Lake Ohrid in Macedonia is mysterious in itself, it is considered the oldest and deepest lake in Europe and also one of the oldest lakes in the world. It is seen as a long-term lake with a unique fauna that is home to its own endemic species such as the well-known Ohrid trout.
Some mysterious things can be found on the bottom of Lake Ohrid, including shipwrecks. But how many wrecks can be found in the Pearl of the Balkans? Resolution on this from a diving club from Macedonia.
Wrecks from the First World War
Seven ships were sunk in Lake Ohrid during World War I. The remains still lie aground at Struga. The sunken ships are being researched and documented by the Macedonian diving club Akvatek.
Akvatek’s Daniel Atanasovski told MIA (Macedonian Information Agency) that the number of ships was not accurately determined and until now the lake has not been adequately documented.
A lot of information is known about these ships, as well as the manufacturer, and they were used to transport larger loads, Atanasovski says, adding that there is interest and motivation for further research.
The ships are about 1,000 meters offshore at a depth of between six and seven meters near the town of Struga.
The final number of ships has yet to be determined and confirmed, it is believed to be seven ships, that is, two main ships, pulling behind them the auxiliary ships carrying the cargo. Traces found during dives point to the ship’s manufacturer “Bolzano, Tedesko&Co”, Atanasovski says.
There is no exact information about who first discovered the ship remains in Lake Ohrid, but they have not been studied in detail since then. The Akvatek team, together with underwater archaeologist Nikola Paskali, will continue to explore, document and promote this underwater archaeological site, according to Atanasovski.
Further research in Lake Ohrid
The Akvatek team aims to accurately document the wrecks and capture all the details, in collaboration with Paskali. As well as an underwater archaeologist who was part of the first expeditions to the site, Antanasovski says.
He hopes that the site will be protected as an archaeological site and that ways will be found to research the vessels in detail and produce documents to promote them as well as promote the site as a diving attraction for both professional and recreational divers.
During its diving activities, the association has made a video of the ships and the remains, which is published on their YouTube channel.
According to Atanasovski, the motivation for exploring and documenting ships in Lake Ohrid is to create a high-quality photo and video archive that will be used more for research purposes and to promote the site.
The diving club and diving school Akvatek organizes and is part of expeditions such as the documentation and exploration of archaeological sites. They explore underwater caves, organize activities for cleaning underwater surfaces and hold various training courses for recreational and technical divers.
Pictures taken from akvatek.mk official Facebook page/2017
