Archaeologists have celebrated a significant achievement as valuable artifacts were recovered from the sunken HMHS Britannic, known as the ‘sister ship’ of the Titanic, more than one hundred years after it went down.
Originally built as a luxury liner in 1914, the Britannic was repurposed as a hospital ship during World War I shortly after its construction. Tragically, just two years later, it struck a mine and sank near Athens, en route to the Greek island of Lemnos.
Despite being the largest hospital ship at the time, the Britannic disappeared beneath the waves in under an hour. While all 1,060 passengers managed to evacuate, 30 individuals lost their lives due to collisions with the ship’s lifeboat propellers.
In a recent announcement, officials disclosed the successful recovery of artifacts from the Britannic wreck for the first time. A team of deep-sea divers, commissioned by Greece’s Culture Ministry, undertook a challenging week-long operation in May to salvage items from the wreckage.
Among the retrieved items from the Britannic, one of the White Star Line’s Olympic steamships, were its bell, navigation light, and luxurious fittings. Despite facing adverse conditions like strong currents and limited visibility, divers utilized specialized equipment to bring up well-preserved artifacts such as the ship’s lookout bell, silver-plated trays, Turkish bath tiles, and a porcelain sink from the second-class cabins.
Remarkably, the sink maintained its original white finish, and a plate with the ‘White Star Line’ stamp was also recovered. Additionally, a navigation lamp and passenger binoculars were part of the discoveries.
Discovered by Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1975 at a depth of 120 meters in the Aegean Sea, the Britannic remained untouched until the recent recovery mission led by British historian Simon Mills, in collaboration with the Britannic Foundation. The retrieved artifacts have been transported to Athens for preservation and will eventually be showcased at the upcoming Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus, forming a key feature in the museum’s First World War exhibit.