After 77 Years Massive Destroyer Discovered 12,000 Feet Deep In The Abyss

What Lies Beneath.

In October of 1940, the Royal Navy was deadlocked in a heated battle against the Italian Navy in the Meditteranean. A conflict known as the Battle of Cape Passero major combat ships blasted each other until Great Britain came out ahead. One of the Italian Destroyers sank to the depths of the Mediterranean and was never seen again, until now.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is no stranger to shipwrecks and his expeditions have discovered quite a few of them. The latest expedition of Allen’s company Vulcan Inc. has come upon the remains of a Soldati-class destroyer from the Battle of Cape Passero. The vessel known as the Artigliere has remained 12,000 down for 77 years and is in remarkably good condition for such a wreck.

“The Artigliere is in amazingly good condition other than the fact she was sunk in a war. She’s upright and easy to identify. At 3,700 meters down, the water is very cold and has little oxygen so there was very little corrosion or encrustation.”

– David Reams (Senior Director of Vulcan Maritime Operations)

Over 130 crewmen were dragged into the depths when the Artigliere was hit by enemy fire. Although the ship was discovered in last April, the crew of the Vulcan did not disclose the discovery until surviving members of the crewmen and local authorities could be contacted. The first look at the remains of the Artigliere can be seen in this clip.