Divers have brought up objects from HMHS Britannic for the first time, offering rare insights into the ship’s history and life on board.
Divers have for the first time retrieved artefacts from HMHS Britannic, sunk off Kea in 1916. Items include the bell, signal lantern, tiles, binoculars.
In a historic mission, professional deep-sea divers have retrieved a collection of artefacts from the wreck of HMHS Britannic, which sank after striking a mine in 1916 off the Greek island of Kea. The items, recovered from a depth exceeding 120 metres, offer new physical insight into the life and service of the ship and its passengers. The operation marks the first time objects have been brought up directly from the wreck site.
Recovered objects
Among the artefacts recovered this past May were the ship’s crow’s nest bell, a port-side running light, binoculars, fine china and crockery reflecting daily life on board, as well as striking mosaic tiles from the Turkish baths—a direct reminder of the ship’s opulent origins as a White Star Line ocean liner. The objects survived more than a century underwater, despite the challenges of depth, strong currents and poor visibility.
The expedition
The project to document the wreck and its contents was carried out by an 11-member dive team using closed-circuit rebreathers. Organised by British historian Simon Mills, founder of the Britannic Foundation, the mission took place under the supervision of Greece’s Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities. The culture ministry noted that conditions were “particularly challenging due to currents, depth and low visibility,” and that some artefacts could not be recovered because of their location or fragile condition.
Richie Kohler, one of the project leaders, reflected on the mission:
“After five years of consecutive work alongside Evan Kovacs and a team of incredibly talented technical divers, we were able to begin the first phase this past May with the deepest archaeological recovery of artefacts from a shipwreck in Greek waters, executed entirely by technical sport divers. These dives were among the most challenging and technically satisfying of my career, and I am incredibly proud of the team I helped assemble and lead.”
Conservation and display
The recovered artefacts have been transported to conservation labs in Athens to undergo treatment and preservation. Once conserved, they are intended for permanent exhibition at the new National Underwater Antiquities Museum in Piraeus. Kohler noted that additional significant artefacts remain to be recovered in the next phases of the project, and he looks forward to sharing them with the public once the museum opens.
