Tall & Wooden Ships

San Jose Galleon Artefacts
Handout picture released by the Colombian Presidency on November 19, 2025, showing President Gustavo Petro (C) looking at a cannon recovered from the Spanish galleon San José, which sank off the coast of Cartagena in the Colombian Caribbean Sea.

First Artefacts Recovered From San José Galleon

Colombian scientists have recovered the first artefacts from the wreck of the San José, a Spanish galleon sunk in 1708 during the War of Spanish Succession. Long described as the “Holy Grail” of shipwrecks due to its immense cargo of bullion, ceramics and private wealth, the site has remained untouched for over 300 years until the recent carefully controlled extraction.

Legendary Ghost Ship F.J. King Found in Lake Michigan

(Image on top: This photogrammetry model was created from thousands of 4k photos and stitched together to create a 3D model of the King. This view shows the damage to its bow when it hit the bottom and to its stern when it blew off from the air rushing back as the iron ore cargo slammed forward. Credit: Zach Whitrock, Wisconsin Historical Society.)

Dives Reveal Stuart-Era Warship in Remarkable Condition

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.

The entire Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet of 74 ships had been assembled in the natural harbour at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, following the cessation of hostilities on 11th November 1918.

Scotland Grants Added Protection of Historic Wrecks at Scapa Flow and Shetland

From 1 November 2025, Scotland’s underwater heritage gains new protections: the shipwrecks of Scapa Flow and the 1745 wreck of the Swedish East Indiaman Queen of Sweden are now designated Historic Marine Protected Areas. The move ensures these powerful symbols of maritime history remain preserved—and accessible—while defended against disturbance.

The Skeleton Coast have become a veritable boat graveyard over the centuries. The wreck in the image is not the wreck mentioned.

Shipwreck and Treasure Found in Namibian Desert

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.

A new unidentified shipwreck discovered in the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo: NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries / public domain)

New Shipwreck Discoveries in Lake Ontario Expand Sanctuary's Underwater Heritage

A team from the University of Rhode Island conducted a mission using their remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Rhody, to help confirm these new wrecks within NOAA’s protected waters. Researchers were able to map wrecks with centimetre-level accuracy and create photorealistic 3D models thanks to the ultra-high-resolution imaging Stereo Camera that was mounted on the ROV. This advancement will help with the interpretation and preservation of the sites.

Archaeological team excavating the 500-year-old wreck named Ciutadella I (Photo credit: IBE via news release)

Medieval Shipwreck Discovered Beneath Barcelona

The vessel—believed to have sunk during a storm in the 15th or 16th century when the site was still underwater—has been named Ciutadella I, after the nearby park. A 10-metre-long and three-metre-wide section of the stern was revealed, featuring more than 30 curved ribs and a hull fastened with both wooden and iron nails. The construction is consistent with Mediterranean and European shipbuilding techniques from the mid-15th century onwards.

The shattered wreck of an Italian merchant vessel was accidentally discovered in March in the deep waters of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez by the French Navy,

16th-Century Shipwreck Found at Record Depth off France

The wreck, named Camarat 4, was located in March 2025 during a French Navy seabed exploration mission that employed an autonomous drone. Sonar detected a large object, and a remotely operated vehicle later captured high-resolution images of the site, revealing an extraordinary level of preservation. The vessel’s position and the clarity of the artefacts led researchers to describe the site as appearing “as if time froze.”

The Dutch ship Koning Willem de Tweede sank in a storm off Robe, in South Australia’s southeast, in 1857. (Photo courtesy of Maritiem Museum Rotterdam via press release)

The Wreck of a Dutch Ship Found off Australia Nearly 170 Years After Disaster Struck

Marine archaeologists have confirmed the discovery of the Koning Willem de Tweede, a Dutch merchant ship that sank off the coast of Robe, South Australia, in June 1857. The 800-ton, 140-foot vessel was located approximately 400m offshore in Guichen Bay, submerged at depths between 4 and 6 metres.