When it comes to shipwrecks and abandoned ships, the first thing we recall is the Titanic disaster, but today we will talk about other ships. According to the United Nations, more than 3 million ships suffered such a sad fate. Each of them has its own story and its secrets, which they took with them to the depths of the sea.
American star
And we will start with the abandoned warship SS America, also known as the American Star. The remains of this famous ocean liner, which has seen periods of rapid take-offs and times of oblivion, can be seen at low tide off the coast of Greece. During the course of his life journey of 54 years (from 1940 to 1994), the ship belonged to different owners and had different names, one of which (SS America) he tried on 3 times. During the Second World War, it was used as a naval equipment, and after the war it became a popular cruise ship, loved by the public.
In February 1993, he once again changed the owner, who planned to convert the ship into a five-star hotel. On December 22, 1993, he left Greece and towed to Thailand, but due to bad weather he returned back and a few days later, on New Year's Eve, set off on his last voyage. The American Star and the Neftegas 67 towing it fell into a storm in the Atlantic - the tow lines broke, and several people were sent to the liner to connect the emergency lines, but this was unsuccessful. Two tugboats were called to assist Neftegaz 67, and on January 17 the crew from the American Star was evacuated by helicopter. While negotiations were ongoing between ship owners, a tugboat and insurance companies, the American Star ran aground off the west coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.
Just 2 days later, due to the storm, the ship split in two, and the back of the giant ship collapsed into the ocean. On July 6, 1994, the Star of America was officially declared extinct.
In 1996, the stern of the ship finally broke away and went under water. The bow remained on the shore until 2007, and then it was almost washed off into the ocean.
"Lyubov Orlova"
The once-luxurious cruise ship, named after the famous Soviet actress, ended his days as an abandoned floating ghost in the waters of the North Atlantic. The ship was built in Yugoslavia for the Soviet company and served mainly for expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic.
However, in 2010, it was arrested by Canadian authorities at the port of St. John in Newfoundland, after it was proved that its owners were involved in a debt scandal.
In 2012, the ship was sold and was supposed to go to the Dominican Republic for dismantling for scrap. During the towing, a severe storm occurred, as a result of which the towing cables burst, and Lyubov Orlova set sail for free. A little later, the ship was discovered, but somehow inexplicably lost again during towing in international waters.
The Federal Department of Canada, which is responsible for the country's transport policy, informed that the ship no longer poses a threat to the safety of Canadian offshore oil installations, their personnel, or the marine environment.
In 2013, the Irish coast guard received a signal from a former Arctic cruise ship, according to which the Lyubov Orlova was heading east and was located off the coast of Ireland. Representatives of the coast guard provided information that a satellite was sent at the location of the last signal, but no signs of the ship were found.
Although, according to most sources, the ship sank somewhere in the North Atlantic, no one is sure what happened. The ship was designed to withstand dangerous seas, which means that there may be little chance that it will still remain there. Various experts believe that the vessel is dangerous, because in case of accidental spill of toxic liquids and insoluble floating waste from the vessel, this can have a devastating effect on the environment. Others believe that on board are hundreds of rats infected with diseases, which in itself is a biological hazard.
Ocean Abandoned Cemetery
In the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, the Carolina Islands Archipelago, owned by the Federated States of Micronesia, extends. The most famous place of this archipelago is the Truk lagoon, which serves as the last refuge of abandoned ships.
During World War II, the Lagoon Truk was Japan's most powerful base, which experts describe as the Japanese counterpart to Pearl Harbor Americans.
On February 17-18, 1944, the naval base was destroyed by the American army. Anticipating this attack, the Japanese launched their larger warships: heavy cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers. However, there remained many smaller warships, as well as hundreds of aircraft at the atoll airbases. The attack, which lasted two days, led to the destruction of three light cruisers, four destroyers, three auxiliary equipment, two submarine bases, three small warships, some air transport and thirty-two merchant ships. They still rest at the bottom of the ocean and each keeps its own story.
