Sunken ship to draw divers
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 03, 2009 00:00
İZMİR - A new vessel inspired by old trading ships has been constructed and sunk in an underwater park to boost diving tourism and serve as an artificial reef for fish.
The ship was constructed in Urla based on a trading vessel that sank in Bodrum’s Pabuçburnu district around 600 BC. It was then submerged in the Underwater Archaeopark in İzmir’s Mordoğan district, near Yeni Liman, 150 meters off the coast, at a depth of 15 meters. The vessel was later fixed so it would not float around.
"With the completion of [this stage of] the project, dives for scientific research and sports purposes will take place," Mordoğan Mayor Ahmet Çakır said. "The underwater work will be completed in two months."
The endeavor is supported by the 360 Degree History Researches Foundation, the İzmir Underwater Foundation, Ankara University, the Mordoğan Municipality and the İzmir Sea Trading Chamber. This is the first stage in the Project that was initiated three months ago.
"It is not allowed in Turkey to dive into sunken vessels for tourism purposes. This can only be done with special permission," said Professor Hayat Erkanal, chairman of Limantepe Excavation. "[But] the vessel sunk in Mordoğan can also be accessed by amateur divers, giving them a chance to see an example of a historical sunken ship."
"With the completion of [this stage of] the project, dives for scientific research and sports purposes will take place," Mordoğan Mayor Ahmet Çakır said. "The underwater work will be completed in two months."
The endeavor is supported by the 360 Degree History Researches Foundation, the İzmir Underwater Foundation, Ankara University, the Mordoğan Municipality and the İzmir Sea Trading Chamber. This is the first stage in the Project that was initiated three months ago.
"It is not allowed in Turkey to dive into sunken vessels for tourism purposes. This can only be done with special permission," said Professor Hayat Erkanal, chairman of Limantepe Excavation. "[But] the vessel sunk in Mordoğan can also be accessed by amateur divers, giving them a chance to see an example of a historical sunken ship."