The Most Ancient Intact Shipwreck Found To Date

[Jim Webster]

No obvious reason why it sank either?

Rudder still in place.
Mast still erecting.
No obvious hull punctures.
And there looks to be an oar lying across the deck despite the boat having sunk for 2km.
Odd.

relieved to say that the only Barrow built one of the K class sank because another submarine rammed it. That's hardly our fault! 

This should not come as any surprise.  I mean, over two millennia later the Royal Navy came up with the K-Class submarines.  Of the 18 built, 6 sank - 1 of them spontaneously at its moorings in Portsmouth Harbour. 

[Patrick Waterson]

relieved to say that the only Barrow built one of the K class sank because another submarine rammed it. That's hardly our fault! 

The K4, lost during the 'Battle of May Island' (night 31 Jan - 1 Feb 1918) after being sliced nearly in two by K6 and then hit by K7.  However on a previous patrol off the Danish coast K4 had itself scored, managing to collide with K1, which was so damaged it had to be scuttled.

The K class, K 13 in particular, had an evil reputation among their crews, and I gather that it was an unofficial rule that nobody named David Jones was ever assigned to the class ...

No obvious reason why it sank either?

Rudder still in place.
Mast still erecting.
No obvious hull punctures.
And there looks to be an oar lying across the deck despite the boat having sunk for 2km.
Odd.

The visible side of the ship is intact; we have not yet seen the other side. 

Image here.

The type of vessel it is deemed to resemble is shown here, and there are similarities, although to me it looks as if the Black Sea vessel is built to travel the other way, i.e. the built-up area is at the stern and the end with the antler-like excresences (not depicted in the Greek vase painting) is the bow.  The excresences themselves are probably for a headsail; such a configuration would be typical of Ottoman vessels.

The apparent oar would thus be near the stern, in the right general position for a steering oar.  At least this should mean the wreck is not Ottoman.  Excatly what it might be is anyone's guess.

[Erpingham]

I think the stern is to the left of the picture - note the sweep up from the keel and the apparent steering oar still in position.  The built up area is the remains of a raised bow structure as per the vase painting.  The ram (or whatever said structure is) is buried in the mud.

[Imperial Dave]

I tend to agree with you Jim. The stern sweeps up into the classic fish tail shape of a Greek vessel. Hopefully more will be revealed in time

[Patrick Waterson]

I tend to agree with you Jim.

Or Anthony, as the case may be.

I am by no means certain either way.  Yes, it does have what should be a stern sweep on the left of the picture, but it also has rather a lot of clutter at this putative stern, and I wonder what this might be.  Hence the conjecture about it perhaps being the remains of a headsail arrangement.  The alternative would presumably be an elaborate seating arrangement for the helmsman.

All will presumably be revealed in time.

[Imperial Dave]

I tend to agree with you Jim.

Or Anthony, as the case may be.

indeed