Overview

• The state-led survey has confirmed 31 shipwrecks after examining 186 of roughly 250 mapped underwater anomalies.
• Key discoveries include a nearly intact wooden cargo sailing ship with its mast and yardarm preserved and two large paddle-steamer hulls tentatively identified as SD Baden and SD Friedrichshafen II.
• Investigators documented a debris field of at least 17 well-preserved wooden barrels and have scheduled follow-up investigations to determine their origin.
• The project combines bathymetric mapping, side-scan sonar and diver and ROV inspections to distinguish wrecks from natural formations.
• Officials stress non-invasive in-situ documentation and conservation over salvage and plan further targeted surveys through 2027.