Historic Shipwrecks Discovered After the Titanic

Shipwrecks have fascinated the public for centuries. Even during ancient times, more than 3,000 years ago, shipwrecks were featured in the works of poets like Homer in his epic poem "The Odyssey," and Virgil in his poem, "Aeneid," and later in 1602 when Shakespeare wrote "Twelve Night" about twins who were separated by a shipwreck. But it was perhaps the most famous shipwreck in history, the RMS Titanic, the British ocean liner that sank on its maiden voyage off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, that captured the world's attention and ignited a curiosity.

Although the Titanic is the most famous shipwreck in history, it isn't the deadliest in history, nor is it the only shipwreck that people are fascinated with. Finding a shipwreck has long intrigued people. Maritime archaeologists and treasure hunters alike have a plethora of sites worldwide that contain wrecked vessels to discover, where divers can explore remains of sunken history; it's estimated that there are more than three million undiscovered shipwrecks around the world. (Here are the most famous shipwrecks ever found.)

But it was the discovery of the RMS Titanic in 1985, 73 years after its sinking, by professor of oceanography and maritime archeologist Robert Ballard that caused interest in shipwrecks to soar. Since then, the number of shipwreck discoveries around the world has increased exponentially. To compile a list of historic shipwrecks discovered after the Titanic, 24/7 Tempo gleaned information from sources such as Guernsey Museums, Naval History and Heritage Command, Marine Insight, UNESCO, History, and Archaeology Mysteries, as well as various media websites. (These are 57 fascinating facts about the Titanic.)

Here are legendary shipwrecks found after the discovery of the Titanic.

• Year lost: 1588
• Location found: Off the Scottish and Irish coasts
• Discovered by: Local British divers

The Spanish Armada, sent by Spain to invade England in 1588, encountered raging storms off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. Ships foundered, killing 5,000 Spaniards. In 1985, local divers discovered the wrecks of three vessels of the doomed fleet – La Lavia, La Santa María de Visión, and La Juliana. Thirty years later, several cannons from La Juliana were found off the Irish coast.

• Year lost: 1622
• Location found: Off the Florida coast
• Discovered by: Treasure hunter Mel Fisher

This ship was one of at least eight vessels lost in a hurricane in 1622 that sent to the bottom of the sea cargo worth more than $450 million today, containing 40 tons of gold and silver and around 70 pounds of Colombian emeralds. The discovery ended Fisher's quest for the ship, which had begun in 1969.

• Year lost: 1857
• Location found: Off the South Carolina coast
• Discovered by: Columbus-America Discovery Group

The SS Central America was bound for New York City from Panama when it was struck by a hurricane off the coast of South Carolina. The ship was carrying 477 passengers and almost 10 tons of gold that was discovered in California during the 1849 Gold Rush. The shipwreck was discovered along with $150 million worth of gold. The find triggered a complex legal case involving research scientist Tommy Thompson who claimed not to know the whereabouts of the haul, enraging his investors. Thompson refused to cooperate with authorities and was jailed for contempt.

• Year lost: 1899
• Location found: Channel Islands coast
• Discovered by: Jersey Sub-Aqua Club

The Stella was a steamer put into service in 1890 to ply the route between the English mainland and the Channel Islands. It was sailing at 18 knots when a thick fog descended. The crew thought they were farther out from the Casquets, a dangerous rocky reef with lighthouses used by mariners for the turning point to Guernsey. The shoals tore the bottom out of the hull, and the vessel sank in eight minutes; 105 passengers and crew lost their lives. The wreck was found by John Ovenden, an amateur diver from Jersey, and a team of divers from Jersey Sub-Aqua Club.

• Year lost: 1274 or 1281
• Location found: Imari Bay off the coast of Takashima, Japan
• Discovered by: Kenzo Hayashida, director of the Institute of Asian Research in Underwater Archaeology in Japan

After conquering Korea, the Mongol prince Kublai Khan made several attempts to conquer Japan with huge fleets of ships. The fleet was thwarted by a large storm known as a "kamikaze" ("divine wind") – a term later adopted by Japanese pilots who flew suiсide missions against Allied ships during World War II.

The story of the great tempest has become a major part of Japanese folklore. A research team led by Kenzo Hayashida, director of the Institute of Asian Research in Underwater Archaeology in Japan, found three stone and wooden anchors in Kozaki Harbor, a small cove on the south coast of Takashima. Later that year, they found the remains of a ship in 45 feet of water. Hayashida was confident that this was a ship from the fabled fleet.

• Year lost: 1686
• Location found: Matagorda Bay off the coast of Texas
• Discovered by: Archaeologists from the Texas Historical Commission

The French ship La Belle and three other ships belonging to the famed explorer René-Robert Cavelier, known as La Salle, set sail from France in 1684 for the Mississippi River with 300 settlers aiming to colonize the area, discover trade routes, and find Spanish silver mines. Some of the ships were lost to pirates and storms en route.

