20 December 1991
On 20 December 1991 (21 December according to other sources) Egyptian and American Archaeologists discovered a 5000 years old fleet of ships near the Nile in Abydos. The boats were believed to be the first royal ships, possibly belonging to the second dynasty Pharaoh, Khasekhemwy. However, other archeologists believed that the boats might have been built by an earlier Pharaoh,  Djer, of the first dynasty. It was concluded that the boats were used for burial of royals. The boats boasted very advanced design for their era and were built to withstand rough seas.
References

Discover Magazine Egypt's Ancient Fleet: Lost for Thousands of Years, Discovered in a Desolate Cave [online] Available at: https://discovermagazine.com[Accessed on 19 November 2012]|

Phys.org Archaeologists discover shipwrecks, ancient harbor on coast of Israel [online] Available at: https://phys.org [Accessed on 19 November 2012]