Türkiye launches pioneering project to protect WWI wrecks in the Dardanelles

Credit: Alex Dawson Photography

ÇANAKKALE, Türkiye, Aug. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A pioneering conservation initiative has been launched to protect the historic World War I shipwrecks of the Dardanelles Strait through cathodic protection, preserving them for future generations while supporting sustainable diving tourism.

The Deep Heritage Project, carried out in partnership between the Directorate of Gallipoli Historic Site and the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Motorway, aims to safeguard one of the world's most significant underwater cultural heritage sites. The project includes cathodic protection, bathymetric mapping, and 3D scanning and digital modelling of the Gallipoli shipwrecks, supporting marine biodiversity conservation and their long-term preservation.

The project partners are the Directorate of Gallipoli Historic Site, an institution of Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism responsible for protecting the Gallipoli Historic Site, and the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Motorway, undertaken by Limak, Yapı Merkezi, DL E&C, and SK ecoplant, the partners behind the world's longest mid-span suspension bridge.

Cathodic protection prevents corrosion without physically altering the shipwrecks. Zinc anodes installed near the wrecks slow corrosion, preserving both the historic structures and the marine habitats that have developed around them for more than a century.

The first application of the method was completed on HMS Louis, an 82-meter British Royal Navy destroyer resting 13 meters below the surface in the Gallipoli Historic Underwater Park. The wreck became the first shipwreck protected under the Deep Heritage Project.

The project was officially launched in Gallipoli, Çanakkale, Türkiye, on 23-24 June 2026, introducing the initiative to Turkish and international media. The event was attended by İsmail Kaşdemir, President of the Directorate of Gallipoli Historic Site, and Murat Sarıkaya, CFO of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Motorway, while internationally acclaimed Swedish underwater photographer Alex Dawson documented the protected wreck.

The project will help preserve one of the world's most significant underwater cultural heritage sites while supporting marine biodiversity, scientific research, and sustainable diving tourism, contributing to the region's environmental sustainability and economic development.

Çanakkale Motorway and Bridge Construction Investment and Operation Inc. (ÇOK A.Ş.) was established in 2017 to deliver the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Motorway Project.

For more information, please click the link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/DeepHeritage

Media Contact: corporate_communications@1915canakkale.com 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9166c1ab-e7d8-4c08-9893-b49f8454de90

SS Carthage

SS Carthage at depth 84m in Gallipoli-Çanakkale, Türkiye (Credit: Alex Dawson Photography)