1,500-year-old shipwreck graveyard of 134 vessels is found off the coast of Gibraltar

Archaeologists have discovered a shipwreck graveyard with more than 130 sunken vessels off the coast of southern Spain.

The finds, in the water between the port city of Algeciras and the Rock of Gibraltar span a period from the fifth century BC to World War Two.

Over the centuries, the bay has claimed a wide range of vessels, from Roman ships to more modern British and Spanish ships.

The discoveries form part of a three-year investigation led by the University of Cádiz, which has identified 151 archaeological sites in the bay, including 134 shipwrecks. So far, 34 of those wrecks have been documented in detail.

The oldest remains are a Punic-era vessel dating back to the fifth century BC,with 23 Roman ships, two from the late Roman period, four medieval vessels, and 24 from the early modern era found.

Felipe Cerezo Andreo, an archaeology professor at the University of Cádiz and lead investigator of the Project Herakles initiative, believes the preponderance of wrecks is due to its status as such an important maritime route between the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

‘The bay of Algeciras and the Strait of Gibraltar have been and still are strategic places for navigation,’ the authors, led by Andreo, write in their paper.

‘Their status as a communication route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, as well as between Europe and Africa, has made them a landscape of great importance for maritime history at an international level.’

One of the most notable finds is the wreck of the Puente Mayorga IV, a small Spanish gunboat from the late 18th century.

Such vessels were used for fast, covert attacks on British warships near Gibraltar, often disguising themselves as fishing boats before revealing their weapons.

The team has warned that many of the sites are at risk from port expansion, dredging and construction, as well as the effects of climate change.

Rising sea levels are altering sediment layers and exposing remains, while invasive algae is spreading across wrecks.

To raise awareness, researchers are creating virtual models and 360-degree videos, allowing members of the public to explore the sites without diving.