8.
The Shipwreck of Epanomi
Greece’s location between the Ionian and Aegean Seas has made it a paradise for travelers
looking to catch some rays on its iconic beaches.
But being surrounded on both sides by the ocean also means the country is no stranger
to shipwrecks.
Just off the coast of Thessaloniki, a rusted cargo ship sits partially submerged where
it sank in 1970.
Even though the spot has become a popular one for divers, it also has a bit of a controversial
past.
The shipwreck of Epanomi was once used to move soil from one shore to another, but with
so many trips across the Thermaic Gulf, the ship did a lot of damage to the natural plants
and animals there.
The activity took place when a military dictatorship ruled the country, which could explain why
there wasn’t much thought put into protecting and preserving the wildlife in the area.
Luckily, the activity eventually stopped, leaving the ship abandoned where it turned
to rust and sank into the shallow seabed.
Thankfully, after the dictatorship fell, the area was designated a natural reserve.
With so much attention on the natural beauty of the cove, it eventually became a popular
place for divers who want to explore the vessel and the surrounding shallow waters.
As visitors share their picture-perfect photos on social media, it has helped to spread the
word of this beautiful spot, allowing others to experience the beauty of the island.
7.
The Sunken Igara
Considered one of the most expensive shipwrecks, the Igara, an Italian ore carrier, sank in
the South China Sea back in March of 1973.
Shockingly, the $25 million ship was only in service for a year before it met its fate.
It was packed with over 125,000 tonnes of iron ore when it set out on its journey from
Brazil to Japan.
But it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for the crew, who struck an uncharted rock about
190 miles (310 km) from Mendarik Island.
Even after hitting the rocks, the ship continued on its voyage but as it neared Singapore,
the ship began to sink.
But the Igara wasn’t a complete loss.
Even though most of the ship sank, the stern stayed afloat.
After using explosives to break away the entire back section, which also held the engine room,
a salvage company saved part of the Igara so it could be reused in another ship.
And the ship’s cargo also didn’t go to waste.
The salvage company also managed to retrieve half the cargo of iron ore the ship had been
carrying before it sank to the ocean floor.
Even though it was an expensive loss, the ship has now become a haven for sea life.
Strong currents sometimes make it a treacherous dive, but divers can’t resist the corals,
fish and other underwater life that have taken up residence in what remains of the ship.
6.
Greece’s Most Famous Shipwreck
On the north-west shore of Navagio Beach in Greece, the MV Panayiotis crashed ashore in
1980.
But it's the location of the wreck that seems to have captured the attention of visitors
from around the world.
Have you seen or heard of Shipwreck Beach?
It’s one of the most breathtaking places in Greece, a horseshoe-shaped cove with white
sand and stunning blue waters.
But amidst the beautiful landscape, there’s something that might seem out of place - the
rusted skeleton of the massive ship.
Maybe it’s the remote location that has inspired so many tales about the origin of
the ship and how it ended up there.
Some think it was, in fact, a smuggler’s ship.
Theories have surrounded the MV Panayiotis since it was first discovered, with tales
of smuggling and even human trafficking taking place on-board until authorities caught up
to it and surrounded it, causing the crew to panic and run aground.
Another tall tale involves the ship’s owner, Haris Kompotheklas, who was said to have been
overtaken by a couple of Italian smugglers, who the man later imprisoned on board.
When they came upon bad weather, Kompotheklas had to ground the ship in the bay where he
and his crew tried to salvage their cargo.
Before they could get away with their goods, authorities caught up to the men, convicting
them for smuggling and selling the cargo at auction.
It all sounds exciting and romantic, but in recent years, the captain of the ship revealed
what really led to the shipwreck.
Bad weather and mechanical failures were to blame for sending the ship crashing onshore.
After heading to town to inform the authorities, the captain realized they weren’t going
to be much help.
The beach was inaccessible on foot and they had no way of protecting it from looting.
When the captain returned to his ship, he found a lot of the equipment had been stolen.
When Kompotheklas finally found a way to recover his ship, he was so stunned by the beautiful
location where it sat that he decided to leave it there.
