July the 24th, 2025 – A sunken ocean-going ship deep in the waters surrounding Kamenjak was robbed and pillaged for decades because it hid valuable cargo…

As Morski writes, in the aquamarine depths not far from Kamenjak lies a sunken ship that obviously met an unfortunate fate. It has been keeping its historical secret for many years at a depth of just 23 metres.

Did this large wooden ship end up crossing the path of a violent storm, strong winds, high waves, or did pirates who were targeting its precious cargo catch up with it? Researchers from the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar are busy trying to find the answers.

They are embarking on a search with experienced divers. This isn’t their first dive, given that they already dived down to explore the Kamenjak sunken ship five years ago and began researching the its cargo.

“This ship has been known about since the 1960s. It was initially discovered by local divers, and the information reached the Ministry of Culture, which then carried out the procedure for protecting and registering the shipwreck as a cultural asset. However, it’s obvious that the site has been sadly being looted for decades and that various objects in its cargo have been taken away. Today, we don’t have a complete overview of everything that was taken from the ship,” Luka Bekić, head of research from the aforementioned Zadar-based centre, told HRT.

He added that based on the drawings made, approximately half of the ship’s wooden structure has been preserved. “The ship was obviously quite large. It probably also sailed across the Atlantic, so we believe it was more than twenty metres long,” revealed Bekić.

Every new dive brings more surprises. Mud and sand keep covering what was previously cleaned off, but the team is persistent and is getting closer to uncovering the real picture of the Kamenjak sunken ship that appears to still be hiding some mystery. The recently revealed wooden elements of the ship’s equipment prove that they are on the right track.

“These are wooden elements in the function of the ship’s equipment. They come in pairs, they’re made of wood, they have three holes and ropes are threaded through them to tighten the masts of sailing ships,” explained Maja Kaleb, head of the Centre’s Education and Documentation Department.

“Our colleagues are currently excavating a new part of the vessel and today they found two more such structures. So far, we’ve found six of them. Four are the same dimensions, and two are slightly smaller. We hope that it is a multi-masted ship, so those smaller parts could belong to another mast,” added Kaleb.

It is known that the Kamenjak sunken ship was carrying valuable cargo before it descended to its watery grave. Among other things, twelve brass trumpets from the end of the 16th century were found. Only eight such instruments are known in the rest of the world.

“The trumpets were being transported in parts. The pipes and mouthpieces were separated. Based on this, we believe that there were at least twelve of them. The inscriptions on them show that half were made in Strasbourg and the other half in Leiden, the Netherlands,” revealed Bekić.

Among the other discovered objects are red glass bowls and a large number of beads of various colours. All of these fascinating objects, as well as parts of the ship itself, are being carefully preserved and cleaned of sea, salt and rust.

“The objects we found are extremely interesting. Each one tells its own story,” noted Roko Surić, head of the Presentation Department at the Centre. “The cannons on the seabed are the most impressive of all. The whole concept is to leave them on the seabed so that they can still be seen. Before that, we have to restore and preserve them. Metal objects need to be cleaned of corrosion, and the rest needs to be desalinated, that is, the salt needs to be removed from their structure so that we can properly reconstruct the story that these objects carry. After that, they can go to exhibitions and be seen,” explained Surić.

While the research is ongoing, diving at this location near Kamenjak is strictly prohibited. Dives are allowed only with a special concession from the Ministry of Culture and Media.


 


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