Shipwrecks can serve as time capsules. They can tell us much about changes in shipbuilding technology, developments in navigational science, as well as about many other aspects of maritime history and culture. However, our interpretations of shipwrecks also continue to evolve as new data comes to light and as our understanding of both history and the ocean is reshaped by current cultural and political context.
This website features a series of shipwreck case studies ranging in geographical distribution from the Southern Ocean to the Great Lakes. They are just a tiny sampling of the thousands of vessels which have come to rest in the depths of the world’s oceans, lakes, and seas.
We invite you to explore some of these wrecks. And, as you learn more about these vessels, we will highlight some of the ways in which attention to maritime disasters can help us explore the cultural, economic, technological, and political history that lies submerged in the watery depths.
