Shipwrecks

The most famous shipwreck in history is probably the Titanic, which lies on the seafloor in the North Atlantic Ocean. But shipwrecks are as old as sea voyages, and sunken ships have been found at the seafloor all over the world, from ancient Greek vessels in the Mediterranean to Civil War battle ships off the U.S. East Coast. Divers look for shipwrecks to salvage valuable artifacts and to learn more about past cultures. Read about the latest shipwreck discoveries and see pictures of sunken ships below.

Related Topics: Ocean, Archaeology

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According to international law, the shipwreck and everything on it belong to Spain; but Colombia's government has declared that it owns the wreck and its treasure, which is estimated to be worth $17 billion.

$17 billion shipwreck near Colombia is remarkably preserved, new photos reveal

By Tom Metcalfe published

New images of one of the world’s most valuable shipwrecks off the coast of Colombia show its remarkable preservation, and two more historic shipwrecks in the same area.

This image of the tryworks was taken from the shipwreck site of the whaler Industry by a NOAA ROV. The tryworks was a cast-iron stove with two deep kettles that were used to render whale blubber into oil.

19th-century whaling shipwreck identified in the Gulf of Mexico

By Mindy Weisberger published

Scientists have discovered the long-lost shipwreck of a whaling vessel that sank during a storm in 1836.

This squat lobster seems to be the star of the Endurance shipwreck.

Shackleton's Endurance shipwreck teeming with extreme creatures

By Tom Metcalfe published

The newly-found wreck of the Endurance was found to be inhabited by some equally extraordinary creatures.

The taffrail and ship’s wheel.

Shackleton's lost Endurance ship discovered beneath Antarctic sea

By Tom Metcalfe published

Ernest Shackleton's lost ice ship Endurance, which famously sank in 1915, has been rediscovered by searchers under Antarctica's Weddell Sea.

The ships were raised from the depths by an underwater volcano.

WWII 'ghost ships' rise from Pacific after volcanic eruption

By Ben Turner published

Experts predict that the island of Iwo Jima could be on the verge of eruption.

After 437 years on the sea bottom, about half of the Mary Rose's hull is now on display in Portsmouth in the U.K.

Henry VIII's favorite ship has a bacteria problem, and now scientists have ID'ed the culprits

By Mindy Weisberger published

Acid attacks from sulfur-producing bacteria could eat away at the preserved hull of a ship that was once the pride of King Henry VIII's armada, scientists recently discovered.

Divers on the latest archaeological expedition to the shipwreck of the Mentor, which sank in 1802 with valuable sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens on board.

Greek ship carrying parts of the Parthenon is giving up more secrets

By Tom Metcalfe published

No lives were lost in the sinking of the USS Grenadier, but the crew were taken prisoners of war and suffered brutal tortures by the Japanese military.

Divers discover lost WWII submarine wreck off Southeast Asia

By Tom Metcalfe published

Divers in Southeast Asia have located the lost wreck of what's thought to be a U.S. Navy submarine that sank in 1943 after it was attacked by Japanese aircraft.

Scientists in Mexico have identified the wreck of La Union, a Mayan slave ship.

Mysterious Mexican wreck was an illegal slave ship

By Stephanie Pappas published

Archaeologists have identified the wreck of a Mexican steamer as La Union, an illegal slave ship that smuggled the Maya as cargo to Cuba.

The RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912, four days before the disaster that claimed more than 1,500 lives.

An aurora that lit up the sky over the Titanic might explain why it sank

By Mindy Weisberger published

A geomagnetic storm that sparked spectacular aurora displays could also have contributed to the sinking of the Titanic.

The discoverers say the shipwreck of the Karlsruhe is lying upright on its keel beneath about 490 metres ( 1600 feet) of seawater near Norway's southern coast.

Wreck of WWII warship with Nazi symbol discovered off Norway

By Tom Metcalfe published

The wreck of a German warship torpedoed and sunk by a British submarine in 1940 has been discovered in deep water off the North Sea coast of southern Norway.

The remains of the RMS Titanic are rapidly corroding at the bottom of the North Atlantic. But a proposal to cut the ship’s telegraph machine from the wreck has drawn fierce criticism.

Salvagers may cut open the Titanic and pull out its 'voice', judge rules

By Brandon Specktor published

RMS Titanic Inc., an official salvager of the Titanic shipwreck, will now be allowed to cut open the ship and remove its telegraph.

Sonar scans show the wreck is broken in two parts on the seafloor. This scan shows the submarine's conning tower and bow section.

Explorers find Cold War-era submarine wreck off the coast of Oahu

By Tom Metcalfe published

A team of explorers have found the wreck of a United States Navy submarine that sank more than 60 years ago in deep water near the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The remains of the RMS Titanic are rapidly corroding at the bottom of the North Atlantic. But a proposal to cut the ship’s telegraph machine from the wreck has drawn fierce criticism.

Titanic's iconic telegraph 'voice' may be recovered. But some say the salvager is a 'greedy treasure hunter.'

By Tom Metcalfe published

Frantic distress messages were sent over the machine after the cruise liner slammed into an iceberg in 1912.

An aerial view of the Bermuda Triangle.

Bermuda Triangle theory busted: 1925 ship Cotopaxi found near Florida

By Laura Geggel published

Artifacts found by divers at the shipwreck hinted that these are the remains of the SS Cotopaxi.

Researchers used two kinds of sonar to detect the wreck of the World War I German battlecruiser Scharnhorst.

Famous World War I Battleship Discovered at the Bottom of the Atlantic

By Tom Metcalfe published

The wreck of one of the most famous German warships of World War I has been located on the seafloor near the Falkland Islands, where it sank in a battle with British warships more than 100 years ago.

The wreck of HMS Urge was found at a depth of 430 feet (130 meters) off the coast of the Mediterranean island of Malta.

Wreck of Famous British Sub Sunk by Germans in WWII Discovered Off Malta

By Tom Metcalfe published

The wreck of a Royal Navy submarine that mysteriously disappeared with 44 people on board during World War II has been discovered off the Mediterranean island of Malta.

The salvagers hope many of the 900 or so bottles of brandy and liqueur will still be drinkable after 102 years at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Czar's Booze Discovered on Ship Sunk by a U-Boat in the Baltic Sea in 1917

By Tom Metcalfe published

Hundreds of bottles of cognac and Benedictine liqueur have been salvaged from a ship sunk by a German U-boat in the Baltic Sea in 1917.

Milkmaid shipwreck

17th-Century Dutch Smugglers' Shipwreck Comes to Life in Virtual Reality

By Mindy Weisberger published

A virtual dive of a 17th-century shipwreck explores the remains of a ship used by the Dutch to secretly trade with Iceland.

This ancient shipwreck that likely dates back to the 15th or 16th century is very well-preserved.

Perfectly Preserved Ancient Shipwreck Found in the Baltic Sea with Guns Ready to Fire

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

"It’s almost like it sank yesterday"