Shipwrecks

The bow of Titanic photographed in June 2004, by the ROV Hercules during an expedition returning to the shipwreck of the Titanic.
The sinking of the Titanic, where three times more women than men survived, popularized what has now been found to be a myth, that women and children are saved first in shipwrecks. (Image credit: NOAA / Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island)

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.

Latest about shipwrecks

Here we see the sunken bow of the Titanic underwater in extreme detail, with corroding metal and algae growing on the ship.

Stunning full-scale scan of Titanic reveals complete shipwreck for the 1st time

By Ben Turner published

A new scan of the Titanic shipwreck made with more than 715,000 images has revealed the world's most famous shipwreck as we've never seen it before.

Archaeology
detailed three-dimensional model showing the timbers of the hull of a ship

Quarry workers make 'unexpected' discovery of ship from Queen Elizabeth I's reign

By Tom Metcalfe published

Timbers from the hull of a 16th-century ship have been found in a flooded quarry in southeastern England.

Archaeology
Divers explored the wreck of the US F4U–4 Corsair fighter-bomber on Iriomote Jima in March 2019.

30 incredible sunken wrecks from WWI and WWII

By Tom Metcalfe published

A look at some of the most notable underwater wrecks from WWI and WWII.

Warfare
This sonar image from the autonomous underwater vehicle shows the distinctive shape of the wooden frame of a clinker-built vessel.

Medieval shipwreck discovered in Norway during hunt for WWII ammunitions

By Tom Metcalfe published

What could be one of Norway's oldest shipwrecks has been found on the bottom of a lake near Oslo, during an effort to locate the tons of unexploded ammunition dumped there since World War II.

Archaeology
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 last updated

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.

Archaeology
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 last updated

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

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

Shackleton's Endurance shipwreck teeming with extreme creatures

By Tom Metcalfe last updated

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

Archaeology
The wreck of the ship now lies on the floor of the North Sea off the coast of Belgium, at a depth of about 115 feet (35 m), as shown in this sonar image.

Nazi shipwreck is leaking toxic chemicals into the sea, 80 years after sinking

By Tom Metcalfe last updated

A Nazi shipwreck that sank in the North Sea in 1942 is still polluting the seafloor around it, but there are signs of sea life adapting to the wreck.

Archaeology
A diver from Sweden's Wreck Museum investigates the lower gun deck of Äpplet, a sister ship to the famous Vasa. Divers discovered Äpplet underwater near Stockholm.

Wreck of 17th-century warship discovered in Sweden

By Tom Metcalfe published

The wreck of a 17th-century Swedish warship — a sister ship of the famous Vasa, which sank only an hour into its maiden voyage in 1628 — has been discovered near Stockholm.

Archaeology
The wreck of SM U-111 lies on the seafloor about 40 miles off the coast of Virginia, at a depth of about 120 feet. It was rediscovered in July after being deliberately sunk over 100 years ago.

WWI German U-boat discovered off US coast 100 years after it sank

By Tom Metcalfe published

The wreck of a WWI German U-boat sunk by the U.S. Navy in 1922 has been discovered off the East Coast of the United States, about 40 miles off Virginia and at a depth of about 400 feet.

Archaeology
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