Bulgaria: Divers recovered cannons from a 200-year-old shipwreck in the Black Sea:

An archaeological expedition just before Christmas on December 23 recovered two cannons and dozens of munitions more than 200 years old from the seabed off Bulgaria’s northern Black Sea coast. The Center for Underwater Archeology (CUA) team, led by Naiden Prahov, successfully completed the 30-hour mission, despite the icy waters, low visibility and complex logistics required.

This mission was part of a project that the Center had been studying together with the National Historical Museum for a long time. Prahov found the weapons on a dive he made in 2021 but it was not until the end of 2022 and thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture that the objects found in the wreck were recovered and transferred to the museum. The head of the Historical Museum of Kavarna and the border police also helped the divers.

It was late December when the team went to where they knew the wreck was, re-recorded the cannons with photogrammetry and cameras, and then recovered them from the seabed. This was done with a fishing vessel equipped with a crane, which lifted the heavy cannons out of the water, Prahov told BTA. He estimates that they each weigh 350-400 kg.

At archaeological exhibitions organized by the National Institute of Archeology in collaboration with the Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in early 2022, Prahov said it was likely only a matter of time before the cannons were stolen and sold, as dozens of others along of the Black Sea coast. Divers told archaeologists that at least 80 such cases have been recorded since the 1990s, and the fate of these objects is unknown. Prahov added that Kaliakra’s two are among the few left.

Based on a first analysis, the cannons date from the late 18th to early 19th century. They were part of the armament of a three-masted warship that sank, under unknown circumstances, to the north of Cape Kaliakra. The exact location of the wreck is confidential.

In addition to underwater research and recovery of the cannons from the bottom of the Black Sea, the project also includes radiographic research and preservation of the remains of the wreck at the Central Laboratory of Conservation and Restoration of the National Historical Museum.

The cannons and other items found on the ship will go on display at the museum in 2023, expanding its collection. The national museum already has the largest collection of anchors in the country. The latest naval finds mark the beginning of a collection of artifacts from Western European, Russian and Turkish ships found on the bottom of the Black Sea.

RES-EMP

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