Brazilian Navy conducts high-resolution survey of historic shipwreck
In a significant hydrographic and archaeological achievement, the Brazilian Navy has obtained the first bathymetric data of the wreck of the former auxiliary vessel Vital de Oliveira, which was torpedoed by the German submarine U-861 in 1944. The discovery, made in the year marking 80 years since the end of World War II, was part of the commissioning of the modern hydro-oceanographic research vessel Vital de Oliveira.
Both vessels were named in honour of Frigate Captain Manoel Antônio Vital de Oliveira, patron of hydrography in Brazil. The coincidence of the survey being conducted by a namesake vessel adds a symbolic layer to the discovery.
MBES and sidescan sonar
The wreck was located on 16 January 2025, approximately 35 nautical miles (65km) off the coast of Macaé, Brazil, with support from local divers. Using a multibeam echosounder and sidescan sonar, the team mapped the seafloor relief and generated high-resolution acoustic images of the hull. The data provides critical insights into the vessel’s condition, structural integrity and conservation status.
According to Lieutenant Captain Caio Cezar Pereira Demilio, an archaeologist with the Navy’s Historical Heritage and Documentation Directorate (DPHDM), the findings contribute to underwater archaeology, naval history and marine engineering. “Shipwrecks serve as material records of Brazil’s maritime past, offering insights into trade routes, naval strategies and historical conflicts,” he stated.
The wreck was first identified by divers responding to a fisherman’s report of a net caught on the seafloor. Upon closer inspection, the obstruction was found to be a cannon, prompting notification of the Brazilian Navy.
3D models of the wreck
The collected data will be processed to create 3D models of the wreck, allowing further structural analysis. Additional surveys, including ROV inspections and technical dives, may be conducted to document artefacts and expand the site’s mapping. The study will be integrated into the Atlas dos Naufrágios de Interesse Histórico da Costa do Brasil (Atlas of shipwrecks of historical interest on the Brazilian coast), a project aimed at cataloguing submerged sites along Brazil’s coastline.
The research was conducted aboard the modern Vital de Oliveira, adding to the significance of the discovery. Both ships honour Frigate Captain Manoel Antônio Vital de Oliveira, who was killed in combat during the Paraguayan War in 1867. The original Vital de Oliveira, commissioned in 1931, remains the only Brazilian military ship sunk by enemy forces during World War II, says the Brazilian Navy.
This hydrographic survey not only gives a good impression of the knowledge of Brazil’s naval history but also demonstrates the role of modern seafloor mapping technologies in underwater archaeology.
