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
TIRANA, June 11 – A giant cargo ship believed to have sunk during World War II has been discovered in the waters of Karaburun peninsula, southern Albania, an Albanian-US expedition has announced.
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.
“This discovery will bring great interest for the specialists of this period who could shed more light on the fate of this Italian ship sunk during the period when the Italian military would capitulate in the front of World War,” said the team in a statement.
The US-Albanian expedition has been searching Albanian waters for four year to discover archaeological objects. The expedition will continue scanning Albanian waters for two other months 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.
