Investigation of the usage, advantages and disvantages of unmanned underwater vehicles in Mediterranean underwater cultural heritage research

Underwater archeology is a science that studies sunken ships, sunken settlements and other sunken areas that have expired due to various reasons. It is known by everyone that three-quarters of the world is composed of seas and oceans, but still, seas and oceans are not as interested as land and atmosphere by people. The ocean depths are still not fully explored, and sufficient information has not been reached about the different organisms living in these depths, mineral resources and our underwater cultural heritage. Underwater vehicles play an important role in researching hard-to-reach depths, mining explorations and archaeological studies. Experiences gained in this process; Communication difficulties and the negative effects of deep waters on human health have revealed that the use of these reconnaissance tools is safer and more efficient, especially in research that requires humans. İn this thesis, the advantages and disadvantages that we have observed when using unmanned underwater vehicles in underwater cultural heritage research and excavation are mentioned. In the first part of this thesis, the history of underwater archeology, some previous studies and research methods are mentioned. In the second part; General information on legal regulations related to underwater cultural heritage is given. In the Third Part; In general, unmanned underwater vehicles and their parts are mentioned. In the fourth and last part, the advantages and disadvantages of unmanned underwater vehicles in underwater archeology studies are given.