Remnants of the bow of a British destroyer that sank off Albania in 1946 has been found. On 22 October 1946, the HMS Volage had been on her way to aid another British destroyer when it hit a mine.
British destroyer HMS Volage.
Forty-four sailors perished while another forty-two were injured in the incident. The two ships managed to make their way to the Greek island of Corfu for repairs. Nevertheless, the incident sparked off a diplomatic row at the time.
Then, three months ago, the wreckage of the HMS Volage was discovered in the Ionian Sea, but the discovery was only made public this month.
"While largely obscured by mud, the remains show steel frames, electrical wiring, ammunition, stacks of ceramic plates, a British canteen and the remains of boots or shoes," said James Delgado, president of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, who was part of the team of experts who found the wreckage.
The wreckage was examined by a remote-controlled submarine carrying three cameras. The artefacts will be raised and analysed for confirmation. The discovery was part of efforts to create an underwater cultural heritage map of the Albanian coastline.
