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The seventh underwater archeological study session off the coast of Ragusa has concluded. The work was compelled by the severe damage wrought by Cyclone Harry last winter, and the primary objective was to protect and document the underwater heritage. The campaign is a component of the Kaukana Project, which is implemented by the Underwater Archeology Unit of the University of Udine in partnership with the Superintendence of the Sea of the Sicilian Region. The Institute of Nautical Archeology in College Station, Texas, provided funding for the scientific research. This year's studies showed how extreme maritime weather events, which are becoming increasingly common in the Mediterranean, might affect submerged cultural assets. The collected data serve as an important foundation for creating monitoring methods and adaptive conservation measures, as well as contributing to broader conversations about climate-related dangers to underwater cultural assets in the Mediterranean. The project encompassed three distinct contexts. The hurricane exposed a new section of the hull of a Classical-era wreck at Secche di Circe, an archeological site in the waters between the municipalities of Pozzallo and Ispica, which had already been studied for two years. To prevent the remains from being dispersed, the archeologists cleaned the area, documented it directly and photogrammetrically, and recovered the materials that had been damaged due to the incident. The finding of one of the markers in 2025 enabled the new piece to be seamlessly combined with the prior survey, yielding a cohesive representation of the structure. The surviving wreckage was then protected with geotextile cloth, sand, and stones. Simultaneously, the reconnaissance of the shallows system yielded the discovery of four new stone anchors and numerous worked wooden elements. The archeological materials exposed by the hurricane were salvaged and documented in the more sheltered harbor of Porto Ulisse, which was still affected by the unusual storm surge, updating the site map and preventing their dispersal. At Kamarina, the cyclone caused the seabed to become lower. More importantly, it exposed numerous wooden fragments attributed to a post-classical shipwreck located around 50 metres from the Colonne wreck, which had been investigated in 2019 and 2020. An examination of the latter's conservation status indicated substantial deterioration. Several planking parts were pulled off, and one of the two columns was displaced by around fifty centimeters, partially obscuring the keels. This is a major impact that will necessitate monitoring and focused adjustments in subsequent seasons.
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