For the first time, objects have been retrieved from the HMHS Britannic, the sister ship of the RMS Titanic, which sank off the coast of Kea island, Greece in 1916, the Greek Culture Ministry has announced.
The recovery took place during a deep-sea expedition in May, involving professional divers working at depths of over 120 metres (394 feet).
According to the ministry, it marks the first official retrieval of artifacts from the Britannic wreck, which lies at the bottom of the Aegean Sea.
The Britannic was one of three Olympic-class liners built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, alongside the Titanic and Olympic.
Originally intended as a passenger liner, the ship was converted into a British hospital ship during World War I.
On November 21, 1916, it struck a German naval mine and sank in less than an hour.
Out of the 1,065 people onboard, 30 lives were lost, primarily when two lifeboats were pulled into the ship’s propellers during the evacuation.
The recent expedition was led by British historian Simon Mills, founder of the Britannic Foundation, and was supervised by Greece’s Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities.
An 11-person team of deep-sea divers used advanced closed-circuit diving systems to access the wreck.
“Conditions at the wreck site were particularly challenging due to strong currents, depth, and limited visibility,” the ministry noted.
Despite the harsh conditions, several significant artifacts were recovered, including:
- The ship’s observation post bell
- A portside signal lamp
- Ceramic tiles from the Turkish bath
- A pair of binoculars
- Various pieces of portable equipment from first- and second-class areas
- A silver serving tray
Some larger or more fragile items initially targeted for recovery were left behind due to their delicate condition or inaccessibility.
All recovered artifacts have been sent to conservation laboratories in Athens.
They will eventually be part of a permanent exhibition at a new Museum of Underwater Antiquities being constructed in Piraeus.
The HMHS Britannic is the largest passenger ship sunk during wartime.
Her sister ship, the RMS Titanic, famously sank in 1912, while the third in the trio, the RMS Olympic, remained in service until 1935 after undergoing design upgrades for improved safety.