The La Belle veered hundreds of miles off course where it sank during a storm. It was found by marine archaeologists from the Texas Historical Commission. The hull has been recovered, along with artifacts including tools, trade goods, weapons, and personal items of the would-be settlers.

• Year lost: 1718
• Location found: Beaufort Inlet off the North Carolina coast
• Discovered by: Private salvage company

Queen Anne's Revenge was originally a Royal Navy vessel, then became a French slave ship, and finally was commandeered by the pirate Blackbeard in 1717. A year later, the ship ran aground and Blackbeard escaped from the wreck. The ship was discovered in 23 feet of water by a private salvage company and more than 30 cannons and 250,000 artifacts have been removed from the wreck.

• Year lost: 830
• Location found: Off Belitung Island, Indonesia
• Discovered by: Local fishermen

Batu Hitam was an ancient Arabian dhow discovered off the Indonesian coast by local fishermen. It was likely traveling from China to Africa along what was called the Maritime Silk Route when it sank, carrying what may be the largest collection of Tang Dynasty artifacts ever discovered – more than 60,000 pieces. Valued at about $90 million, the treasures recovered from the shipwreck are mostly ceramics and pottery, including bowls, spice jars, and funeral urns.

• Year lost: 1503
• Location found: Off the coast of Oman
• Discovered by: Team led by David Mearns

The shipwreck believed to be the Esmeralda, part of the fleet of famed explorer Vasco da Gama is considered to be the oldest wreck discovered from the Age of Discovery. Among the artifacts found were a ship's bell, a Portuguese coin minted for trade with India, and stone cannonballs engraved with what appear to be the initials of Vincente Sodré, da Gama's maternal uncle and the commander of the Esmeralda.

• Year lost: 1917
• Location found: 185 miles West of Land's End
• Discovered by: Argosy International Ltd

The British passenger liner RMS Carpathia is remembered for rescuing survivors from the Titanic in 1912. Unfortunately, the ship would meet its doom in World War I, when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat. The vessel was attacked as part of a convoy traveling from Liverpool to Boston and five people died. The wreck of Carpathia was found in 600 feet of water.

• Year lost: 1947
• Location found: Baltic Sea
• Discovered by: Polish oil company

The Graf Zeppelin was Nazi Germany's only aircraft carrier during World War II, though it was not put into service because construction was never completed. Germany scuttled the ship as the war was coming to an end. The Soviet Union raised it and used it for target practice, sinking it in the Baltic Sea.

• Year lost: 12th century
• Location found: Off the South Korean coast
• Discovered by: South Korean archaeologists

After local fishermen caught an octopus clutching an ancient plate and reported the find to authorities, a huge cache of well-preserved Korean porcelain from a 12th-century shipwreck was found by archaeologists. The collection includes over 2,500 cups, bowls, and plates intended to be delivered to government officials and nobles of the Goryeo Dynasty.

• Year lost: 1804
• Location found: Off the Portuguese coast
• Discovered by: Odyssey Marine Exploration

The Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, a Spanish frigate sunk by the Royal Navy, is one of the most valuable shipwrecks ever discovered. About $500 million in gold has been recovered from the wreck, which both the Spanish and Peruvian governments claimed to own. In 2012 a U.S. Supreme Court ruling granted Spain the rights to the treasure. The gold, along with other artifacts from the shipwreck, is now on display in museums across Spain.

• Year lost: 1823
• Location found: Northwest of Honolulu
• Discovered by: Archaeologists working with NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Captain George Pollard, whose ship the Essex was struck by a whale and sank in 1820 (it was an inspiration for "Moby Diсk"), lost another whaling vessel in a storm west of Hawaii. Pollard and his crew escaped and boarded their consort whaleship, Martha. The Two Brothers shipwreck was discovered 600 miles northwest of Honolulu and the shipwreck has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Year lost: 1943
• Location found: East-north-east of Brisbane, Australia
• Discovered by: Search team led by led by David Mearns

The AHS Centaur, a clearly marked World War II Australian hospital ship traveling from Sydney to Port Moresby, was struck by a Japanese torpedo. Of the 332 passengers, 64 survived and were rescued by an American ship after waiting 35 hours on life rafts. Its sinking was considered an atrocity and the Australian Government lodged an official protest to Japan over the incident. The wreckage site is protected to prevent souvenir hunters from raiding the remains.

• Year lost: 1744
• Location found: English Channel
• Discovered by: Odyssey Marine Exploration of the United States

The 100-gun ship of the Royal Navy HMS Victory, returning with its fleet from a mission against the French, was lost during a violent storm, claiming the lives of more than 1,000 sailors. The shipwreck was discovered in 2008 by the Odyssey Marine Expedition. The reasons for the Victory's tragedy were poor ship design, top-heavy weight, instability caused by heavy guns, and possibly rotting timbers.

