PAVOT: FIRST DISCOVERED SUNKEN SHIP FROM 1ST WORLD WAR AT ISKENDERUN BAY

Iskenderun Bay was an important role in providing logistic support to the occupiying that invaded the Anatolian lands during the First World War. Five minesweepers of the allied powers had come to the İskenderun Bay in order to the clear the sea bad from torpedos. One of them, PAVOT which was bought by the French Navy in 1916, struck a mine and sank. Pavot's coordinates taken from the ship with side scan sonar and GPS are 36o 35, 982' N – 36o 07, 843' E (DMS 36o 35' 59'' N; 36o 07' 47'' E). Moreover, the angle with the Iskenderun Lighthouse is 289o. The distance to it is 1.41 nautical miles (2.46 km) the nearest point to the shore is 0.95 nautical miles (1.95 km). Diving to the sunken ship has been carried out by three instructor divers teaching at the Iskenderun Technical University (İSTE) Marine Vocational School Underwater Technologies Program. The ship named R/V İSTE1 belonging to İSTE was used during the divings. The divings have been performed with SCUBA equipments. The Pavot sunken ship was identified for the first time in the Iskenderun Bay with this study.