The deepest shipwreck ever found in French waters has been discovered in the Mediterranean off southern France. The 16th-century merchant ship lies an astounding 2,567m down.
The French Navy stumbled across the wreck in March 2025, south of Saint-Tropez, during a routine seabed mapping mission. When the drone’s sonar picked up an unusually large structure, the curious operators sent down a remotely operated vehicle to investigate. What it captured was incredible — the remains of a wooden ship that has laid untouched for centuries.
The wreck, now called Camarat 4, is a Renaissance merchant vessel, roughly 30 meters long by 7 meters wide. Experts believe it sailed from Italy, loaded with ceramics, cookware, and metal bars. Images show around 200 glazed ceramic jugs, 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, and six cannons among the wreckage.
Many of the jugs bear the monogram “IHS” etched into them, the first letters of the Greek name for Jesus, or are adorned with geometric and plant-based patterns. The detailing on the jugs suggests they came from the Liguria region in Italy.
Photo: National Navy
Frozen in time
Marine archaeologist Marine Sadania, who is part of the team leading the study, described the wreck as “frozen in time.” Its depth has kept it almost perfectly intact, preventing looting of any of the items. As a result, it offers an incredibly rare window into Renaissance maritime trade and shipbuilding.
This shipwreck now holds the record as France’s deepest ever discovered, surpassing the previous title holder, the submarine La Minerve, found in 2019 at 2,300m down.
Researchers plan to digitally map and study the wreck. Using high-resolution photography, they are building a complete 3D model of the site that will capture every detail, from the woodwork to the ceramic decorations. Robotic arms will recover a few select objects to gain a fuller picture of life aboard the ship; the rest will remain in place.
