All articles tagged with #shipwrecks
In 2025, science unraveled numerous historical mysteries, including the identification of a well-preserved Austrian monk, insights into ancient Polynesian statues, the origins of a Danish warship, the true cause of Shackleton's ship sinking, and the genetic analysis of ancient wolf pups, shedding new light on our understanding of the past.
Hello Games released the free 'Breach' update for No Man's Sky, adding features like salvaging from space wrecks, new expeditions, and ship customization, building on previous updates. The update was teased with cryptic tweets, sparking community speculation, and has inspired impressive player-made ship designs, including Star Wars-themed builds.
The Great Lakes, despite their calm appearance, are dangerous waters with over 6,000 shipwrecks, now increasingly being discovered due to better technology and the invasive quagga mussel, which makes wrecks more visible but also threatens their preservation. These wrecks serve as underwater museums, revealing stories of maritime history, immigrant journeys, and industrial past, with many still undiscovered.
Over 30 shipwrecks, including WWII-era vessels and a well-preserved cargo sailing ship, have been discovered in Lake Constance, Germany, during a project that used sonar and ROVs to explore the lake's depths, revealing significant historical and cultural artifacts.
The increase in shipwreck discoveries is attributed to advancements in technology, making it easier and less expensive to scan the ocean floor, as well as the effects of climate change, which have exposed more wrecks due to intensified storms and beach erosion. The digitization of archives and expanded use of telepresence systems have also contributed to the rise in discoveries. While private treasure hunters still search for sunken treasure, more commercial and research ventures, along with an expanded field of underwater archaeology, have joined in exploring the ocean depths, leading to an increase in shipwreck findings.
The 2024 winners of the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition have been announced, featuring eerie underwater scenes of shipwrecks, rusted tanks, and a sunken passenger plane. The "wrecks" category showcases sunken ships, tanks, a plane, and a helicopter, with images capturing military cargo, ship's wheels, and passenger airline seats eerily intact in their watery resting places. Notable shots include a diver among a graveyard of whale skeletons, sunken Chieftain tanks in a tactical battle formation, and the well-preserved 19th-century wooden schooner Kyle Spangler at the bottom of Lake Huron.
An interactive graphic by MailOnline reveals the mysterious creatures and shipwrecks lurking in the deep sea, highlighting the fact that despite covering nearly 70% of the Earth's surface, we have only explored 5% of the world ocean, leaving 95% unknown. From bizarre fish to lost shipwrecks, the ocean's depths remain largely uncharted, with scientists discovering an enormous variety of life even in the deepest points, such as the Izu-Ogasawara trench south of Japan.
Shipwrecks serve as vibrant living seabed habitats, hosting diverse marine life from microscopic organisms to large predators. These "living shipwrecks" are characterized by colorful corals, sponges, and schools of fish, attracting sharks and other marine creatures. Shipwrecks also act as hot spots for biodiversity, providing temporary homes for animals and serving as steppingstones for migration. However, shipwrecks can also pose threats to underwater ecosystems by altering habitats, spreading pollutants, and facilitating the invasion of invasive species. Maximizing the discovery and understanding of shipwrecks requires collaboration between biologists, archaeologists, and engineers to conserve these historical and biological treasures.
Dozens of shipwrecks from Operation Dynamo, the mass evacuation of Allied troops during World War II, have been identified in the Dunkirk channel. A multibeam sonar survey conducted by archaeologists from Historic England and France's DRASSM has allowed for the creation of 3D models of the wrecks, preserving the memory of these ships and the human history behind them. Operation Dynamo, which took place from May 26 to June 4, 1940, saw the evacuation of over 338,000 soldiers on various vessels. The search for wrecks aims to protect them from potential construction plans and raise awareness of this important milestone in WWII history.
Ten years after a tragic shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy, in which 368 refugees drowned, survivors and relatives of the victims gathered to remember the lives lost. The event comes as Lampedusa finds itself at the center of another European refugee crisis, with overcrowded centers and recent deaths at sea. Since 2014, over 28,000 people have been recorded as missing while crossing the Mediterranean, and this year's death toll has already surpassed last year's. Italian and European institutions are being accused of prioritizing borders over lives, and humanitarian groups claim that search and rescue operations have been hindered by pushback policies and the criminalization of NGOs.
Historians and archaeologists are racing against time to locate and document shipwrecks in the Great Lakes before they are destroyed by invasive quagga mussels. These mussels, which have become the dominant invasive species in the lower Great Lakes, cover virtually every shipwreck and downed plane in the region, burrowing into wooden vessels and corroding steel and iron ships. Quagga mussels have displaced zebra mussels as the dominant mussel in the Great Lakes and have caused overwhelming destruction to the remains of historical ships. Efforts to stop the mussels have been unsuccessful, leaving experts to search for shipwrecks before they disintegrate under the mussels' assaults.
Researchers have conducted the first detailed search of three deep-sea shipwrecks from the Battle of Midway, providing new insights into this critical turning point in World War II. Using remote-controlled vessels, the crew surveyed the USS Yorktown, as well as the wreckage of the Japanese Imperial Navy's Akagi and Kaga, documenting armament, battle damage, and sinking-related details. The project aims to document and assess important war grave sites for American and Japanese sailors, honoring the hundreds of sailors who lost their lives in the conflict. The Battle of Midway, which took place in June 1942, resulted in the sinking of seven major ships and over 3,400 service member casualties.
Five World War I-era ships have been discovered at the bottom of the Neches River in southeast Texas due to ongoing drought conditions. A retiree-turned-amateur shipwreck hunter stumbled upon the wooden vessels, each measuring 80 to 100 feet long, during his regular trips to the river. The region was once a shipbuilding hub, and many of these ships were abandoned after the war. Historians and museum curators are now studying the wrecks, urging visitors to respect the law and not disturb or scavenge from the sunken vessels.
The Coast Guard and Navy successfully rescued four divers who went missing off the coast of the Carolinas while diving near the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," an area known for its numerous shipwrecks. The divers were reported missing after failing to resurface, prompting a search operation involving multiple aircraft and boats.
At least 82 migrants are missing and 10 have been found dead after three ships capsized in the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend. Two shipwrecks off the Italian island of Lampedusa left 31 people missing, while another ship carrying migrants from sub-Saharan Africa sank off Tunisia's Kerkennah island, resulting in four deaths and 51 missing. The increasing number of people risking their lives on this perilous route highlights the desperate living conditions in the region, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The Mediterranean has recorded over 2,063 migrant deaths and disappearances this year alone, the highest number since 2017.