Shipwrecks.

1406 Words6 Pages
SHIPWRECK • A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. The United Nations estimates that there are more than 3 million shipwrecks on the ocean floor. TYPES OF SHIPWRECK • Historic wrecks are attractive to maritime archaeologists because they preserve historical information: for example, studying the wreck of Mary Rose revealed information about seafaring, warfare and life in the 16th century. • The 1626 Sparrow-Hawk wreck is displayed at the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts • Military wrecks that were caused by a skirmish at sea. • Some contemporary wrecks, such as the Prestige or Erika, are of interest primarily because of the potential harm to the environment. Other contemporary wrecks are scuttled in order to spur reef growth, such as Adolphus Busch and the Ocean Freeze. • Wrecks like Adolphus Busch and many historic wrecks such as SS Thistlegorm are of interest to recreational divers who enjoy diving shipwrecks because they are often interesting to explore, provide large habitats for many types of marine life and have an interesting history. • Few shipwrecks are famous catastrophes like the wrecks of the Titanic, Britannic, Lusitania or Estonia. There are also thousands of wrecks that were not lost at sea but have been abandoned or sunk. These are typically smaller vessels such as fishing vessels. CAUSES • Poor design allowed Failure or leaking of the hull is a serious problem that can lead to the loss of buoyancy or the free surface effect and the subsequent sinking of the vessel. Even the hulls of large modern ships have cracked in heavy storms. Leaks between the hull planks of wooden vessels are a particular problem. Failure of pumps can lead to the loss of a potentially salvageable ship with only a minor leak or fire. Failure of the means of propulsion, such as engines, sails or

More about Shipwrecks.

Open Document