Ottoman times shipwreck found off Saudi coast

Saudi divers have stumbled across an Ottoman ship that sank off the Gulf kingdom’s water during World War I and are now preparing to salvage the vessel for archeological purposes, newspapers said on Sunday.

The General Tourism and Archeology Department said the 56-metre ship would be lifted out of the water off the western port of Qunfuda on the Red Sea this week and it would be placed in a nearby area for tourism.

Newspapers said divers had found the ship while working on a project to construct a new quay in Qunfuda, adding that it also includes a 28-metre boat.

“The ship is believed to have been sunk by Italian fighter jets in a raid on Ottoman (Turkish) vessels near the port during World War 1,” Almadina daily said.

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