The discovery was made in autumn 2025 by the Swedish Navy vessel HMS Belos during an exercise, and has now emerged as one of the most interesting marine archaeological finds in Sweden in recent years.

Dated to the late 16th century

Following initial analyses, researchers have established that the wreck was probably built in the late 16th century. The findings are based on dendrochronological analyses of wood samples, a method that facilitates high-precision dating of timber.

Archaeologists uncovered the remains of six historic shipwrecks in Varberg, Sweden, during investigations associated with the construction of a railway tunnel. These vessels, dating from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, were located along the town’s original shoreline and harbour area, providing new insights into centuries of maritime activity.

The wreck of the iron steamship City of Hobart has been identified off the Gippsland coast in Victoria, Australia, resolving a maritime mystery that endured for more than a century. Technical divers from Southern Ocean Exploration (SOE) confirmed the wreck’s identity after revisiting a site detected during offshore wind-farm seabed surveys.

The discovery followed years of intermittent search efforts by researchers and divers seeking to locate the long-lost vessel.

New measures aimed at protecting historic shipwrecks along England’s southwest coast are being introduced as authorities seek to address the growing problem of heritage crime at sea.

The initiative builds on guidance developed by Historic England and partner organisations to improve how agencies detect and respond to illegal activity on underwater heritage sites.

A proposed amendment in the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces Bill 2026 could expand legal protection for military shipwrecks in British waters, potentially affecting how divers explore many historic wreck sites around the UK coast.

The proposal, contained in Clause 47 of the bill, would amend the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 to include vessels that sank while in military service, extending legal safeguards that currently apply only to specifically designated wrecks.

Marine archaeologists working off Sein Island, western Brittany, have documented a large, stone-built structure lying several metres below today’s sea level. Detailed analysis confirms that the wall is human-made and dates to between approximately 5800 and 5300 BCE, making it one of the oldest known submerged constructions of its kind in Europe..

New dives funded by Historic England have revealed that the wreck of the 18th-century warship Northumberland, lost during the Great Storm of 1703, is far more intact than previously thought. The wreck, a Protected Site since 1981, lies in shallow waters off the Kent coast and is now confirmed to include multiple wooden decks, intact chests, and coils of rope—rare organic materials that have survived three centuries thanks to burial under seabed sediments.

A ground-breaking project launched in 2022 has revealed 31 previously unknown shipwrecks lying on the bed of Lake Constance (Bodensee), offering a rare glimpse into the region’s maritime history. Using advanced mapping and robotic explorations, researchers have begun to uncover centuries of trading, travel and even wartime loss beneath the waters of this Alpine lake. 

In an extraordinary archaeological discovery, the remains of a 16th-century Portuguese ship, along with a treasure trove of gold coins and navigational instruments, have been unearthed in the Namibian desert. The wreck was first discovered in 2008 by diamond miners working along Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. While excavating the area, part of the ship’s hull and numerous artefacts came to light, including bronze cannons, navigational tools and over 2,000 gold coins, primarily Portuguese cruzados and Spanish excelentes.