shipwreck

AN ANCIENT Roman ship downed by a storm has been found centuries later at a holiday hotspot – and there’s even treasure on board.

The 2,000-year-old discovery was made mere metres from a popular beachfront – and baffled researchers claim the ship is still in great condition.

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The archaeological sensation was unearthed along the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia this month, almost two millennia after it sunk.

Its timbers even “look like they were just carved”, according to the gobsmacked research team.

Divers suspected there might be a wreck at the Roman port of Barbir after discovering an antique plank with a metal nail in 2020.

Five years later, the entire 42-foot vessel has now been revealed, along with a haul of ancient coins.

One of them even included the ancient Roman emperor, Trajan.

The incredible shipwreck lies in the village of Sukošan just a few miles south of Zadar, one of Croatia’s biggest tourist destinations.

The International Centre for Underwater Archaeology, which led the excavation, said the ship was likely lost in a storm.

Director Mladen Pešić said: “As the evidence shows us, the ship was docked in the harbour.

“It was found just in front of the pier, so we suppose that due to the bad weather the ropes could be broken and the ship might have hit the shore.”

He added: “Broken stern elements give us evidence of this, since this beam that belongs to the keel was split like it hit a hard surface.

“The ship was probably in such bad condition that the owners decided to leave it on the bottom of the harbour.”

Radiocarbon analysis dates the ship to the first or second century AD – roughly the period of Trajan’s reign.

And though the ship was damaged enough to sink, it is in surprisingly good condition for its age.

Dr Pešić said: “The preserved ship was almost 13 meters in length and 3.5m in width.

“Many different elements were preserved – keel, planks, frames, ceilings, and many elements of the ship’s upper construction.”

He continued: “It is quite well preserved; some of the planks and frames look like they were just carved.”

The construction of the vessel suggests it was built to carry heavy loads over medium-to-long distances.

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And the artefacts found on board point to the same conclusion.

Dr Pešić said there were many shards of “pottery, glass, and other archaeological material” that could be connected with ship and the port.

“Most interesting are two complete jugs that were part of the ship’s equipment,” he explained.

“As we found many olive pits on it, we suppose that at the moment of sinking, the ship was transporting olives for further processing or for sale.”

The ship will now be preserved in-situ, being covered with a protective geotextile membrane and reburied in the sand.

But a recreation of the ship is planned for public display.

Dr Pešić said: “The plan is to make a 1:10 scale reconstruction of the existing ship construction in order to make a predictive model of ship how it looked in Roman times.”

Excavation of the ship was the work of a multinational team, including experts from Croatia, France, Poland, Germany, and the UK.

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Fresh concerns the UK’s ‘doomsday ship’ could blow up were sparked after a cargo ship was recently spotted sailing perilously close to the exclusion zone

An unassuming seaside town with pastel beach huts and pebble shores is bizarrely home to its very own ticking time bomb.

Situated on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, Sheerness looks like any other coastal resort at first glance. With sweeping views of the Thames Estuary, rows of flashing arcades, a slew of fish and chip shops, and a popular promenade that runs along a shingle beach – it ticks all of the quintessential seaside must-haves.

Dating back to the Bronze Age, Sheerness’ history is what really sets it apart from the rest. It owes much of its origins as a Royal Naval dockyard town, after Henry VIII required the River Medway as an anchorage for his army, and ordered that the mouth of the river be protected by a small fort. Samuel Pepys established the Royal Navy Dockyard in the 17th century, where warships were stocked and repaired until its closure in 1960.

READ MORE: Tiny UK island ‘abandoned by humans’ after ambitious £3m plan axed decades ago

But, in 1944, just a year before the Second World War came to an end, a US Liberty Ship named SS Richard Montgomery, was loaded with around 7,000 tons of munitions and joined over convoys bound for the UK and then on to Cherbourg in France.

After arriving in the Thames Estuary, the vessel was directed to anchor in the Great Nore just off Sheerness to wait for instructions to cross the Channel. However, on August 20, it all went wrong.

“The vessel grounded amidships on the crest of the sandbank. Intensive efforts began to unload her cargo,” GOV UK explains. “Unfortunately, by the next day, a crack appeared in the hull and the forward end began to flood. The salvage effort continued until September 25, by which time approximately half of the cargo had been successfully removed. The salvage effort had to be abandoned when the vessel finally flooded completely.”

