It's midnight on September 16th, 2017, 60 kilometers off the Bulgarian coast and 2 kilometers beneath the Black Sea's surface.
A remotely operated vehicle surveys the seabed, transmitting video to researchers above as it goes.
Suddenly, it discerns another ghostly vessel in the gloom.
But this is a relic from another age.
It's an undoubtedly ancient shipwreck, but its mast, rowing benches, and some of its upper deck remain eerily intact.
It might be an ancient Roman ship, but its appearance doesn't quite match.
Notably, its splayed rudder blade more closely resembles those depicted on an even older Greek vase.
To get a definitive answer, the research team takes three samples from the wreck and radiocarbon dating confirms its ancient origins.
The ship is dated to between 350 and 410 BCE.
It is, in fact, the oldest intact shipwreck ever found.