For the first time in its history, artifacts have been recovered from the wreck of HMHS Britannic, the Titanic's sister ship. Divers conducted the recovery operation between May 6th-13th, retrieving items from a depth greater than 120 meters.
The Britannic, launched in 1914 as a luxury cruise liner, was swiftly requisitioned by the British Admiralty during World War I, transforming into a vast hospital ship. On November 21, 1916, it was on a mission to the island of Lemnos when it struck a German mine near the island of Kea, approximately 75 kilometers southeast of Athens, causing it to sink within 55 minutes. The incident resulted in the loss of 30 out of the 1,065 crew members and passengers, noted BBC News.
Recovered artifacts include the ship's observation bell, port-side navigation light, ceramic tiles, and a pair of binoculars. These items are undergoing conservation at the Underwater Antiquities Eforate laboratories in Athens. Once preserved, they will be exhibited at the National Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus, dedicated to World War I.
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"The difficulties encountered during the dive were primarily due to depth and visibility challenges," stated Dimitris Kourkoumelis, head of the Underwater Antiquities Service. "Raising objects from a wreck is shocking. When we talk about wrecks, we talk about accidents, about situations that are not usual."
The recovery team, composed of an 11-member group of specialized divers, utilized closed-circuit devices and lift bags to safely transport the artifacts to the surface. "The binoculars probably did not belong to the ship, but to one of the wounded soldiers it carried," noted Kourkoumelis.