World's Deepest Shipwreck Discovered Four Miles Underwater in the Philippines. The U.S.S. Samuel B Roberts, also known as the “Sammy B,” was discovered in the Philippine Sea at a depth of 22,916 feet last week by a team of explorers. The wreck is the deepest ever found, per the Associated Press.
It is just over a year since the WWII destroyer USS Johnston was confirmed to be the world's deepest shipwreck, found lying on the seabed 6,468.6 m (21,222 ft) below the surface.
The wreck of the Montevideo Maru was located after a 12-day search at a depth of over 4000 meter (13,120 feet) — deeper than the Titanic — off Luzon island in the South China Sea, using an autonomous underwater vehicle with in-built sonar.
The San Jose – The Holy Grail of Sunken Treasures (1708) – $17 billion. One of the most precious shipwrecks in the world, the site of which remained unknown for over three centuries, was revealed in photographs by the Colombian army.
To put things into perspective, the popular Titanic sank and rests at a depth of around 12,600 feet. Explorers have discovered a US Navy destroyer from the World War II era in the Philippines that has become the deepest wreck to ever be discovered.
Most of the bodies were never recovered, but some say there are remains near the ship. What could have happened to the bodies? Some Titanic experts say a powerful storm the night of the wreck scattered the life-jacketed passengers in a 50-mile-wide area, so it's likely the bodies scattered across the seafloor.
Oceanographers have pointed out that the hostile sea environment has wreaked havoc on the ship's remains after more than a century beneath the surface. Saltwater acidity has been dissolving the vessel, compromising its integrity to the point where much of it would crumble if tampered with.
Arguably the most famous ship in history, the RMS Titanic was known for its glamour and lavishness and was believed to be “unsinkable.” On April 10, 1912, Titanic departed the English city of Southampton on its maiden voyage heading to New York City.
It is estimated that there are over three million shipwrecks worldwide! Less than 1% of these wrecks have actually been explored. Some wrecks are actively being looked for, including the Bonhomme Richard, but many are found by accident. The Dokos shipwreck is the oldest known wreck, dated to 2700-2200 BC.
The Dokos shipwreck is the oldest underwater shipwreck discovery known to archeologists. The wreck has been dated to the second Proto-Helladic period, 2700–2200 BC.
After 333 years submerged, the Vasa was raised in April 1961. Thanks in part to the very cold water in which it was submerged, the ship was in remarkably good condition.
Key West, Florida - The Tile Wreck, and The USS Alligator
Named for the cargo it was carrying when it sank in Key West, the Tile Wreck is in extremely shallow water, resting only 5-15 feet below the surface so you can reach down and touch it. Not too far away lies a navy ship known as the USS Alligator. From the 1820s.
The mystery of one of the world's worst international maritime disasters has been solved off the coast of the Philippines. The wreck of the Montevideo Maru - a Japanese transport ship sunk 80 years ago by an American submarine during World War II – has finally been found.
USS Nevada (BB-36)
The ship was loaded with an estimated $17 billion worth of gold, silver and jewels when it sank in 1708, and its wreck was only discovered in 2015. The navy used a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to examine the wreck; its precise location is being kept a secret to deter treasure hunters.
There's an estimated three million shipwrecks scattered across the ocean floor, from sunken World War II destroyers to colonial Spanish galleons to small abandoned dinghies. Today, many of them are teeming with marine life, reclaimed by the ocean as homes for coral, eels, snappers and sharks.
Wilhelm Gustloff in 1939. The loss of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship which was sunk on January 30, 1945, has become infamous as the largest loss of life on a single ship.
Can I keep pieces or artifacts from a shipwreck? No. The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, which mostly regulates ocean dumping, also covers archaeological removal of submerged cultural resources. It's illegal to disturb a site or take things from it without a permit.
In 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 730-foot ship, disappeared in Lake Superior, taking with her all 29 men aboard. It was 40 years ago that the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost in Lake Superior.
'Yes, like all things, eventually, Titanic will vanish entirely. It will take a long time before the ship completely disappears, but the decomposition of the wreck is to be expected and is a natural process,' Patrick Lahey, president and co-founder of Triton Submarines, told Business Insider.
Since no one owns the Titanic, people are free to recover items from the ship if they are able. The United States granted “salvor-in-possession” status to RMST giving them the legal and exclusive rights to retrieve items from the wreck.
While we cannot know for sure how he spent his final moments, it is known that Captain Edward Smith perished in the North Atlantic along with 1517 others on April 15, 1912. His body was never recovered.
Of the 337 bodies recovered, 119 were buried at sea. 209 were brought back to Halifax. 59 were claimed by relatives and shipped to their home communities. The remaining 150 victims are buried in three cemeteries: Fairview Lawn, Mount Olivet and Baron de Hirsch.