The rare collection of shipwrecks were found at the bottom of the Black Sea
The Black Sea Maritime Archeology Project has been trying to understand how quickly the water level rose following the last Ice Age.
But it has found shipwrecks, many in excellent conditions because of low oxygen levels, which slows decay.
University of Southampton maritime archaeologist, Jon Adams, said: "The wrecks are a complete bonus, but a fascinating discovery found during the course of our extensive geophysical surveys."
All of the parts of the ships are remarkably in tact
The wrecks are a complete bonus, but a fascinating discovery found during the course of our extensive geophysical surveys
The team took thousands of photos of the shipwrecks and then using photogrammetry, they built 3D models of the discoveries.
Some of the ships are thousands of years old, while others are from the Ottoman period.
One of the medieval ships could have been an Italian trading craft from around the 1300s.
According to Southampton University, the wrecks provide new data on the maritime interconnectivity of Black Sea coastal communities.
Professor Adams added: “Maritime archaeology in the deep sea has often been a contested domain, but this project, the largest of its type ever undertaken, demonstrates how effective partnerships between academia and industry can be."
The team used advanced technology for their expedition
The hulls, masts, tillers and rudders of the shipwrecks are all clearly identifiable.
Most other wrecks from these time periods have been discovered in much shallower waters, where they have disintegrated down to their hulls.
The team found the shipwrecks by accident
Professor Adams said: "Certainly no one has achieved models of this completeness on shipwrecks at these depths."
The archaeological team launched their expedition from the Stril Explorer, which is an off-shore vessel equipped with advanced underwater surgery systems.