12 shipwrecks you can look at without scuba diving.
Not all shipwrecked ships end up in the depths of the sea, some of them have a more prosaic
fate – they go aground. We’ll tell you about the most spectacular ships left in shallow
waters forever.
1. World Discoverer
The ship with the sound name World Discoverer was built in 1974. Its main task was to cruise
in the polar regions. The hull of the ship was specially designed to cope with the impact
of polar ice, but it did not save him: April 30, 2000 World Discoverer jumped on an unmarked
reef on the map, the starboard side was significantly damaged. To prevent the ship from sinking
and avoid human casualties, the captain decided to «run aground» in Roderick Dhu Bay. Although
the ship was later looted by looters, it is now a popular destination for sea romance
lovers.
2. Mediterranean Sky
Mediterranean Sky, or as it was called during construction, City of York, was built in 1952
in Newcastle, England. The cruise liner left London in November 1953 and was operated at
this port until 1971 when it was sold and renamed Mediterranean Sky. The last voyage
took place in August 1996 on the Brindisi – Patras route. Due to the financial situation
of the owner’s company, the ship was arrested in 1997. Two years later Mediterranean Sky
was towed to Eleucine Bay, Greece. At the end of 2002, the ship began to gather water
and bend. To prevent the ship from sinking, it was towed in shallow water, but this did
not help: in January 2003, the ship still tipped over to one side and remained lying
in wait for its fate.
3. Captayannis
The Captayannis was a Greek cargo ship whose main task was to transport sugar. In 1974,
during a storm, the ship was severely damaged by a tanker collision: the anchor chains of
the latter damaged the hull of the Captayannis and water started to flow in. The captain
tried to direct the ship in shallow water, where it was successfully stuck on a sandbank.
The next morning, however, the ship turned over and still lies there. The looters took
everything out of the ship and now it is slowly covered with vegetation and is home to many
birds. The locals simply call it a «sugar ship» and are happy to show it to all visitors.
4. America
The history of «America» began at the shipyard of Newport News (Virginia, USA). The launch
took place on August 31, 1939 in the presence of Eleanor Roosevelt herself. The interior
of the ship tried to make as cozy as possible, and in its decoration used ceramics and stainless
steel. August 22, 1940 «America» went on its first voyage, but already in 1941 the
ship was requisitioned by the U.S. Navy and sent back to Newport News to be converted
into a warship. After the end of the war, «America» went on the route New York – Le
Havre – Bremihaven, and in 1964 was sold to a Greek company and renamed «Australis».
After serving with the Greeks, the ship was resold five more times. The last resale took
place in 1993 to be converted into a five-star floating hotel in Thailand, this time the
ship was named «Star of America». In 1993, the liner left Greece in a tugboat, but the
time of the storm the towing rope broke. Several attempts to restore it were unsuccessful,
and on 18 January 1994, the Star of America ran aground near the Canary Islands.
5. Dimitrios
Dimitrios (old name – Kintholm) is a small (67 meters) cargo ship, which was built in
1950. After three decades, on December 23rd 1981, the ship ran aground off the Greek coast.
There are many rumors about the origin of the ship and its wreck. There is even a theory
that Dimitrios was used to smuggle cigarettes between Turkey and Italy, and the Greek authorities
captured the ship and deliberately released it so that it had to walk five kilometres
in shallow water. According to another version, on December 4, 1980, the ship was forced to
enter a Greek port due to the captain’s serious illness. After arriving at the port
because of various problems with both the crew and the ship itself, the entire crew
was disbanded and the ship was left in port. It remained there until June 1981, when it
was deemed unsafe. After that, the ship changed its location many times until it was finally
stuck where it is today. No attempt was made to restore it.
6. Olympia
Olympia was a commercial ship that was captured by pirates on the way from Cyprus to Greece
in 1979. After an unsuccessful attempt to get the ship out of the bay near Amorgos,
where it was driven by sea robbers, the ship remained there until now, becoming the most
remarkable object on the island.
7. BOS 400
The French barge BOS 400 was Africa’s largest 100 metre-long floating crane, which ran aground
in the Gulf of South Africa on 26 June 1994 while being towed by the Russian «Tiger».
The ships had to make their way from Congo to Cape Town, but during the storm the towing
cable was damaged and the barge ran aground in a place called Duiker Point. Despite several
towing attempts, the floating crane was completely lost.
8. La Famille Express
La Famille Express was built in 1952 in Poland and until 1999 served in the USSR Navy under
the name «Fort Shevchenko», after which it was sold and received its second (and last)
name. The circumstances of the shipwreck are still unknown, except that the ship ran aground
during Hurricane Francis in 2004 near the southern waters of Provo, near the Turks and
Caicos Islands (Caribbean Sea). No attempts were made to tow the ship and it was quickly
looted by looters. However, the abandoned ship is now a great attraction for all tourists
who find themselves in this area.
9. HMAS Protector
HMAS Protector was acquired by the South Australian government back in 1884 to protect the coastline
from possible attacks. The ship went through World War I and almost went through World
War II. Ironically, the ship was killed in a collision with a tugboat in July 1943 on
its way to New Guinea. The rusty remains of the ship can still be seen in the same place.
10. Evangelia
Evangelia is a merchant vessel that was built in the same shipyard as the Titanic. On May
28th 1942, the ship was launched under the name Empire Strength. Later it was also known
as Saxon Star, Redbrook and finally Evangelia. In 1968, during the thick night fog, the ship
sailed too close to shore and ran aground near Costinesti, Romania. Some say it was
done on purpose to receive insurance payments. The hypothesis is indirectly confirmed by
the fact that at the time of the wreck, despite the dense fog, there was no storm at sea and
all equipment was working properly.
11. Santa Maria
«Santa Maria was a Spanish dry cargo ship whose main task was to transport a huge number
of different kinds of gifts from the Spanish Government to those who supported the country
during the economic crisis. The ship carried sports cars, food, medicine, clothing and
much more. On 1 September 1968, the ship ran aground as it passed through Cape Verde on
its way to Brazil and Argentina. A local tugboat tried to save the ship, but the attempt failed,
but the valuable cargo had somehow miraculously disappeared. Since then, Santa Maria has been
one of the main attractions in Cape Verde.
12. Maheho.
The wreck of Maheho can be rightly called one of the most famous shipwrecks of the XX
century. The ship was built in 1905 and was one of the first turbine steamers. Maheho
was on a regular Sydney-Oakland voyage until it was called up for service during the First
World War. In 1935, the ship was sold to Japan. During his towing, the ships were caught in
a serious storm and the towing rope broke. Futile attempts to secure the cable during
the storm did not lead to anything and Maheho went on «free floating» with eight crew
members on board. Three days later, the ship was found on the shore of Fraser Island – fortunately
none of the crew was injured. After this incident Maheho was put up for sale, but no buyers
were found and it is still in the same place. Time-beaten, rusty and unnecessary for anyone
but tourists.