Portugal
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The systematic survey of the Portuguese coastline is a long term cooperative
venture between Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática
(CNANS), ProMare, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
(NTNU). The goal of the project is to assist CNANS to locate historic shipwrecks
by applying state-of-the-art technology, and to create a database of all
the underwater archaeological sites in Portugal. Archival research by CNANS
has revealed a substantial list of ships recorded to have been lost along
the coast.
The first season of research took place in the summer of 2002. The main survey area was to the south of Ericeira northwest of Lisbon. Many reports of scattered artifacts from this location point to the presence of possible shipwreck sites of interest.
The 2003 season made use of the US Navy Nuclear Research Submarine, NR1. NR1 was used to survey deepwater areas of the coastline, around 40 miles offshore and just north of Cascais along the northern edge of the relict canyon formed by the Tagus River outflow.
The most interesting discovery to date is the shipwreck of the Thermopylae, often referred to as the fastest sailship ever built.