Five sunken ships are said to have been found while working on reconstruction of the waterfront in the city of Yevpatoria, eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula. One of them is believed to be the Black Sea Prince that sunk during the siege of Sevastopol, carrying “30 barrels of gold”.

The Black Sea Prince was carrying money to pay the wages of soldiers fighting in the Crimean War and also to help fund the British battle in the region. Unable to to dock in the harbour, it is believed that in total 34 British ships sank. Now, archaeologists have confirmed that the wreckage of the five ships had been located around over 1 kilometre from the shore.

Three of the five discovered ships bore British imperial insignia. One of the ships might be be the legendary Black Sea Prince while two other are suspected being French. The ships are believed to have sunk after a storm on 14 November 1854 as there was no indication that they had been damaged in fighting. Work is now taking place to recover the ships and any artefacts that will be moved to a museum of underwater archaeology.

(after Daily Express)