Divers recover artifacts from the Titanic's sister ship Britannic for the first time

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Divers have recovered artifacts from the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, for the first time since the ocean liner sank in the Aegean Sea more than a century ago after striking a mine during World War I.

The Culture Ministry in Greece said Monday that an 11-member deep-sea diving team conducted a weeklong operation in May to recover artifacts including the ship’s bell and the port-side navigation light.

The White Star Line’s Britannic, launched in 1914, was designed as a luxury cruise liner, but was requisitioned as a hospital ship during World War I. It was heading toward the island of Lemnos when it struck a mine and sank off the island of Kea, about 75 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Athens, on Nov. 21, 1916.

The vessel, the largest hospital ship at the time, sank in less than an hour. Thirty of the more than 1,060 people on board died when the lifeboats they were in were struck by the ship’s still turning propellers.

The wreck lies at a depth of 120 meters (nearly 400 feet), making it accessible only to technical divers. The dive team used closed-circuit rebreather equipment in a recovery operation organized by British historian Simon Mills, founder of the Britannic Foundation, the Culture Ministry said.

Conditions on the wreck were particularly tough because of currents and low visibility, the ministry said. Among the items raised to the surface were artifacts reflecting both the ship’s utilitarian role and its luxurious design: the lookout bell, the navigation lamp, silver-plated first-class trays, ceramic tiles from a Turkish bath, a pair of passenger binoculars and a porcelain sink from second-class cabins.

The artifacts are now undergoing conservation in Greek capital Athens and will be included in the permanent collection of a new Museum of Underwater Antiquities under development at the port of Piraeus. The museum will feature a dedicated World War I section, with the items from the Britannic as a centerpiece.

In this undated photo provided by the Greek Culture Ministry on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, a diver carefully sifts to recover objects from the wreck site of the Britannic, sister ship to the Titanic, for the first time since the ocean liner sank in the Aegean Sea more than a century ago after striking a mine during World War I. (Greek Culture Ministry via AP)

In this undated photo provided by the Greek Culture Ministry on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, divers carefully sift to recover objects from the wreck site of the Britannic, sister ship to the Titanic, for the first time since the ocean liner sank in the Aegean Sea more than a century ago after striking a mine during World War I. (Greek Culture Ministry via AP)

In this undated photo provided by the Greek Culture Ministry on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, divers illuminate the wreck's interior of the Britannic, sister ship to the Titanic, for the first time since the ocean liner sank in the Aegean Sea more than a century ago after striking a mine during World War I. (Greek Culture Ministry via AP)

In this undated photo provided by the Greek Culture Ministry on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, divers illuminate the wreck's interior of the Britannic, sister ship to the Titanic, for the first time since the ocean liner sank in the Aegean Sea more than a century ago after striking a mine during World War I. (Greek Culture Ministry via AP)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola said Monday that she would challenge Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in this year's midterm elections, vowing to shake up the establishment to make life more affordable for Alaskans.

“Life is difficult here, and we know that we have to take care of each other,” Peltola said in a video announcement.

Peltola, who is Yup’ik, was the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress. She won special and regular elections in 2022, defeating a field that included Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin. In 2024, she lost to Republican Nick Begich, who had also run in 2022.

Peltola's time in Congress was marked by tragedy. Her mother died in 2023, and her husband died in a plane crash later that year.

Peltola focused on local concerns in her announcement, saying Alaska's future depends on fixing the “rigged system in D.C. that’s shutting down Alaska, while politicians feather their own nests.”

She said the salmon and migratory birds that once filled the freezers of Alaska Native subsistence hunters are now harder to find, forcing families who live far from the state's limited road system to rely on grocery stores for pricey staples, driven up by high transportation costs.

“It’s not just that politicians in D.C. don’t care that we’re paying $17 for a gallon of milk in rural Alaska," she said. "They don’t even believe us. They’re more focused on their stock portfolios than our bank accounts.”

Although Democrats are hopeful about picking up seats in this year's midterms, Alaska could prove to be difficult political terrain. Sullivan, a former state attorney general and natural resources commissioner, defeated the state's last Democratic senator in 2014.

The Republican National Committee said Peltola became “a rubber stamp for the far-left the second she got to Washington.”

"Alaskans saw through her empty promises then showed her the door, and she’ll lose to Dan Sullivan who fights for Alaskans every day,” RNC spokesperson Nick Poche said in a statement.

While serving in Washington, Sullivan has been involved in military and resource development issues, and he was endorsed by then-President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

“Senator Sullivan has spent years delivering real results for Alaska: historic investments in our state’s health care, major funding for our Coast Guard, helping protect those who can’t protect themselves and policies that are finally unleashing Alaska’s energy potential," his campaign spokesperson, Nate Adams, said in an email to The Associated Press.

“His opponent," Adams said, “served a term and a half in Congress where she didn’t pass a single bill. Alaskans deserve a senator with a proven record of getting things done, and the contrast couldn’t be clearer in this race.”

Peltola has long touted her ability to work across party lines, such as supporting the large Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope. She angered some Democrats in 2024 when she refused to endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race won by Trump.

Peltola said Alaska’s Republican congressional delegation used to ignore partisanship and do what was right for the state, such as backing public media and disaster relief, and even invoked Republican former Sen. Ted Stevens.

“It’s about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska First and, really, America First looks like,” Peltola said.

Alaska has open primaries and ranked choice voting in general elections. The top four vote-getters in the August primary regardless of party affiliation will advance to the November general election.

Thiessen reported from Anchorage, Alaska.

This photo combination shows Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, Oct. 10, 2024, in Anchorage, Alaska and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Feb. 8, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Bill Roth, Mariam Zuhaib/Anchorage Daily News via AP/AP, file)