November the 3rd, 2025 – A completely preserved 1944 shipwreck of a military vessel has been discovered in the Brač channel. It contains all kinds of items, including machine guns, helmets and personal items that once belonged to the soldiers on board.
As Morski/Dominik Strize writes, experienced divers Damir Srzić and Bojan Runtić happened to discover an almost completely preserved German landing ship lying under the surface. The 1944 shipwreck in the Brač channel met its watery fate as a result of Allied bombing.
Divers have always been driven by the desire to find something that no one else has. Damir Srzić and Bojan Runtić, who set out to the location following the stories of old fishermen, succeeded once again.
“When we found the first contours, we didn’t know if it was a massive piece of stone or a ship. When I descended onto it, it was a wonderful experience,” Bojan Runtić told HRT of the German WWII warship he quite literally bumped into during his dive.
“It was known that there was something there, but nobody quite knew exactly what that something was. Now we know, and that’s why we wanted to share this with the public, so people can see what it looks like after 80 years,” said Damir Srzić. They knew that a total of five German ships were sunk as a result of Allied bombing in that general marine area. They know the approximate locations for two more such vessels lying below the sea’s surface, but it is difficult to determine the exact position – just like in this case.
“From the third attempt, we managed to locate the 1944 shipwreck in the Brač channel at a depth of 30 to 60 metres. We’ve physically confirmed it, and according to military data, it’s a ship that sank as a result of Allied bombing and was destroyed during the retreat of the Germans from this area back in September 1944,” explained Srzić.
They were most impressed by the fact that the German landing craft, about 20 metres long and 5 to 6 metres wide, have been almost completely preserved.
“There are machine guns, chests, helmets, German life jackets, anchors, compass, all sorts of items, everything is in its original place. It was a beautiful experience to explore it after so long,” Runtić told HRT.
“This German warship is impressive because it is quite literally complete. There were three of us on the dive and visibility was still very good considering the depth. You can see the holes in the hull, probably from where the Allied bombs struck it, and there’s a lot of equipment on board and scattered around it. It was special to take something in your hands that no one had touched for eight decades,” added Srzić.
While they were diving around the 1944 shipwreck and filming it and the area of the Brač channel it lies in, it seemed as if it had floated to the surface again for a brief moment.
“What’s actually happening when you come upon such things is you’re encountering the moment when the attack took place once again. You’re looking at the last place a German soldier probably just had his breakfast or lunch. As he ate, he threw the remnants away into the sea, and it remained below. It is an eerie and vivid experience,” described Runtić of the incredible find.
The divers plan to continue the search for the remaining sunken ships in the wider area.
