12 sunken ships that you can see without scuba diving
Not all wrecked ships end their history in the depths of the sea, the fate of some of them is more prosaic — they run aground. We will tell you about the most impressive ships that have remained in shallow water forever.
World Discoverer
The ship with the sonorous name World Discoverer ("Discoverer of the world") it was built in 1974. His main task was to make cruises in the polar regions. The hull of the ship was specially designed so that the ship could cope with the impact of polar ice, but this did not save it: on April 30, 2000, World Discoverer ran into an unmarked reef on the map, the starboard side was significantly damaged. In order to prevent the sinking of the ship and avoid human casualties, the captain decided to "throw himself" aground in the Roderick Dhu Bay. Despite the fact that the ship was subsequently looted by looters, at the present moment it is a popular place among lovers of sea romance.
Mediterranean Sky
The Mediterranean Sky, or, as it was called during construction, the City of York, was built in 1952 in Newcastle (England). The cruise ship departed from London in November 1953 and was served in this port until 1971, when it was sold and renamed Mediterranean Sky. The last voyage of the vessel took place in August 1996 on the route Brindisi — Patras. Due to the financial situation of the shipowner company, the ship was seized in 1997. Two years later, Mediterranean Sky was towed to the Gulf of Eleusis (Greece). At the end of 2002, the ship began to take on water and tilt. To prevent sinking, it was towed to shallow water, but this did not help: in January 2003, the ship still capsized on one side and remained lying waiting for its fate.
Captayannis
Captayannis was a Greek cargo ship whose main task was to transport sugar. In 1974, during a storm, the ship was seriously damaged by a collision with a tanker: the anchor chains of the latter damaged the Captayannis hull, and water began to flow inside. The captain tried to steer the ship into shallow water, where it successfully got stuck on a sandbank. However, the next morning the ship capsized and is still lying there. The looters took everything out of the ship, and now it is slowly covered with vegetation and serves as a home for many birds. The locals simply call it the "sugar ship" and are happy to show it to all visitors.
America
The history of "America" began at the shipyard of the city 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 was tried to make as cozy as possible, and ceramics and stainless steel were used in its decoration. On August 22, 1940, America set off on her first voyage, but in 1941 the ship was requisitioned by the US Navy and sent back to Newport News for conversion into a warship. After the end of the war, America sailed on the route New York-Le Havre-Bremehaven, 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 for conversion into a five-star floating hotel in Thailand, this time the ship was named "Star of America". In 1993, the liner left Greece in tow, but during a storm, the tow rope broke. Several attempts to restore it were unsuccessful, and on January 18, 1994, the Star of America ran aground near the Canary Islands.
Dimitrios
Dimitrios (old name-Kintholm) is a small (67 meters) cargo ship that was built in 1950. After passing three decades, on December 23, 1981, the ship ran aground off the coast of Greece. There are many rumors about the origin of the ship and its wreck. There is even a version that Dimitrios was used to transport contraband cigarettes between Turkey and Italy, and the Greek authorities seized the ship and deliberately released it so that it had to walk five kilometers through shallow water. According to another version, on December 4, 1980, the ship was forced to enter a Greek port due to a serious illness of the captain. After arriving at the port, due to various problems with both the crew and the ship itself, the entire crew was disbanded, and the ship was left in port. It was located there until June 1981, when its location was deemed unsafe. After that, the ship changed its location many times until it finally got stuck in the place where it is still today. No attempts were made to restore it.
Olympia
The Olympia was a commercial ship that was hijacked by pirates on its way from Cyprus to Greece in 1979. After an unsuccessful attempt to pull the ship out of the bay near the island of Amorgos, where it was driven by sea robbers, the ship remained there until now, becoming the most remarkable object on the island.
BOS 400
The French barge BOS 400 was the largest floating crane in Africa with a length of 100 meters, and on June 26, 1994, it ran aground in the Gulf of South Africa while being towed by the Russian Tiger. The ships had to travel from the Congo to Cape Town, but during a storm the tow rope was damaged, and the barge ran aground at a place called Duiker Point. Despite several towing attempts, the floating crane was completely lost.
La Famille Express
La Famille Express was built in 1952 in Poland and served in the Navy under the name "Fort Shevchenko" until 1999, after which it was sold and received its second (and last) name. The circumstances of the shipwreck are not known for certain, except that the ship ran aground during Hurricane Frances in 2004 off 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. But now the abandoned ship serves as an excellent attraction for all tourists who find themselves in these parts.
HMAS Protector
HMAS Protector was purchased by the South Australian government back in 1884 to protect the coastline from possible attacks. The ship passed the First World War and almost passed the Second. Ironically, the ship was lost from a collision with a tugboat in July 1943 on the way to New Guinea. The rusting remains of the ship can still be seen at the same place.
Evangelia
Evangelia is a merchant ship that was built at the same shipyard as the Titanic. On May 28, 1942, the ship was launched under the name Empire Strength. Later, it was also known under the names Saxon Star, Redbrook and, finally, Evangelia. In 1968, during a thick night fog, the ship sailed too close to the shore and ran aground near Costinesti (Romania). Some say that this was done specifically to get insurance payments. The hypothesis is indirectly confirmed by the fact that at the time of the crash, despite the dense fog, there was no storm at sea, and all the equipment worked properly.
Santa Maria
The Santa Maria was a Spanish cargo ship whose main task was to transport a huge number of various gifts from the Spanish government to those who supported the country during the economic crisis. The ship was carrying sports cars, food, medicines, clothing and much more. On September 1, 1968, the ship ran aground while passing through Cape Verde on its way to Brazil and Argentina. A local tug tried to save the ship, but the attempt was unsuccessful, but the valuable cargo somehow miraculously disappeared. Since then, "Santa Maria" has been one of the main attractions of Cape Verde.
Maheho
The Maheho wreck can rightly be 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 sailed on a regular Sydney-Auckland flight until he was called up for service during the First World War. In 1935, the ship was sold to Japan. During its towing, the ships were caught in a serious storm, and the towing cable broke. Futile attempts to secure the cable during the storm did not lead to anything, and Maheho went on a "free voyage" with eight crew members on board. Three days later, the ship was found on the shore of Fraser Island — none of the crew, fortunately, was injured. After this incident, Maheho was put up for sale, but there were no buyers, and it is still in the same place. Battered by time, rusted and not needed by anyone except tourists.