GOOGLE Maps has its eye on land and ocean – check out the gnarliest shipwreck sites from around the world.
These ships met catastrophic ends due to rough waters, poor captaining, and a nuclear blast.
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Titanic
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“There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers,” White Star Line Vice President Phillip Franklin said upon hearing the news of a collision.
Over the next two and a half hours, the Titanic would take on water, sever in half and leave survivors floating in frigid waters in total darkness – an estimated 1,500 people died in the accident.
The wreckage site is visible on Google Earth by entering the coordinates 41.7325° N, 49.9469° W.
SS Maheno
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During World War I, the ship was commissioned as a hospital ship – international treaties necessitated that the ship was painted white to distinguish itself as carrying the wounded.
In 1935, the ship was retired and had its propellers removed – a storm separated it from a tow boat ferrying the SS Maheno.
The ship and small crew aboard washed up on Fraser Island – the men spent eight days camped on the island while the boat would remain to this day.
Find the ship on Google Earth by searching Fraser Island, Australia.
Costa Concordia disaster
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The Costa Concordia struck a rock and capsized just off of Italy’s Tuscan coast in 2012 – 32 people died in the accident.
The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, was convicted of multiple manslaughter and other maritime charges – he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The total cost of the wreck between lost assets and scrapping was about $2billion, according to Reuters.
Although you can’t actually see the wreckage of the Costa Concordia on Google Maps, it can show you exactly where the boat sank and the route the ship was taking.
Chernobyl Harbor
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The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded in a fire caused by human error and poor design and was made worse by a secretive and rigid Soviet government.
About 1,000 square miles were evacuated due to the radiation pouring out of the reactor and into the atmosphere – Chernobyl Harbor is inside what is now known as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Thomas Windisch, a photographer who explored the site, told Daily Mail that some boats were commissioned during clean up but most have gone unused since 1986.
USS Palo Alto
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The USS Palo Alto was built for World War I but the conflict ended before the ship could be deployed.
The ship was brought to Aptos, California where it’s concrete structure earned it the nickname “The Cement Boat”.
Shipwreck graveyard
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Staten Island’s boat graveyard has dozens of decomposing vessels bobbing in the water.
The ships were moored in the harbor to be sold or scrapped but no one took an interest.
Thames River shipwreck
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Wrecks in scattered along the Thames are visible on Google Maps.
In 1665, an English navy ship called the London was accidentally blown up and sank – its wreck was discovered in 2005.
Last year, it was decided that a World War II ship loaded with explosives that sunk in the Thames would be broken up and disabled.
Garden of Eden shipwreck
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This vessel sank in a river with religious significance in Iraq.
On Google Maps, the boat can be seen partially submerged off the coast of Iraq in the Shatt al-Arab river.
It’s believed the marshlands of the Shatt al-Arab inspired the Bible’s Garden of Eden, according to The Atlantic.
SS Francisco Morazan
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This ship can be found off of South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan.
The crew struggled to navigate due to the low visibility caused by snow.
The ship has been aground since 1960.
Seafaring and its related navigational inventions are one of man’s greatest achievements.
Though we’re familiar with many significant shipwrecks there are doubtlessly centuries worth of unknown sunken boats that lost their battle with the ocean.
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