WWII shell discovered near ship wreckage

TIRANA, July 13 – A World War II shell has been discovered in the southernmost Albanian waters of Saranda next to a sunken Italian ship, an Albanian-US expedition mission says. The shell is related to the sinking of the SS Probitas Italian freighter in 1943. Adrian Anastasi, the scientific director of the joint US-Albanian expedition which has been working to compile archaeological maps in southern waters since years, says the giant shell could cause a real disaster if touched by inexperienced people. Italian freighter Probitas lies inside the Bay of Saranda. It was sunk during the II World War by German Bombers on their way back from an attack on the Balkans. Traces of the bombs can still be seen on the ships sides. The vessel lies on its port side on the sandy bed at a maximum depth of 20m just 300m away from the shore. At the shallowest point the ship is just 5m form the surface. The ship is roughly 115m long. Last year, the US-Albanian mission discovered a giant cargo ship believed to have sunk during World War II in the waters of Karaburun peninsula, southern Albania. The 145 meter-long ship is believed to be one of the ships of the Italian marine, which was attacked by British submarines in June 1943, when Albania was still under Italian occupation. US and Albanian experts say the discovery could be Italy’s Rosandra ship, which sank in a fatal voyage from Vlora port to Greece’s Patras port while transporting materials for the Italian military. The expedition, funded by the US Nautical Foundation and co-led by US Jeff Royal and Adrian Anastasi, the director of the Albanian Institute of archaeology, shows once again the great values and treasuries hidden in Albanian waters. The US-Albanian expedition has been searching Albanian waters for four years to discover archaeological objects. The joint expedition will continue scanning Albanian waters to compile underwater maps, putting Albania among the few Mediterranean countries which have been able to identify their underwater heritage. According to Auron Tare, the expedition’s coordinator, the project’s final goal is to establish a museum of archaeology, possibly in Porto Palermo, which will make possible the preservation and display of underwater heritage. The US-Albanian expedition has discovered numerous amphoras and artefacts including ancient Greek, Roman, medial and modern finds. Dozens of wreck sites including warships and armoured vehicles have also been discovered.