• Year lost: 1st century B.C.
• Location found: Off the Albanian coast
• Discovered by: Joint U.S.-Albanian archeological mission

The well-preserved 2,200-year-old wreck of a Roman cargo ship was found off Albania's coast. The cargo contained 300 wine jars, believed to have contained the yield from southern Albanian vineyards bound for Western European markets. The ship's remains were found in 164-foot deep water near the port city of Vlorë.

• Year lost: 1848
• Location found: Off King William Island in the Canadian Arctic
• Discovered by: Canadian marine archeologists

While searching for the Northwest Passage, Royal Navy Officer John Franklin and all his crew, along with their two ships, disappeared. The fate of Franklin's ships the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror remained a mystery for over 160 years, despite many attempts to find them. A Canadian search mission found the Erebus in shallow water, almost fully intact, along with a note that said Franklin had died before the two ships were abandoned.

• Year lost: 1848
• Location found: Off King William Island in the Canadian Arctic
• Discovered by: Arctic Research Foundation

Two years after Canadian marine archeologists found its sister ship Erebus, the HMS Terror was discovered by researchers from the Arctic Research Foundation in about the same area. Both ships had been abandoned because of heavy sea ice in their failed attempt to find the Northwest Passage. All 129 men on both ships died in the worst disaster to befall Britain's Royal Navy in polar exploration.

• Year lost: 3rd century B.C.
• Location found: 50 miles off of the Bulgarian coast
• Discovered by: Black Sea Marine Archeology Project

A vessel that sank more than 2,400 years ago is considered to be the oldest intact shipwreck ever found. The ship was discovered by the Black Sea Marine Archeology Project, an Anglo-Bulgarian research team. The merchant ship resembled a vessel that was depicted on ancient Greek wine vases. The ship remained so well-preserved because the more-than-mile-deep environment in which it was found lacked oxygen.

• Year lost: 1942
• Location found: Off the Solomon Islands
• Discovered by: Team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

During the WWII Battle of Guadalcanal, the USS Juneau was sunk by a Japanese torpedo off the Solomon Islands, taking 687 people with it. Among the casualties were the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa. The Juneau was discovered by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen using his research vessel, the R/V Petrel.

• Year lost: 1942
• Location found: Coral Sea
• Discovered by: Team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

The USS Lexington, which was sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea, was found by a research team led by Microsoft founder Paul Allen, using the research vessel the R/V Petrel. The Lexington, which was out at sea when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, was originally conceived as a battlecruiser before it was redesigned to be one of America's first operational aircraft carriers in 1922.

• Year lost: 1942
• Location found: Off the Solomon Islands
• Discovered by: Team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

The USS Hornet, the aircraft carrier that launched the famed Doolittle Raid against Tokyo in April 1942, was later sunk by Japanese torpedoes and dive bombers during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Though 2,000 sailors were able to escape, 140 died on the sinking ship. It was discovered by Paul Allen's R/V Petrel more than three miles underwater off the Solomon Islands.

• Year lost: 1942
• Location found: Off Guadalcanal
• Discovered by: Team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

Paul Allen's R/V Petrel, a research vessel that's found dozens of shipwrecks, added the hull of the USS Wasp, an aircraft carrier sunk by Japanese torpedoes to its list of discoveries. The wreck was found at a depth of 14,000 feet. Most of the officers and enlisted men on the USS Wasp were rescued by U.S. Navy ships.

• Year lost: 1942
• Location found: Off of Guadalcanal
• Discovered by: Team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

During the same battle that claimed the USS Juneau, the Japanese battleship Hiei was sunk. The 31,000-ton ship was the first Japanese battleship sunk by the U.S. Navy during World War II. It was discovered by researchers aboard Paul Allen's R/V Petrel.

• Year lost: 1910
• Location found: Lake Michigan off Sheboygan, WI
• Discovered by: Two Minnesota shipwreck hunters

SS Pere Marquette 18, a transport ship carrying about 60 passengers and crew and 30 rail cars on Lake Michigan from Ludington, Michigan, to Milwaukee, sank offshore on the morning of Sept. 9, killing 29 people. Its wreck eluded discovery for a century until 2020 when Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman located it in nearly 500 feet of water off Sheboygan and Port Washington, Wisconsin.

• Year lost: 1915
• Location found: Weddell Sea, Antarctica
• Discovered by: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust

The vessel of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was crushed by sea ice and sank, forcing Shackleton and his men to escape on foot and in small boats. All of the crew survived the ordeal. The demise of the ship was chronicled by filmmaker Frank Hurley and the wreck is a designated monument under the International Antarctic Treaty and is not to be disturbed. No physical artifacts have been brought to the surface.