste, such as a soda can or an empty yogurt container, were spotted too. One image released by officials appeared to show an aluminum can next to an anchor. Archaeologists say they discovered by chance what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 1.5 miles underwater off southern France. National Navy via France's Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research But despite this, "the site -- thanks to its depth which prevented any recovery or looting -- has remained intact, as if time froze, which is exceptional," Sadania said. Over the coming two years, she and colleagues plan to draw up a 3D digital version of the ship, as well as extract samples from the site to better study them before returning them to the public domain. According to the defense ministry in charge of exploring France's deep seas, researchers can remove an item from a shipwreck by guiding a submarine robot with pincers or arms, via a long cable linking the device to a boat on the surface. Officials said further analysis will be carried out by ceramic experts, archaeologists and specialists in naval architecture. The deepest French authorities had found a sunken vessel until now was 2.3 kilometers under sea level off the southern city of Toulon in 2019. The wreckage belonged to La Minerve, a French submarine that plunged to its demise in 1968 with 52 navy crew on board, only four minutes after the start of a routine assignment.
Local France
2 days ago
- General
- Local France
Archaeologists find France's deepest shipwreck
Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sunk. Despite a little modern household waste dotting its sunken cargo at 2,567 metres below sea level, they were excited about the potential of an archaeological site largely preserved intact. "It's the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters," Arnaud Schaumasse, the head of the culture ministry's underwater archaeology department, said late Wednesday. An underwater drone stumbled upon the sunken ship by chance in early March in waters near Saint-Tropez in southeastern France, deputy maritime prefect Thierry de la Burgade said. "The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device's camera, then against with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images," he said. Advertisement The drone was patrolling the seabed as part of a government project to explore and monitor France's deep-sea resources, from minerals to deep-sea internet cables. Archaeologist Marine Sadania said experts discovered 200 jugs with pinched spouts among the wreckage at the site they have dubbed "Camarat 4". Some of these jugs were marked with the monogram "IHS", the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, or covered with plant-inspired or geometric patterns. Those details seemed to indicate the jugs hailed from the Liguria region in what is now northern Italy, she said. 'As if time froze' Experts also identified piles of around 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, an anchor and six cannons. Modern waste, such as a soda can or an empty yoghurt pot, were spotted too. But despite this, "the site -- thanks to its depth which prevented any recovery or looting -- has remained intact, as if time froze, which is exceptional," Sadania said. Over the coming two years, she and colleagues plan to draw up a 3D digital version of the ship, as well as extract samples from the site to better study them before returning them to the public domain. Advertisement According to the defence ministry in charge of exploring France's deep seas, researchers can remove an item from a shipwreck by guiding a submarine robot with pincers or arms, via a long cable linking the device to a boat on the surface. The deepest French authorities had found a sunken vessel until now was 2.3 kilometres under sea level off the southern city of Toulon in 2019. The wreckage belonged to La Minerve, a French submarine that plunged to its demise in 1968 with 52 navy crew on board, four minutes only after the start of a routine assignment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists find France's deepest shipwreck
Archaeologists have discovered what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 2.5 kilometres underwater off southern France, the deepest such find in its section of the Mediterranean or any other French waters. Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sunk. Despite a little modern household waste dotting its sunken cargo at 2,567 metres (more than 1.5 miles) below sea level, they were excited about the potential of an archaeological site largely preserved intact. "It's the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters," Arnaud Schaumasse, the head of the culture ministry's underwater archaeology department, said late Wednesday. An underwater drone stumbled upon the sunken ship by chance in early March in waters near Saint-Tropez in southeastern France, deputy maritime prefect Thierry de la Burgade said. "The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device's camera, then against with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images," he said. The drone was patrolling the seabed as part of a government project to explore and monitor France's deep-sea resources, from minerals to deep-sea internet cables. Archaeologist Marine Sadania said experts discovered 200 jugs with pinched spouts among the wreckage at the site they have dubbed "Camarat 4". Some of these jugs were marked with the monogram "IHS", the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, or covered with plant-inspired or geometric patterns. Those details seemed to indicate the jugs hailed from the Liguria region in what is now northern Italy, she said. - 'As if time froze' - Experts also identified piles of around 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, an anchor and six cannons. Modern waste, such as a soda can or an empty yoghurt pot, were spotted too. But despite this, "the site -- thanks to its depth which prevented any recovery or looting -- has remained intact, as if time froze, which is exceptional," Sadania said. Over the coming two years, she and colleagues plan to draw up a 3D digital version of the ship, as well as extract samples from the site to better study them before returning them to the public domain. According to the defence ministry in charge of exploring France's deep seas, researchers can remove an item from a shipwreck by guiding a submarine robot with pincers or arms, via a long cable linking the device to a boat on the surface. The deepest French authorities had found a sunken vessel until now was 2.3 kilometres under sea level off the southern city of Toulon in 2019. The wreckage belonged to La Minerve, a French submarine that plunged to its demise in 1968 with 52 navy crew on board, four minutes only after the start of a routine assignment. vwm-ah/sjw/giv
