In brief
In a remarkable underwater operation, Greece's culture ministry has unveiled the recovery of artefacts from the HMHS Britannic, the Titanic's sister ship, which sank in 1916 after striking a German mine. An 11-member team of deep-sea divers retrieved significant items including the ship's lookout bell, navigation lamp, and personal effects from first- and second-class cabins. These artefacts will be displayed in a new museum dedicated to underwater discoveries related to World War I.
Greece has announced the recovery of artefacts from the wreck of HMHS Britannic, more than a century after the Titanic's sister ship was sunk in wartime in the Aegean Sea by a German mine.
The operation was conducted in May but was only revealed publicly on Monday, when the culture ministry shared details about the finds.
An 11-member team of professional deep-sea divers utilizing closed-circuit equipment conducted the recovery, organized by British historian Simon Mills, founder of the Britannic Foundation.
Among the items retrieved were the ship's lookout bell, a portside navigation lamp, binoculars, ceramic tiles from Turkish baths, and equipment from first- and second-class cabins.
The artefacts were secured in containers and cleaned of marine organisms before being transferred to the laboratories of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities in Athens for conservation work.
Some objects identified in the original plan could not be recovered due to their condition and location. Eventually, these artefacts will be displayed at the new National Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus, specifically in a section dedicated to World War One.
The Britannic was the third of the White Star Line company's Olympic class of steamships, alongside the RMS Titanic and RMS Olympic. Requisitioned by the British Admiralty during the war to serve as a hospital ship, the vessel sank on 16 November 1916 after striking a German mine off the island of Kea, resulting in the deaths of 30 of the 1,065 people on board as lifeboats were pulled into the ship's propellers.
