Shipwrecks Past and Present

The worlds seas are littered with wrecked ships that went down it stormy seas, war and bad judgement. The world history of shipwrecks dates back to 2200 BC (4200 years ago) with the Dokos Shipwreck in the Aegean Sea near Greece and the ancient City State of Sparta.

The Costa Concordia

More recently, one of the larget cruise ships in the world sank off the coast of the Italian island of  Isola del Giglio when it ran aground. According to an expert quoted in The Guardian, cruise ships are not well designed for stability and safety in the water which makes them prone to accidents such as this.

“The alarm bells have been ringing with many of us for well over a decade now,” says Andrew Linington, Nautilus’s communications director. “These ships are floating hotels – skyscrapers, really. The design has been extrapolated from that of smaller ships: they have high sides, a small draught [the depth below the waterline] and are very difficult to manoeuvre in high winds.” (The Guardian)

The L.R. Doty

In 2010 the wreck of the L.R. Doty, a 112 year old wooden steamship, was found in Lake Michegan. The ship was 300 feet long and was the largest wrecked wooden vessel that was yet to be found. It was discovered off the coast of Milwaukee Wisconsin. The dotty was sunk by a violent winter storm in 1898. It is extremely well preserved because of the depth of water is rests in and the extreme cold.

A huge wooden steamship that sank more than a century ago was found perfectly preserved at the bottom of Lake Michigan. The photo above shows the windlass on the bow of the boat.

At 300 feet long, the L.R. Doty was the largest wooden ship that remained unaccounted for before it was discovered off the coast of Milwaukee, according to the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association’s website. (Discovery News)

The Edmund Fitzgerald

Speaking of Great Lake shipwrecks, the Edmund Fitzgerald was a heavy freight ship in Lake Superior that sank in a winter storm in 1975. It was later found in two pieces, broken most likely in half by a wave that forced the bow under water. The waves also hit the Arthur M. Anderson, another freighter that was following the Edmund Fitzgerald. The Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot later wrote and recorded a ballad about The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

“Then the Anderson just raised up and shook herself off of all that water – barrooff – just like a big dog. Another wave just like the first one or bigger hit us again. I watched those two waves head down the lake towards the Fitzgerald, and I think those were the two that sent him under.” (Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum)

Beached Shipwrecks: The Dimitrios

Many shipwrecks, like the Costa Concordia, still rest where they sank in shallow water, or on beaches. The image below is of the Dimitruos which rests off the coast of Greece.

-Mike

Sources:

• Wikipedia: List of Shipwrecks
• Wikipedia: Dokos Shipwreck
• Hellenic Institute of Marine Archaeology
• The Guardian
• Discovery News
• Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum