A 16th-century merchant ship, provisionally named Camarat 4, was discovered at a depth of 2,567 meters (8,422 feet) off the coast of Ramatuelle in the Mediterranean Sea, making it the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters, according to CBS News. The ship was reportedly sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and iron bars before it sank.
The discovery occurred accidentally in early March during deep-sea training exercises by the French Navy. An underwater drone stumbled upon the sunken ship while conducting maneuvers near Saint-Tropez. "The sonar detected something quite significant, so we returned with the camera of this autonomous device, and then again with an underwater robot, to obtain images of very high quality," said Deputy Maritime Prefect Thierry de la Burgade, according to a report from CBS News.
Archaeologists consider the discovery exceptional due to its depth and the state of preservation of the site, which has remained largely intact, preventing recovery or looting. "It seems that time has stopped on the ship," said Marine Sadania, the archaeologist responsible for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region at the Department of Underwater Archaeological Research (Drassm), who described the wreck as a "real time capsule."
The wreck rests on sand in a lunar landscape but is unfortunately polluted by contemporary macro-debris such as soda cans, yogurt pots, a glove, beer cans, plastic bottles, handcuffs, and fishing nets. Despite this modern pollution, experts identified piles of around 100 yellow plates, two large cauldrons, an anchor, and six cannons at the site. Photographs published by the Drassm show preserved elements of the hull and cargo, including several hundred ceramic jugs and iron bars.
Some of the jugs were marked with the monogram IHS, the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, or covered with geometric and plant-inspired patterns. Sadania reported that experts discovered 200 jugs with pinched spouts among the wreckage, along with several dozen ceramic items.
Preliminary research indicates the ship originated from northern Italy, specifically Liguria, but the destination and reasons for the sinking remain unknown. Archaeologists intend to continue research to establish the exact origin of the vessel and the reasons for its sinking.
No excavation was planned for now, for fear of damaging the wreck. "The goal is not to do it to say that we did it. We have the humility to think that the next generations will do better, with much less energy costs and especially much less damage to the site," emphasized Arnaud Schaumasse, director of the Drassm.
As part of the work, a 3D model of the ship is planned, and sampling will occur in early 2026. Officials said further analysis will be carried out by ceramic experts, archaeologists, and specialists in naval architecture, who plan to extract samples from the site to study them before returning them to the public domain.
The ship measures approximately 30 meters long and 7 meters wide. The merchant ship had six cannons—three at the front, three at the rear—to protect its cargo on dangerous maritime routes. The rear is empty; several elements are therefore probably buried in the sand.
The previous record for the deepest shipwreck in French territorial waters was held by the submarine La Minerve, discovered off the coast of Toulon at a depth of 2,300 meters in 2019. The wreck of the merchant ship now joins those of the Lomellina, a Genoese ship that sank in 1516, and the Sainte-Dorothée, a Danish ship lost in 1693—other major discoveries made along the heavily traveled historical maritime route.
The general public was informed about the discovery of Camarat 4 during a United Nations conference on oceanic issues, coinciding with a call from 95 countries to reduce plastic pollution. Despite modern household waste dotting its sunken cargo, archaeologists are optimistic about the potential insights this largely preserved archaeological site can provide.
Schaumasse reflected on the pollution found at the site: "If the ocean is not a garbage dump, it is probably treated as such. It's certain that after the wonder of the news comes the sadness of discovering this kind of things."
The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.