The Turkish authorities on June 25 launched a comprehensive conservation initiative to protect dozens of World War I shipwrecks lying beneath the waters of the northwestern city of Çanakkale’s Dardanelles, along Türkiye’s Aegean coast.
Dubbed the “Deep Heritage Project”, the initiative is being collaboratively executed by the Directorate of Çanakkale Battles Gallipoli Historical Site and ÇOK AŞ (1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Highway Inc.), the company responsible for the construction of the region’s prominent bridge and highway.
During Gallipoli campaign in 1915, Çanakkale was the stage for fierce land and sea battles, ultimately culminating in the Ottoman Empire’s sole major victory of the war
As part of the project’s launch, journalists received introductory scuba training from technical diving instructor Murathan Yıldız before making a trial dive to the SS Milo shipwreck, located at a depth of 5 to 7
meters off Anzac Cove.
Yusuf Kartal from the Gallipoli Historical Site Directorate outlined the cathodic protection system that will be implemented under the Deep Heritage Project.
Emphasizing the project’s motto, “Preserving the Past, Planning the Future,” Kartal said the Gallipoli Peninsula is home to 29 designated dive sites, while the Dardanelles contains more than 100 wartime shipwrecks, including both warships and auxiliary support vessels.
“The first wreck to receive protection will be the British destroyer HMS Louis,” Kartal said.
“For many years, it was popularly referred to as the ‘submarine ship’ because of the appearance of its engines.”
Kartal explained that corrosion occurs because metal continuously loses electrons to seawater through electrochemical reactions accelerated by bacteria, electrical currents and other environmental factors.
“If no protective measures are taken, the wreck will eventually collapse,” he said.
“In a bid to prevent the metal from sacrificing its own electrons, we introduce a sacrificial anode made from materials such as zinc, aluminum or copper.”
The anode corrodes instead of the shipwreck, effectively preserving the original metal structure while also slowing bacterial activity, he explained.
The initial protection system was installed on HMS Louis, which was severely damaged after colliding with a tugboat during the Gallipoli Campaign before drifting ashore in Suvla Bay.
The first phase includes the installation of one cathodic protection unit around the wreck, with five additional systems to be added in subsequent stages.
The environmentally friendly technique halts corrosion without physically altering the wreck by placing specially designed zinc anodes adjacent to the submerged vessel.
Beyond preserving the historic shipwrecks, the project is expected to extend their role as artificial reefs, providing habitat for fish, invertebrates and other marine organisms while supporting biodiversity.
Authorities said cathodic protection will gradually be expanded to other wrecks based on their conservation needs, with each application expected to extend a shipwreck’s lifespan by 30 to 35 years.
