The Ship Model Forum

The water at the depths of the Black sea is supposed to be so toxic that most organisms cannot survive in it. I'm sure that has a lot to do with the state of preservation of Ballard's wreck.

Don't forget, she's in icy cold fresh water.

Dr Ballard of Titanic and Bismark fame revealed that he has discovered an essentially intact 9th century Byzantine sailing ship inside the Black Sea. So perfect is the preservation that the hull could all but float, ropes are still about the deck, and the masts still stand.

That's amazing how well she's preserved. I assume the water stays fairly cold all year and that accounts for the lack of decay?

HMS Ontario, lost on the Great Lakes in 1780, has now been located and is still largely intact and well preserved:

http://www.shipwreckworld.com/story/shi ... tario.aspx