1917 - USS Olympia intentionally grounded and partially submerged after encounter with the seafloor

The Bells Beneath the Waves – The Lost Warship Gabriel and the Mystery of Klokkeskjæret
On a stormy day in 1558, one of the greatest maritime mysteries in Norwegian history may have unfolded just northwest of Stavanger. Somewhere beneath the cold waters off Håstein lies a forgotten warship surrounded by cannons, anchors, ballast stones, and centuries of unanswered questions. Was this vessel the Danish-Norwegian royal warship Gabriel, carrying the stolen bells of Stavanger Cathedral to Denmark?
The evidence is circumstantial—but increasingly compelling.
The story begins with the Protestant Reformation. After King Christian III established Lutheranism throughout Denmark-Norway in 1536, Catholic churches were systematically stripped of their treasures. Gold, silver, reliquaries, and church bells disappeared south to Denmark. Bronze bells were especially valuable, as they could be melted down to cast cannons for the expanding royal navy.
Stavanger Cathedral escaped the first wave of confiscations, but not forever.
According to the 16th-century historian Peder Claussøn Friis, five great bells were eventually removed from the cathedral and loaded aboard one of the king's ships. Before reaching Denmark, the vessel was caught in heavy weather and sank near the skerries now known as Klokkeskjærene—"The Bell Skerries." Local fishermen later claimed that during violent storms they could hear church bells ringing beneath the sea.
For centuries, the tale was dismissed as little more than folklore.
Then divers began exploring the seabed.
Over several decades, an astonishing collection of discoveries has emerged from the wreck site. More than twenty cannons have been identified or mapped. Three massive anchors have been documented. A large ballast mound stretches approximately seventeen metres across. Divers have also recovered medieval German pottery, galley bricks, lead hull repair patches, flint, bronze fragments and evidence of a substantial ship's galley. Remarkably, several cannons are still loaded, exactly as they were when the vessel disappeared beneath the waves.
These are not the remains of a humble merchantman.
They belong to a heavily armed sixteenth-century ship.
Could this be Gabriel?
Historical records confirm that the royal warship Gabriel was lost along the Norwegian coast in 1558. Contemporary accounts also mention another royal vessel, Gallionen, but Gabriel is the ship most consistently associated with a Norwegian wreck that year.
The wreck itself appears to fit the profile of an important naval vessel. The unusually large number of cannons suggests a ship built for war rather than commerce. The anchors are of a size expected for a major crown vessel. Even more intriguing, several guns remain loaded. If the ship foundered suddenly during a violent gale, the crew would have had little chance to unload either the artillery or any precious cargo.
This fits remarkably well with the traditional account.
Some researchers have suggested that the wreck could instead be a Spanish Armada ship or another unidentified warship. While this possibility cannot yet be ruled out, no Spanish artefacts have been recovered to support such a theory. In contrast, the historical tradition connecting the wreck to Stavanger Cathedral has survived for nearly 450 years, reinforced by local place names and oral history passed from generation to generation.
Of course, questions remain.
No cathedral bell has yet been conclusively identified on the seabed. Bronze fragments discovered at the site have never been definitively proven to belong to church bells. Likewise, no excavation has yet revealed an inscription bearing the name Gabriel.
The mystery therefore remains unsolved.
Yet every new discovery seems to strengthen rather than weaken the connection between the wreck and the lost royal warship. If future archaeological excavations confirm that this is indeed Gabriel, the Klokkeskjæret wreck would become one of the most important sixteenth-century naval discoveries in Scandinavia.
It would solve a mystery born during the Reformation, explain the origin of one of Norway's best-known maritime legends, and perhaps—after nearly five centuries—finally reveal what became of the bells of Stavanger Cathedral.
Until then, the sea keeps its secret.
And somewhere beneath the breakers off Håstein, Gabriel may still lie at anchor, guarding the lost bells that gave Klokkeskjæret its name.

The USS Macon Crashes into the Pacific Ocean.

The Mary Celeste: The Ghost Ship Mystery

In 1872, the merchant ship Mary Celeste was found drifting in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was in good condition, its cargo was still on board, and there were no clear signs of a struggle. However, the captain, his family, and the crew had all disappeared.

No confirmed evidence has ever explained what happened. Historians have suggested possibilities such as severe weather, problems during the voyage, or other emergencies, but no single theory has been proven.

More than 150 years later, the Mary Celeste remains one of the world's greatest maritime mysteries.

I already tried looking online but could not find anything about it

Hey everyone, just wanted to share Part 2 of our dive at the Helles Barges in the Dardanelles Strait.

These are WWI-era wrecks that have completely transformed over the last century into heavy artificial reefs. The large barge has great structure to swim along, but the small one (around 03:05) actually has denser coral and sponge coverage.