Now, the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery remains on the sandbank, her masts clearly visible above the water. There are still approximately 1,400 tons of explosives contained within the forward holds – sparking fears it could explode at any time.

The government has reassured the public that the risk of a ‘major’ detonation is ‘believed to be remote’ – but that monitoring the condition of the wreck is essential. “Surveys are carried out by the MCA on a regular basis to ensure that any changes to the wreck, or its immediate environment, are discovered quickly,” the Maritime and Coastguard Agency states.

“It is clear from the results of these surveys that the hull is subject to the prevailing environmental conditions and is showing evidence of gradual deterioration. However, the wreck is considered to be in a stable condition.”

The wreck is under 24-hour radar surveillance and is designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. An exclusion zone is clearly marked around it, but recent fears emerged after a cargo ship was pictured sailing perilously close to the ticking time bomb.

Eastchurch resident James Dewey, who spotted a WEC Lines container ship edging closer to the exclusion zone – marked by buoys, told reports: “It was worrying when I was sitting there looking at doomsday.” Officials confirmed the ship did not breach the exclusion zone, but the event still re-sparked interest in the ship’s potential to wreak havoc.

As previously reported, a 1970 report from the Royal Military College of Science predicted a huge tsunami more than 3,000 metres high would be caused if its payload was to detonate. Nearby Sheerness would also be engulfed in the carnage.

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Brits hoping to see the likes of sharks, eels and angelfish may want to check out a huge new £1million aquarium display that’s just opened in the UK

Brits looking for fun days out with the kids on those gloomy rainy days may want to head down to a huge new aquarium in the UK complete with a shipwreck model and sharks.

That’s because SEA LIFE Great Yarmouth recently opened the doors to a brand new £1million aquarium display, and it’s pretty impressive. For a start, it’s home to over 30 marine species including blacktip reef sharks, moray eels, tangs, and angelfish. One major highlight is the 250,000-litre Ocean Tank and Tunnel where you can walk right under the fish and sea creatures, or get up close thanks to the specially created immersive viewing windows.

Oh, and keep an eye out for the impressive shipwreck habitat where all sorts of marine life is hiding in the nooks and crannies. The whole shipwreck was inspired by HMS Gloucester, a royal warship which sank off the Norfolk coast in 1682. The shipwreck itself was discovered by two divers in 2007, but it wasn’t until 2021 that the full public reveal was announced.

Other highlights also include an immersive interactive experience where you can see and hear crashing waves, with the aim of leaving you feeling like you’re completely submerged in the ocean’s depths.

There’s plenty more to explore across the attraction too, with SEA LIFE playing host to animals such as penguins, crocodiles, rays and green sea turtles. Ticket prices for SEA LIFE start from £16 per adult when booked online up to two days in advance – you can find out more at visitsealife.com.

Of course on a sunnier day, you may also want to leave time on the itinerary for a trip to Great Yarmouth beach. With miles of golden sands, a bustling promenade lined with restaurants and shops, and swim-friendly waters, it’s a firm favourite with sunseekers in the summer, but also makes for a lovely scenic stroll on those days where it’s a little too chilly to get into the sea!

It’s worth noting that it can get quite busy during the peak holiday seasons, so if you’re not tied to school holiday dates, it might be worth planning a trip when it’s slightly quieter. One happy holidaymaker did just that and shared their experience on Tripadvisor, writing: “What a wonderful walk on the beach in the sunshine. Such a clean beach. Out of season was ideal for us. We parked at the end of the road near the Premier Inn and walked down the beach to the shops. Such a lovely day and beach.”

This summer, there will be heaps of fun for families too including a Wheels Festival across June 21-22, the annual free fireworks on the Golden Mile on Wednesdays from July 23 to August 27, and fireworks displays every Tuesday near Hemsby Beach from July 23. You can find out more at visitgreatyarmouth.co.uk.

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May 27 (UPI) — A court in Greece charged 17 members of the Hellenic Coast Guard and four officials in connection with a shipwreck in which as many as 650 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea off the southern city of Pylos in June 2023.

Piraeus Naval Court deputy prosecutor Monday charged the captain of the coast guard vessel LS-920 with causing a shipwreck resulting in the deaths of 82 people — the number of bodies recovered — reckless interference with maritime transport and failure to provide assistance to a vessel in distress at sea.

The charges stem from an alleged bungled effort by the coastguards to tow the overloaded Adriana, which was attempting to smuggle 750 paying migrants to Italy from Libya, causing it to capsize, and then conspiring to cover it up.

