India

The wreck, estimated to be 50 to 60 metres in length, was found on the western side of Kalpeni Island. Coral growth and corrosion suggest the ship has been submerged for several centuries. Artefacts such as a cannon and an anchor have been identified, indicating the vessel's military nature. Researchers suggest that the ship may have belonged to one of the European powers active in the region during that period—Britain, the Netherlands or Portugal.

The five-member research team is part of a Cetacean Population Study team under a United Nations Development Programme project on Mainstreaming Coastal and Marine Biodiversity. They had been surveying the waters over six months for humpback dolphins when the whales were observed.

“It is estimated that there are only 9,000 such whales in the oceans. They are the largest mammals in the world, even bigger than the Dinosaurs, but still they are least studied mammals,” said N Vasudevan, Maharashtra’s Chief Conservator of the Forest and Head of Mangroves Cell.