7 most interesting sunken ships – photo, description, history

Sunken ships can tell a lot about the era when they plied the seas and oceans. However, each of them survived the tragic death of those who were on board at that fateful moment. Until now, sunken ships keep their secrets under the thickness of sea waters. Any more or less trained diver can try to solve the riddles of ghost ships today. However, not every diver will be able to get inside the ship. Modern equipment and special training will help to solve this problem. Therefore, today everyone who wants to touch the underwater secrets of sunken ships will be able to afford it as an interesting tourist attraction.

Warship Sirius

The warship “Sirius” was sent to combat navigation in 1797. This forty-meter frigate took part in naval battles more than once and in most cases won a victory over the enemy. However, in an unequal battle that broke out at the end of August in 1810 between the British and French fleets, the frigate hit the coral reefs. The until then invincible Sirius, having received a hole, became vulnerable, and the French ships, one after another, fired from their guns at the British frigate until they sent it to the bottom. At a depth of about 25 m, the ship is still located. Of course, for such a long time, many marine inhabitants settled in it. But until now, off the southeastern coast of the island of Mauritius, you can see the hull of the frigate and traces of the last battle of the Sirius – cannons and other guns torn by shells, lying on the bottom around the ship.

Ferry Zenobia

The death of the huge Zenobia ferry can be called unique not only because not a single crew member was injured during its crash, and everyone was safely rescued. The fact is that the ferry was built and launched in 1979, and during its first voyage, it sank on the fourth day. The cause of the death of the ferry has not yet been definitively established. There have been suggestions of malfunctions in the ferry's computer system, as well as deliberate sinking in order to obtain insurance. Each of the versions has the right to exist. After all, about 100 trucks and cargo worth about 200 million USD went to the seabed off the coast of Cyprus along with the ferry.

As a result of the slow sinking of the 172-meter ferry, many rooms survived. However, not every diver manages to get to the engine room or restaurant. Due to the fact that the port side of the ferry rolled during the sinking, he found himself at a depth of 42 meters, and the starboard side sank to a depth of 18 meters. It is worth noting that the water off the coast of Cyprus is amazingly clear. Therefore, “Zenobia” is clearly visible from a height if you fly up by plane to Larnaca.

132-meter “Fujikawa Maru”

The ship graveyard off the coast of Micronesia near Truk Island was formed during the Second World War. During the military operation “Hilton” in 1944, American fighters managed to defeat the Japanese navy and air fleet. For many decades, military equipment buried on the seabed attracted almost no one, until in the 70s the scientific expedition of Jacques Cousteau began to study it. Since then, divers from all over the world have been in a hurry to see the sunken submarines, planes, ships and tanks of Japan from the Second World War.

Truk Lagoon, at the bottom of which there is a cemetery of Japanese military equipment, is surrounded on all sides by corals that protect equipment from ocean currents. Therefore, the buried submarines, ships and aircraft are well preserved. In addition, some ships met their death on the shallows. These include the 132-meter Fujikawa Maru, to which any diver can descend to a depth of 9 meters. In addition to the grandiose sunken military equipment, diving enthusiasts may be interested in the amazing corals and bright tropical fish that have firmly settled here, among which reef sharks can also be found.

Ship graveyard in Orkney

Another huge ship graveyard is the site of the forced sinking of the German navy during the First World War. These wrecks are located off the coast of northern Scotland in the harbor of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. Forcibly detained off the coast of Britain, the German fleet was destroyed by order of its own command. The German Admiral Reuter brilliantly planned an operation to destroy 50 warships within just a few hours, so that after the surrender of Germany they would not go to the enemy.

About 70 different ships found their last resting place at the bottom of the British harbor, among which there are not only German ships, but also unidentified and unexplored ships. Therefore, there is a great opportunity to become a pioneer of unknown ships.

Steamboat “Baron Gouch”

During the First World War, off the coast of Croatia, the completely peaceful steamship Baron Gauch also suffered. After launching in 1908, after some time it began to be repaired. During the war years, the ship was first used to deliver food to the city of Kotor, and then to evacuate the civilian population from the war zone. On one of the August days of 1914, the Baron Gouch hit a mine. Exploring this ship these days is not so easy. Divers require a special permit to dive.

Liner Andrea Doria

Sunk on the way to New York at a depth of 75 m, the Andrea Doria was the first international-class passenger ship built after World War II. Not far from the American coast, in zero visibility, a Swedish ship bound for Europe crashed into the board of the Doria. The captain of the sinking liner did everything possible to save the passengers and crew. Four nearby ships came to the aid of the Doria. Despite the fact that there were 1,134 passengers and 572 crew members on board, almost everyone was saved. Only 43 passengers died during the collision. “Andrea Doria” is considered the most inaccessible to divers due to its remoteness from the coast, low water temperature and great depth.

Titanic

Everyone knows the story of the tragic sinking of the Titanic. Every diver dreams of diving into the depths of the ocean to see the legendary ship with their own eyes. However, not everyone can decide on such a desperate step. After all, the depth at which the Titanic rests is 3750 m. However, thanks to the achievements of science, even such a depth can be conquered. To dive to such an impressive depth, a special underwater vehicle is used – the Mir bathyscaphe. It can accommodate only three people, including the pilot of the device. It is worth noting that the pleasure is quite expensive and not everyone can afford it.