How it became a tourist destination is a bit of a mystery, but in the day of social media
hype, it’s easy to see why travelers would want to visit this out-of-the-way monument
and the incredibly pristine setting where it sits in the sun.
Have you ever visited any of these shipwrecks in person?
What did you think about them?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below and be sure to hit the thumbs up
and subscribe button if you haven’t already!
5.
The Discovery of a Decade in Portugal
A time capsule to the height of Portugal’s spice trade with Asia was found at the bottom
of the Atlantic Ocean.
Located near the capital of Lisbon, the 400-year-old shipwreck was filled with spices, ceramics
and canons engraved with Portugal’s coat of arms.
It was located about 12 m (40 feet) deep, and experts think it landed there after sinking
on a return trip from India sometime between 1575 and 1625.
The discovery was an important one, with Chinese porcelain from the 16th and 17th centuries
also found on-board, offering experts a glimpse into trading during ancient times.
A dredging operation at the mouth of the Tagus River unearthed the wreck and it’s treasures,
which also included cowrie shells once used as currency during the slave trade.
The discovery was also proof of a long-held theory that the area was one of the richest
in the world for shipwrecks.
Its location near Portugal’s capital city meant many ships came into and out of the
port, which also means a lot of those ships ran into trouble and ended up sinking just
off the coast.
With the importance of the spice trade, many vessels had to travel through the Tagus estuary
from India’s south-west coast to deliver their goods.
Local registries have records of at least 100 shipwrecks in the area, so this discovery
could be the find experts need to continue searching for other historically important
vessels on the ocean floor.
Until then, the new discovery will remain where it was found, with experts carefully
removing any important objects for study and preservation.
4.
Disappearance of the Patriot
Aaron Burr’s daughter Theodosia was born just before the American colonies won their
independence from the British Crown.
Her father was a lawyer and Patriot soldier who later went on to become Vice President.
But the family was sent into a tailspin when Burr got into a duel with Alexander Hamilton,
killing the famous politician in a story memorialized by the successful Broadway play.
Burr eventually abandoned the US by fleeing to Europe.
Married to the Governor of South Carolina, Theodosia suffered more loss after her son
died of malaria.
Overwhelmed by the tragedy, Theodosia started suffering hallucinations.
Hoping that sending her to New York would help, Theodosia’s husband, sent her on the
Patriot, a schooner that set sail from South Carolina in December of 1812.
But something mysterious happened to the ship and it never made it to New York.
The small crew, Theodosia included, vanished.
The real story about the fate of the ship is still debated to this day.
Some think it sank off the East Coast a few days after setting sail when it encountered
a string of brutal storms.
But how can anyone be sure?
As it turns out, the discovery of a haunting painting in Nag’s Head off the Outer Banks
of North Carolina adds another piece to the puzzle.
It looks strikingly similar to a painting Theodosia was said to have brought on-board
with her to present to her father in New York when they were finally reunited.
With the painting’s appearance in North Carolina, said to have been recovered from
a shipwreck that washed ashore there, some now believe the Patriot never made it to New
York and instead, wrecked on the barrier islands.
3.
Black Sea Discoveries
A group of geologists surveying the Black Sea stumbled upon a surprising underwater
graveyard in 2016.
While marine biologists were there to uncover the hidden mysteries of the sea, they ended
up locating 40 incredibly well-preserved shipwrecks, some that date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.
Because the Black Sea only has a small connection to the Mediterranean Sea, the water there
is sharply layered, with freshwater floating above the salty water below.
This means the water at the seafloor has less oxygen, protecting the ships from any wood-eating
organisms that might lurk there.
The ships weren’t necessarily a surprise, though.
Other wrecks had been previously located there by marine explorers.
To find so many ships in such great condition meant historians and researchers were in for
a treat when they were finally able to get a closer look.
They used special 3D photography to study the wrecks, building realistic models so they
could get a better idea what the ships looked like on the seafloor without disturbing or
damaging them.
Archaeologists are excited to finally get a look at these ships.
