Marine archaeologists using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have located the remains of a Greek Nautical Repair Yard dating to the 3rd century BCE, submerged six meters below the Aegean Sea. The facility consists of three parallel stone ship-slips, used to haul triremes and merchant vessels out of the water for hull cleaning and repairs. The site is uniquely preserved due to a sudden seismic event that caused the shoreline to subside in antiquity.
The team found lead sheathing fragments and copper nails scattered among the slips, along with stone anchors and fragments of pine wood preserved in the anaerobic silt. The size of the ramps indicates that the facility could accommodate heavy warships, highlighting Rhodes' role as a dominant maritime power during the Hellenistic period. This discovery offers a rare look at the industrial side of ancient naval maintenance and the logistical infrastructure required to command the seas.