The ship sailed in the [[Mediterranean]] during the lifetime of [[Alexander the Great]] and his successors. It sank in open waterswater less than a mile fromoff the ancient harbour of [[Kyrenia]]. The evidence points to the ship being takenbyroughseas some time after 294 BC, when it was rather old.<ref name="KS_Volume1"/>
The ship was in use by merchants for more than 30 years.<ref name="archaeology2007"/> Archaeologists studied the ship's remains in detail and found much new information about ancient construction techniques, the re-use of materials in antiquity, and evidence of extensive repairs and modifications ofduring the Kyrenia Ship's working life. Planking was replaced and repaired in the bow. A break in the ship's keel had been mended, and the outside of the ship was protected with wooden and lead sheathing to keep the aging timbers water-tight and extend the ship's working life. <ref name="Steffy1985"/> Closer analysis of the rabbets in the hull's frame suggest that the mast step had been moved up to three, and possibly four times.<ref name="Steffy1985"/> This movement happens to be in close proximity with a space to collect bilge water.<ref name="Steffy1985" /><ref name = Lionel/> Because of this, archaeologists surmise that the movement of the mast step was to make way for a larger bilge bucketsump, capable of lifting water out and overboard<ref name = Steffy1993/> These extreme measures to deal with water infiltration corroborate the frailty of the ship and may have contributed to its sinking. The hull's excellent preservation, along with its extensive repairs, demonstrate its long sailing life and adds greatly to our knowledge of shipbuilding in antiquity.
