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Startling underwater discovery at Gallipoli battlefield
Underwater archaeologists exploring Turkey’s Gallipoli coast have discovered a sombering relic from the famous WWI battle.
4th Batallion lands on ANZAC Beach in the early hours of April 25, 1915
A barge that removed dead and wounded soldiers from the beachhead back to a hospital ship was found at the bottom of the sea along with the wreck of the HMS Lewis, a British destroyer.
“
When dived and recorded, we confirmed it was a type of barge known through historic photos for carrying dead and seriously wounded ANZAC troops off the beach in 191
”—Tim Smith, New South Wales government maritime archaeologis
A Turkish peninsula controlling access between the Black and Aegean Seas, Gallipoli also guards the western approach to Constantinople—the capital of the Ottoman Empire—which fought on Germany’s side during the First World War. In 1915, the United Kingdom’s First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, decided it was of crucial strategic importance and landed troops there. What followed was disastrous, as Allied troops got pinned down on the beaches and endured months of constant fighting.
Anzac cove
The Allied side included not only British, French, and Canadian troops, but also a large number of men from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The ANSACs, as they’re commonly called, became heroes back home and are national icons to this day.
The hospital barge was found near ANZAC Cove and was probably sunk while transporting casualties from this famous unit. Before they finally pulled out, both Allied and Turkish forces suffered casualties totaling a quarter of a million men apiece.
Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly, said Project Beneath Gallipoli completed the first ever scientific survey of the 1915 campaign. “The joint Australia-Turkish team of 12 experts located and dived a number of new historic shipwrecks from the eight-month battle—sites not previously visited by divers or archaeologists,” the minister said.
Wounded and dead soldiers
“One wreck in particular really brought home the agony of the conflict. Detected 1.3 nautical miles off ANZAC Cove in 55 metres of water, the wreck had only been known as an obstacle to local Turkish fishermen.
The shipwrecks were examined during a detailed sidescan sonar survey of the seabed adjacent to the famous Brighton Beach, ANZAC Cove, North Beach and Suvla Bay,” said Tim Smith, New South Wales government maritime archaeologist and deputy director of the NSW Department of Planning’s Heritage Branch. “When dived and recorded, we confirmed it was a type of barge known through historic photos for carrying dead and seriously wounded ANZAC troops off the beach in 1915,” he said.
HMS Louis stranded at Suvla, Gallipoli in 1915. The ship is under artillery fire from the Turks. -
HMS Luis
The expedition team also proved that a known wreck in Suvla Bay was in fact the remains of the British destroyer HMS Louis, which ran aground in October 1915, destroyed by Turkish shell fire. The wreck had previously been identified as a vessel engaged in water supply, but the Australian team confirmed it to be a naval warship by its four Yarrow-type steam boilers.
Some of the other discoveries include a shipwreck located in just a meter of water off the beach, British type .303 rifle ammunition, remains of lead balls from Turkish shrapnel shells and remains of several pontoon wrecks. The latter are believed to belong to the Royal Australian Navy’s Bridging Train, an engineering unit based in Suvla Bay and in charge of stores and water.
Other targets are likely to be identified from the sonar data currently being analyzed back in Sydney. Expedition results will then be collated into a report to be provided to both Australian and Turkish governments.
Today, Gallipoli is one of the most popular destinations in Turkey. Faint traces of the trenches from 90 years ago are still visible, and guided tours show visitors the locations of the various armies fighting it out for control of the beach. ■
► http://x-ray-mag.com/
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