Spanish archaeologists carried out a survey in the waters of the Bay of Algeciras, also known as the Bay of Gibraltar, between May 2020 and March 2023
Like the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Gibraltar, which lies between the southern tip of Europe and the northwestern tip of Africa, has a long history of shipping and conflict in its waters.
Much of the archaeological evidence of this past can be found east of the strait, in the Bay of Algeciras, also known as the Bay of Gibraltar — it is a stopping point for transatlantic maritime transport, which is currently mainly dedicated to oil.
Spanish archaeologists say they have identified 151 underwater archaeological sites, including 124 shipwrecks, in this 75-square-kilometer bay during an archaeological survey carried out between 2020 and 2023.
According to a recent study, the shipwrecks date back to different eras and civilizations, including the ancient Punic (Carthaginian) civilization, and the Roman, medieval and modern periods.
Most of the 151 archaeological sites identified were shipwrecks (Felipe Cerezo Andreo)
The discovery of these shipwrecks confirms the importance of this bay as a maritime center of regional and global relevance, say the researchers. This bay has been surrounded by urban settlements since ancient times, served as a gateway to the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages and was the scene of naval clashes for control of the strait in modern times.
While most of the wreckage is related to modern history, researchers also found “some never-before-seen shipwrecks” that they consider “very interesting,” lead researcher Felipe Cerezo Andreo, associate professor of underwater archeology at the University of Cádiz in Spain, tells CNN.
Even though there are, in historical sources and archives, mentions of thousands of naval accidents, the truth is that many shipwrecks remained unknown until now, since there have been few archaeological studies on the history that exists buried beneath the waters.
The oldest discovery was a shipwreck from the 5th century BC, says Andreo, explaining that the vessel was probably carrying fish sauce produced in the city of Cádiz, in southern Spain, taking this cargo across the Mediterranean.
According to Andreo, the “most interesting” wreckage of the modern era is related to the Napoleonic wars, fought between France and its European allies, which tended to change positions, at the beginning of the 19th century.
Archaeological sites explored so far have been found at depths of up to about 10 meters (Felipe Cerezo Andreo)
Researchers also identified recent wreckage from the beginning of World War II. They were documenting the remains of a Maiale, or Pig — a type of submarine used by the Italian navy to attack the British fleet in the Strait of Gibraltar during the Second World War, says Andreo.
The Strait of Gibraltar, “like the Strait of Hormuz now, is a narrow and obligatory passage for all vessels”, compares Andreo.
“All ships that want to go from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic have to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. And most probably need to drop anchor and wait for better weather conditions in the Bay of Algeciras”, which is the “port of the strait”, he adds.
Before this project, researchers did not have archaeological documentation of most shipwrecks. According to them, until 2019, only four underwater archaeological sites were known in the area – and only one of them could be considered the result of a shipwreck.
An archaeologist highlights the naval architecture in the Bay of Algeciras (Felipe Cerezo Andreo)
According to researchers, climate change is affecting ocean currents and the movement of sediment in the bay — something that “is causing the discovery of all these shipwrecks,” says Andreo.
Archaeologists used geophysical techniques — such as a multibeam echo sounder, which emits sound to map the seafloor in three dimensions, or a magnetometer, which measures magnetic fields — to identify objects on the seafloor and anomalies buried beneath sediments. It was something they did before diving in to take measurements and create a digital model of archaeological discoveries.
The researchers emphasize that their desire is to study and protect these archaeological sites, as they contain information about the region’s maritime history, including maritime traffic, trade, naval technology and who the human navigators were. Furthermore, they explain, they are places vulnerable to changes in the landscape and the activity of large ships anchored in the bay.
“For us, it is important to register them, document them virtually and technically, to protect them”, both in legal and physical terms, says Andreo.
So far, the team has only analyzed a “very shallow depth” of about 10 meters. However, Algeciras Bay is around 400 meters deep, explains Andreo. Therefore, he believes that there may be archaeological remains in the depths of the bay that date back to prehistoric times, as the coast from the Paleolithic period, also known as the Chipped Stone Age, “is now submerged”.
The researchers indicate that future projects will focus on carrying out a detailed study of each wreck, as well as exploring the sites at greater depths. So far, they have studied 24% of the identified archaeological sites.