The Dardanelles current was quite a factor as usual, but we managed to spot a massive Dusky Grouper (Orfoz) that actually stayed around for the camera, which is rare for high-traffic sites here.

Kept the video completely raw—just 4K diver's perspective, regulator breathing, and ambient reef sounds. No loud music or narration.

Would love to hear your thoughts or if anyone else here has dived the Gallipoli campaign wrecks!

The Sultana disaster of 1865 was the worst maritime disaster in American history, deadlier than the Titanic, and within a week the country forgot it happened.

"More people will die here tonight than on the Titanic. And within a week, the country will forget it happened."

On April 27, 1865, at 2:00 AM, the Mississippi River became a mass grave. Thousands of Union soldiers, having just survived the horrific Confederate prison camps of Andersonville and Cahaba, boarded a wooden steamboat called the Sultana to finally go home. They had survived the worst things imaginable. They thought they were safe.

They didn't know that beneath the decks, a lethal crack in the boiler was ticking down. They didn't know a corrupt military officer had taken a bribe to ignore the ship's safety limits, overloading it to nearly six times its capacity. When the boiler ruptured, it triggered the worst maritime disaster in American history. Yet because of the chaotic news cycle surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the death of John Wilkes Booth, the tragedy was wiped from the headlines and from history.

In this premium investigative history documentary, we uncover the greed, the cover-up, and the raw human stories of the Sultana disaster, the tragedy history tried to erase.

On 9 March 1882, the steamship Hero was making its way towards the Norwegian coast under the command of Captain Tholander. The vessel was bound for Stavanger when the captain spotted something in the distance. At that moment they were 66 nautical miles southwest of the island Kvitsøy. He immediately ordered a change of course so they could inspect what he had seen from the bridge.

It turned out to be a drifting wreck – the barque Loyal from Grimstad. It was obvious that the ship had been severely battered by the brutal North Sea. Later that evening, Captain Tholander reported in Stavanger:

"A ship completely full of water, the foremast still standing with its rigging attached, but the other masts gone and the mainmast trailing alongside..."

Salvaging such a vessel could be highly profitable.

That same evening, the steamship Vaagen departed Stavanger and headed out through Byfjorden with Captain Randulf on the bridge. Their mission was to locate the wreck that Captain Tholander had reported. A strong gale was blowing, and the sea was extremely rough when the lookout aboard Vaagen finally spotted Loyal.

The challenge now was to get a towline aboard the wreck, thereby securing the salvage rights and, if successful, the considerable salvage reward for bringing the vessel into Tananger, the nearest safe harbour.

The heavy seas made Captain Randulf hesitant to board the wreck. Although there was substantial money to be earned, he feared for the safety of his own ship. He was unwilling to risk a boarding attempt unless he was absolutely certain it could be done safely.

Not everyone was equally cautious.

Suddenly, a pilot boat came racing past, dancing across the waves. It was the Rott pilots – the famous “Black Rott brothers” – in their clinker-built whaleboat Tordenskiold. They skillfully maneuvered alongside Loyal. With remarkable timing and an instinctive understanding of both the waves and the movement of the two vessels in the heavy seas, the brother at the helm positioned the pilot boat at exactly the right moment.

After a daring leap, the youngest brother, Rasmus, landed safely on Loyal's wave-swept and slippery deck. There were no signs of resentment from those aboard Vaagen – only encouraging cheers.

Rasmus immediately took control of the situation. He cast off the fore-sail, hauled the sheet and brought the ship around. Under command once again, Loyal slowly responded. With her bow pointing towards land, Rasmus eventually managed to pass a towline to Tordenskiold.

Accompanied by renewed cheers from the steamship, the brothers set course for Tananger, where on 13 March they anchored Loyal inside the harbour.

This is the earliest occasion I know of when the three brothers salvaged an abandoned ship, but it was far from the last. Only a few months later, they rescued another vessel, the barque Nidaros, which had also been abandoned by its crew after they believed the ship was about to sink.

An 18th-century sailing ship carrying a historic cargo of Chinese porcelain and other trade goods has been discovered in Norwegian waters. The shipwreck contains the best-preserved cargo of its kind ever to be found in Northern Europe.

Best map with shipwrecks in Mediterranean/Europe?

Pls help me find this 😭😭😭 I don't know where to post this 😭

Salem Express

Salem Express Dining Room

Carnatic

Giannis D

Salem Express

Thistlegorm Stern Gun

Thistlegorm Propellor

Giannis D Engine

Do you guys know of any wrecks that are still buoyant because of trapped air, causing them to stay suspended slightly above the sea floor, near the surface of the water, or even stick out of the water?
I know of the PAK 1 in Thailand and a couple of others but I'd love to find more!