Remains of an Early Modern Shipwreck in Vis Bay, Vis

In Vis Bay, on the seabed not far from the islet of Host and the cape with the fortress of St George, lies an underwater site for lovers of maritime history. It is located in the municipality of Vis, in Split-Dalmatia County, and is dated to the period from the 13th to the 17th century.

The remains were discovered and confirmed in 2014 and 2015 at a depth of 50 metres, on a flat sandy seabed. On the surface can be seen a bronze cannon, eight iron cannons, cannonballs and a multitude of objects of ship's equipment, spread over an area of approximately 20 by 8 metres. The arrangement of the finds suggests that after sinking the ship settled on its keel. It is an untouched Venetian shipwreck, which, thanks to its position in the bay, suffered neither from fishing gear nor from other damage. It is assumed that beneath the sand lies a fully preserved lower part of the ship with finds.

The site is a protected cultural good, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-6815.

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 hr, Wikimedia Commons.
Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: Wikidata (CC0).