Just 104 survivors were rescued. Another estimated 500 people beneath the deck of the fishing boat, including 100 women and children, remain missing, presumed drowned, according to the United Nations.

The 16 crew members were charged with being complicit in the criminal acts allegedly committed by the captain, while the then-chief of the Coast Guard and the supervisor of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Center in Piraeus were among four officials charged with “exposing others to danger.”

Under Greece’s legal system, charges do not necessarily mean a case will go to trial.

Legal counsel for the victim said the charges were “a substantial and self-evident development in the course of vindication of the victims and the delivery of justice.”

Greek authorities have consistently denied the allegations made by survivors, claiming instead that the Coast Guard had instructed nearby ships to resupply the Adriana with fuel, food and water to enable it to sail on to Italy as it was not in need of rescuing.

The Coast Guard initially declined to launch a disciplinary probe into the actions of the LS-920’s captain and crew.

However, analysis by the BBC, New York Times, The Guardian, other media outlets and human rights organizations of data and evidence from eyewitnesses found that the vessel was stationary for hours before it sank.

Critical video, call and radio traffic evidence between the Adriana and the Coast Guard, said to be unavailable due to equipment failure, which has since been leaked, appears to show the Coast Guard instructing the Adriana’s captain to tell the ships offering assistance that he wanted to continue to Italy.

In one of the tapes, a National Search and Rescue Coordination Center officer apparently coaches the captain of the Lucky Sailor, one of the vessels that resupplied the Adriana, about what he had seen and heard — “ok, ok, everybody screaming that they don’t want Greece and they want Italy? — and instructs him to make sure he records it in the ship’s log.

A trial of nine Egyptians accused of people smuggling and causing the disaster collapsed in May 2024 after a Greek court threw out the case, ruling it lacked jurisdiction because the Adriana went down 47 miles out at sea, meaning it was in international waters.

The coast guard defended its record, telling the BBC in February that it was internationally renowned for its humanitarian efforts, particularly as it had rescued more than 250,000 migrants from the seas around Greece in the past 10 years and detained at least 1,000 people smugglers.

This little-known beauty spot with its ’emerald sea’ is well worth a visit – and it’s right on the doorstep of a popular seaside town

If you’re seeking a bit of adventure in your seaside walks this summer, one overlooked beach is a must-visit. Nestled near to the bustling town of Whitby in North Yorkshire, this lesser-known beach boasts natural beauty and even offers the chance to spot some fossils.

Just a stone’s throw from its more crowded neighbour Whitby, the hidden gem, Saltwick Bay, has plenty to explore. With towering cliffs and remnants of a sunken ship, it’s an ideal spot for history enthusiasts and adventurers alike.

This much less visited rugged bay overlooks the North Sea coast and is just a quick 10-minute drive from Whitby. However, what you’ll discover at Saltwick Bay is a unique charm, fewer crowds, and some truly stunning sights – and visitors of all ages will be captivated by its offerings.

For instance, it’s renowned for its reptile fossils, which can be spotted in the cliff face about one metre above the beach level. Don’t miss a stroll along the foreshore, where you’re most likely to stumble upon ammonites – these coiled-shelled cephalopods are truly intriguing to observe, reports the Express.

It’s important to note, however, that Saltwick Bay is a site of special scientific interest, so hammering the bedrock is strictly prohibited.

Adding to its allure, Saltwick Bay also houses a hauntingly abandoned shipwreck on its shores. The remains of the Admiral Von Tromp lie on the shore, shrouded in mystery as to what actually happened to it.

The ship was believed to have left Scarborough Harbour, aiming for Barnacle Bay in 1976, yet it tragically never made it, instead ending up stranded on the rocks at Saltwick Bay.

The striking relic only shows itself during low tide, so those keen to see the wreck should plan their visit with the tidal schedule in mind.

Beach enthusiasts haven’t held back in expressing their admiration on Tripadvisor, with a slew of five-star reviews applauding the beach’s charms.

One delighted visitor wrote: “A stunning beach, reached by a beautiful cliff top walk from Whitby. Some steep steps down but absolutely worth it. As advised by others we stayed away from the bottom of the cliffs but the bay was wonderful to explore.”

Another enthusiast praised: “A beautiful place, quiet, emerald sea, you almost think you’re on a Greek island. A steady walk from Whitby Abbey along the escarpment, approximately 30 minutes, a steep descent and wow, it’s idyllic.”