18th century shipwreck discovered at ‘Game of Thrones’ filming location

It’s been a big year for unexpected shipwreck discoveries. Earlier this summer, authorities located a 16th-century Italian merchant vessel 8,422 feet below sea level near Saint-Tropez—the deepest wreck ever found in French waters. Now, marine archeologists have confirmed another surprising ship, this time at a much shallower depth. A diver and undersea builder stumbled on the wooden wreckage of an 18th-century boat half-exposed just three feet beneath the seabed near Dubrovnik, Croatia. Authorities are still investigating the site, but television fans may recognize the city: The UNESCO World Heritage Site was a principal filming location for HBO’s Game of Thrones.

According to the Associated Press, the shipwreck was first spotted in April by underwater construction worker Ivan Bukelic while examining a pipeline in the town’s historic port.

“I can now say I discovered a boat at the Old Town Dubrovnik,” Bukelic told AP. Although, little else is known about the vessel just yet.

“We still cannot speak of the type of vessel or its dimensions but we can say for certain, based on the results of radiocarbon analysis that it was from [the] late 18th-century,” explained marine archeologist Irena Radić Rossi.

Dubrovnik’s history extends much further back in time than the 1700s. Often known as the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic,’ Dubrovnik is located on the Dalmatian coast not far from the southeast Croatian border and rose to prominence as a maritime hub beginning in the 13th century. A massive earthquake struck the city in 1667, but much of its blend of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture still remains intact. Preservationists have also worked for years to repair and maintain Dubrovnik’s historic structures following further damage incurred during the Croatian War of Independence throughout the 1990s.

Although HBO tossed in a ton of fantasy-themed CGI additions for Game of Thrones, portions of the Pearl of the Adriatic served as the backdrop for King’s Landing, Qarth, and other locales. Luckily, Dubrovnik wasn’t forced to endure the many brutal disasters that befell the capital of Westeros like the Siege of Blackwater Bay and many other spoiler-filled tragedies. And unlike many Game of Thrones characters, the fate of the recent shipwreck find appears at least a little more upbeat. Rossi explained the current plan is to work with Croatia’s Ministry of Culture to conduct further examinations and work to preserve the ship.

“We must protect it for the future,” she said.