Until then, the shipwrecks remain protected at the bottom of the Black Sea just waiting
to share their secrets.
2.
The World Trade Center Ship
It’s not that strange for construction workers to uncover hidden treasures when excavating.
But workers in New York didn’t expect to uncover a historic 18th-century ship 20 feet
(6.09 m) under the World Trade Center site while preparing for a new building.
Before construction could begin, experts first had to perform a basic search of the area
to make sure there were no archaeological remains that would be destroyed during construction.
That’s when the thrilling discovery was made- they had found the historic ship, but
how it got there is still up for debate.
Most New Yorkers probably didn’t realize that just below their feet, a historic ship
lay buried for 200 years.
The mysterious ship was originally believed to date back to the 1700s, but it took a group
of scientists to uncover its true origin.
After analyzing the remains of the ship, researchers were able to tell from the tree rings on the
wood that the ship was made from white oak trees cut from an old growth forest around
1773 in the Philadelphia area.
By comparing them to other wood samples from Independence Hall, they could tell that the
growth rings matched those found in the wood of the World Trade Center ship, which meant
the wood from both constructions came from the same area.
Further research showed the ship was a Hudson River Sloop that was designed by the Dutch
to carry passengers and cargo over rocky water.
Philadelphia was known as a shipbuilding hub during the Colonial era, and the ship was
built there and it sailed for 20 to 30 years before it came to rest at the western shoreline
of lower Manhattan around 1818.
There’s also a possibility that a 100-pound (45 kg) anchor hidden in the same area could
belong to the ship.
And it wasn’t the first anchor found while excavating in the area.
When the foundation was being prepared for the Twin Towers, an old anchor and a Dutch
cannon were also uncovered.
The maritime relics survived for centuries underground and are now part of the National
Maritime Historic Society in New York.
1.
The Endurance
More than a century after it was crushed by ice and sank to the floor of the Weddell Sea,
polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship has been found.
The Endurance set sail from South Georgia in an attempt to make the first land crossing
of Antarctica but after it sank, it would take over 100 years to finally find the ship’s
remains.
The 28-man crew set out on the Endurance in November of 1915, traveling across sea ice
with the goal of reaching the South Pole and establishing a base on the Weddell Sea coast.
Two days after leaving South Georgia, Endurance met its first ice field, taking several weeks
to slowly make its way through the thick sea ice.
When an ice floe closed in around them, the Endurance was frozen in place with nowhere
to go and no way to break free from the sea’s icy grip.
They were so close to their landing place that it was a torturous place to be and with
the ice slowly pushing them away from their destination, the men had no choice but to
stay where they were and get through the winter.
Instead of simply sitting on the ship and waiting out the winter, they decided to try
walking across the ice toward land, but after only making it 7.5 miles (12 km) in seven
days, they had no choice but to camp directly on the ice.
Set adrift, the men inched further north, but when they finally saw the Elephant Islands
come into view, hope returned.
Sadly, months had passed and the weather was changing.
The ice started to break up under them, battering them with icy water and damaging their ship.
Sickness took hold, crippling some of the men, but they soldiered on and eventually
rowed ashore.
Their ordeal wasn’t over though.
The men realized that it was unlikely that anyone would come across them on the remote
island, so a small group set out in lifeboats, and after a grueling journey, they made it
to a whaling station.
But that was just the beginning of the rescue mission.
After one of the ships sent to retrieve the remaining crew members ran out of fuel, another
couldn’t handle the ice.
A third ship was sent from Chile and 128 days after the men set out for help, they were
finally rescued.
Miraculously, no one died, but the Endurance didn’t fare as well.
After being crushed by ice, it sank to a depth of about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).
In early March 2022, a three-masted sailing ship was located on the ocean floor more than
a century after it sank.
The 144-foot-long wooden wreck was still in remarkably good condition, and when the expedition
sent down high-definition scanners, they saw that the ship’s name was still clearly visible
on the stern.
Considering the harrowing journey by its crew and their remarkable tales of survival, being
able to find this historic ship intact and so well preserved is a testament to the ship,
allowing it to live up to its name - the Endurance.
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