The present article by Nikos Lianos presents the chronicle of the underwater research carried out by the Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research (IENAE) in 1980 on the historic wreck of the ship «Mentor».
The History of the Shipwreck
The briki «Mentor» sank in September 1802 in Avlemonas of Kythera, after strong winds that carried it away and caused it to hit the rocks.
The ship had undertaken to transport from Piraeus to England 17 crates of archaeological treasures, mainly parts of the Parthenon frieze and reliefs of the temple of the Temple of Victory, which had been removed by Lord Elgin.
The valuable cargo was gradually lifted in the following years, until June 1804, by Greek sponge divers, initially from Spetses and later from Kalymnos.
The Research of IENAE
The expedition was organized in July 1980, when a ten-member team of the Institute arrived in Kythera with a double objective: to locate and identify the ship and to identify any remains of the cargo.
The divers used an air lift to excavate the seabed at a depth of 22-24 metres.
The excavation revealed the port side of the ship and the metal keel joints, which had been preserved buried, while the starboard side had been destroyed by the initial impact, waves and old salvage operations.
Small iron spherical marbles were also found, proving that the ship had an arsenal for defence against piracy of the time.
The underwater survey finally confirmed that there was nothing left of the cargo of antiquities on the seabed.
The full text of the survey follows.
