Putin dives on board bathyscaphe in Crimea, explores galleon dating from 10th century
SEVASTOPOL. Aug 18 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin shared his impressions with journalists of diving to the Black Sea floor on board a bathyscaphe as part of a Russian Geographic Society expedition, saying he had observed a galleon that had sunk in front of Balaklava Bay in Crimea.
"It's a very interesting object, it still has to be explored, and there are not so many objects of this kind in the northern part of the Black Sea," Putin said. "It's roughly the 10th-11th century, just the time when Russian statehood was taking shape and ties with the Byzantine Empire and other countries were developing. Therefore, I think, this should be interesting both to specialists and the common public and should prompt us all to pay more attention to national history, look for something new and use it for today and for the future," Putin told journalists following the dive.
The president said it was difficult to observe the ship, as even those parts of it not stuck in the seafloor are covered by a 40-centimeter coat of silt, but presumed that it is 27 to 30 meters long and 13 to 15 meters wide.
"But there are a lot of various objects, including parts of the vessel itself and its skin. And yes, there are a lot of amphorae scattered around there," he said.
Putin called his participation in the underwater expedition near Sevastopol an attempt to incite people's interest in national history.
Asked about his scientific pursuits, Putin replied, "I am not into science so far," adding that it is scientists who should do research. "After all, this [Putin's participation in the expedition] is yet another attempt to encourage people to address our history," he said.
The galleon sank at a depth of 83 meters not far from Sevastopol. Putin was taking part in an expedition organized by the Russian Geographic Society and the Rostov Dive club.
Following the dive, Putin approached journalists and greeted them on the 170th anniversary of the Russian Geographic Society.
"It just coincided that we found ourselves in Crimea on this very day and observed one of the rare objects that specialists date to the 10th-11th century. This is a galleon that transported civilian cargo and sank near Balaklava Bay. A very interesting object. But it has yet to be explored by specialists. I have to say that there are not so many objects of this kind in the northern part of the Black Sea," he said.
The wreckage of the vessel dating from the 10th or 11th century had been discovered by members of the Rostov Dive club not far from the entrance to Balaklava Bay on May 7, 2015. The vessel and artifacts on board it have been preserved quite well owing to the significant depth.
The Russian Geographic Society reported that Putin had dove aboard the C-explorer 3 submersible, one of the most multifunctional research submersibles existing today. The vehicle is made in the shape of a catamaran with a durable acrylic hull providing an all-round view. The submersible is designed for a crew of three, i.e. two researchers and a pilot, and can operate autonomously for 16 hours.
Putin has repeatedly taken part in Russian Geographic Society expeditions.
While serving as prime minister in August 2009, Putin took part in the Mirs on Baikal research expedition, diving to the deepest point of the southern part of Lake Baikal (1,395 meters), which took over four hours. After the dive, Putin shared his impressions, saying that he "hadn't experienced anything like that before."
In August 2011, Putin accomplished another dive in the Taman Bay while visiting the excavations of the ancient Greek city of Phanagoria. He said this had only been his third scuba-diving attempt, the previous one having taken place the day before. During that dive, Putin had retrieved two partly-broken amphorae from the seafloor.
In July 2013, Putin visited the island of Hogland in the Gulf of Finland, where he was familiarized with the Russian Geographic Society's underwater research program. Putin descended to the wreck of the Oleg screw-driven sailing frigate, which had sunk in 1869. The president spent about 30 minutes underwater.
