A research team from the Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen has discovered the wreck of Italian warship, Artigliere, who fought in the World War II. The ship was found in the sea between Sicily and Malta.
The Italian warship Artigliere was discovered 3,700 meters below the sea surface in the ridge of Mediterranean Sea, according to official statement from Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft. Prior to the finding, research vessel (RV) Petrel has been scanning the location to find the exact spot for months.
Paul Allen's research company, Vulcan Inc. found the location of the wreckage of Italian warship Artigliere in March, as reported by Live Science. Subsequently, RV Petrel launched the remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to document the wreckage. The Italian warship Artigliere was identified by the letter "AR" in its hull.
Senior Director for the Paul Allen's maritime operation David Reams explained the condition of Italian warship Artigliere as she was found at the bottom of the sea. Reams was surprised to see Artigliere is still in good condition after sunk in a war.
"She's upright and easy to identify," Reams said explaining the condition of Italian warship Artigliere. "At 3,700 meters down, the water is very cold and has little oxygen, so there was very little corrosion or encrustation."
Italian warship Artigliere is a soldati class destroyer that was sunk on Oc. 13, 1940, by British HMS York after the Battle of Cape Passero. The naval battle took place on the previous day between a British light cruiser HMS Ajax against seven Italian torpedo boats and three destroyers. Artigliere was badly damaged and towed by another ship, but she was sunk in the next morning by HMS York.
Prior to finding the wreckage of Italian warship Artigliere, Vulcan Inc. has also discovered many wreckages of the ships sunk in the WWII, including the Japanese warship, Musashi which was sunk by American warships in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in August 1944. Paul Allen's team found Musashi in March 2015.
