Historic military tank submerged in Saros Bay to boost diving tourism, marine biodiversity

EDİRNE

A historic military tank used during the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation has been submerged off the coast of Edirne’s Keşan district in northwestern Türkiye as part of an ambitious underwater tourism initiative in the Saros Bay while supporting marine biodiversity.

As part of the ongoing Artificial Reef Project, an 8.5-meter-long, 45-ton M62 T battle tank — formerly in the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces — was transported by ferry and submerged with the help of cranes approximately 100 meters off the coast of Gökçetepe, near the Ibrice Port.

The tank now rests at a depth of 12 meters, joining an array of previously submerged structures including statues, a shipwreck and an Airbus A330 aircraft, all part of a growing underwater museum.

Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer described Saros Bay as an up-and-coming location for diving, noting that Ibrice Port, in particular, has gained prominence in recent years.

The submerged tank, a model from 1960, holds historical value as it was actively used in the Cyprus Peace Operation, a pivotal military intervention by Türkiye in 1974 to protect the Turkish Cypriot population from the violence that struck the island following a Greek-led coup.

The tank is considered a “veteran” of the conflict. With its new role in the Artificial Reef Project, the tank also earned the distinction of being Türkiye’s shallowest sunken military vehicle, further expanding the country’s unique underwater museum.