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Is shipwreck the key to Napoleon's holy war?

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- A mysterious shipwreck, marked on a 200-year-old map and discovered outside the Mediterranean port of Acre, Israel, may throw light on Napoleon's attempt to conquer the Holy Land.

Marine archaeologists from the University of Haifa are excavating the wreck, which sunk during a battle between Napoleon and the British Royal Navy, who were helping the inhabitants of Acre defend their city against the French.

Researchers found the map, drawn by a British soldier in 1799, in a British archive.

It showed the formation of the British fleet off the coast of Acre as they faced a blockade of Napoleon's ships. The map also showed a sunken ship at exactly the spot where the wreck was found.

The ship, which is 30 meters long and 9 meters wide, was first discovered in 1966, but systematic excavations have only just begun. Scientists are hoping to discover whether the ship was involved in battles in 1799 or 1840 and whether it was a French or British vessel.

So far, the team unearthing the sunken ship have excavated cannon balls, canisters of gunpowder, wineskins and metal buckles from the ship, which has led them to believe that it was part of a naval fleet. The nationality of the ship is not yet known, nor whether the boat was sunk on purpose, and if so, by whom.

However, a cannon ball found wedged into the keel of the boat has led researchers to believe that this is what sank the ship.

"One of the theories is that this is a 'barricade ship' -- a ship that the British purposely sunk at the entrance of the port in order to block smaller French ships from entering," said Ya'acov Kahanov from the University of Haifa. "The finds need to be analyzed to verify how the ship ended up at the bottom of the sea.

"Once we understand these questions, we will be able to understand more about battle tactics of that period," he added.

The team unearthing the sunken ship believes that it offers a unique opportunity to discover more about Napoleon's campaign in the Holy Land.

"This is the only shipwreck excavated from the French blockade of Acre, and it can teach us a lot about the naval battles of that period," Kahanov said.

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