Pirate Ship Found in the Black Sea

At least ten ships, described as ancient, medieval and from the nineteenth century, were recently discovered at the bottom of the Black Sea. According to experts with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Institute of Oceanology), the ships were found when the Institute was exploring the proposed underwater route for the South Stream gas pipeline project.

South Stream, a Russian-sponsored project, was going to be built for the purpose of transporting natural gas from Russia to Europe and included a lengthy underwater section between the Russian and Bulgarian coasts. Ultimately the South Steam project was terminated because of noncompliance issues with EU environmental regulations, but the potential for underwater archaeology discoveries remains.

The most interesting find according to experts is what appears to be a Greek galley, based on the typical arched bow visibly sticking out of the silt, lying on the bottom of the Black Sea in the Bulgarian enterprise zone. Galleys are low, flat ships with up to three banks of oars and one or more sails. They’re known as the favored ships of pirates. Unfortunately, this galley was found at 1,400 meters, making it inaccessible to divers.

Two other vessels, from the first half of the nineteenth century, have also been located. These ships were both near the Cape of Kaliakra, located on the Black Sea’s northern coast. Only one of them is accessible and scientists from the Institute are hoping to explore it at some point in the future, although Bulgaria’s government seldom budgets for the hefty cost of underwater archaeology expeditions

Including the ships recently discovered, a total of 25 sunken vessels have been located in the Black Sea between the Cape of Kaliakra and the city of Varna. The best known shipwreck is a 500-year-old vessel which sank north of the Cape of Kaliakra. Found in 2006, it too is believed to have been a pirate ship, theoretically belonging to pirates from the Ukrainian side of the Black Sea. This is based partly on the fact that around 1500 CE, Christian monasteries and temples on the Greek coasts were known to have been frequently robbed by Ukrainian pirates.

Although funding for comprehensive explorations in the Black Sea’s Bulgarian zone can be slow to materialize, if at all, potential discoveries are safeguarded by specific qualities unique to the Black Sea. Shipwrecks in this area are often the result of quickly developing storms with high waves lasting for only a short period of time. As the vessel sinks it lands in a deep (approximately 6 meters) layer of soft silt which protects it against underwater currents. What’s more, the environment below 150 meters is anaerobic, which prevents corrosion.

Some scholars even believe that an archaeological exploration could provide evidence connecting the Black Sea to the story of Noah’s Ark and the Biblical flood, as it is believed to have been a fresh water lake up until a few thousand years ago.

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