The Salem Express
[ranking: 10]
Egypt's Red Sea is scattered with shipwrecks, and perhaps the most tragic of these is the Salem Express. In December 1991, the ship was carrying pilgrims on their way back from Haj in Mecca to Safaga, it's rumored that the boat was overloaded with passengers. Regardless of the passenger load, the boat went down when it hit a reef.
The hull was ripped apart and the entire ship sunk in under 10 minutes. You can still see the suitcases of the dead passengers strewn around this partially intact wreck.
The SS Ayrfield
[ranking: 11]
Homebush Bay in Australia is home to a number of historic and mysterious shipwrecks, as it was a ship breaking yard for many years. A number of pieces of ships are still clearly visible in the bay, including the remarkable SS Ayrfield. The SS Ayrfield is often referred to as Sydney's Floating Forest, because lush plant life has sprouted all over the remains of its floating hull.
Murmansk
[ranking: 14]
The Russian battle cruiser Murmansk sunk on Christmas Eve 1994, off of Norway's northeastern coast. It was on its way to India when the towlines severed, and its hopes were dashed upon the rocks. The imposing war ship poked above the water for nearly 20 years.
Though the Norwegian government faced significant challenges removing the badly damaged ship in order to salvage it for scraps, the Murmansk was officially laid to rest in 2013.
The Governoren
[ranking: 6]
In Foyn Harbor, Enterprise Island, Antarctica, lies the wreck of the Governoren, a massive ship that sank at the turn of the 20th century. In 1915, this large whaling factory ship ?C capable of rendering a whale into whale oil on board ?C ran into trouble one night when a crew member knocked a lamp off a table during a party.
Considering the Governoren was full of thousands of gallons of whale oil meant to be taken back to Norway, the whole ship quickly caught fire. While all 85 crew members were able to escape unharmed, the burned remains of the ship still drift aimlessly through frigid Antarctic waters.
The Sea Venture
[ranking: 13]
The Sea Venture carried Bermuda's first settlers in 1609. Interestingly, these people actually had no intention of settling in Bermuda. Had a severe storm not caused the Sea Venture to crash in the rocks on the eastern end of Bermuda and forced those on the boat to go ashore, the island may not have been settled at all (or at least not until years later). This particular shipwreck is a key part of Bermuda history. The remains were found in 1958, in only about 30 feet of water.
The Ghost Ship That Lived A Full Life
[ranking: 9]
In 2013, kayakers discovered a 110-year-old ghost ship in a tributary off the Ohio River. While it had vegetation growing through the bottom, it was still structurally sound enough to explore. This ship was a converted yacht called the USS Phenakite by the US navy, but ended its life as the Circle Line V. And what a life it had.
It was originally an NYC sightseeing boat, converted for use in both WWI and WWII. It was then used as a research vessel by Thomas Edison, and even had a cameo in Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" music video. In the late 1980s, the ship was decommissioned and left in the Ohio River, where the kayakers found it. It remains there to this day, and anyone can take a look at it, but be warned. Local landowners are known to chase explorers away with shotguns.
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