# Wrecked cruise ship on Google Maps
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [September 21, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497 "2016-09-21T13:13:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/1 "2016-09-21T13:13:21Z")
In the Solomon Islands. Pretty cool:
https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-9.0230214,160.1230346&z=18&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=World%2BDiscoverer
> **[Oh Look, There's a Dead Cruise Ship In Google Maps](https://gizmodo.com/oh-look-theres-a-dead-cruise-ship-in-google-maps-5815175)**
>
> Sunday April 30, 2000 was not a good day for the World Discoverer, a cruise ship originally built in Germany, in 1974. At 4pm local time, she hit a rock that wasn't in the Solomon Islands charts.
> **[MS World Discoverer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_World_Discoverer)**
>
> MS World Discoverer was a cruise ship designed for and built by Schichau Unterweser, Germany in 1974. During construction called BEWA Discoverer, the ship was completed in Bremerhaven, Germany. In 2000, the ship struck an underwater obstacle and was damaged; it was subsequently grounded – to prevent sinking – and abandoned in the Solomon Islands.
> The vessel was originally built as the BEWA Discoverer in 1974. The ship was sold to BEWA Cruises out of Denmark. In July 1976, the vessel was sold t...
---
### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/2 "2016-09-21T13:20:37Z")
I disagree with your assessment; that is _very_ cool.
And after reading the Wikipedia entry, it seems to be a textbook example of how a ship’s crew should act during an emergency. Kudos to Captain Oliver Kruess and everyone else who was working aboard the _World Discoverer_; y’all done good!
---
### Author:  [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/3 "2016-09-21T14:11:19Z")
Yes, very cool.
Here is one that I have been to, although it’s a bit older and wasn’t quite a “cruise ship”:
https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=46.1780043,-123.9800905&z=18&output=embed&dg=ntvb
> **[Peter Iredale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Iredale)**
>
> Peter Iredale was a four-masted steel barque sailing vessel that ran ashore October 25, 1906, on the Oregon coast en route to the Columbia River. She was abandoned on Clatsop Spit near Fort Stevens in Warrenton about four miles (6 km) south of the Columbia River channel. Wreckage is still visible, making it a popular tourist attraction as one of the most accessible shipwrecks of the Graveyard of the Pacific.
> The ship was named after Peter Iredale, who not only owned the vessel as part of his s...
---
### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/4 "2016-09-21T14:28:03Z")
There’s another older shipwreck – over 100 years old – in a breakwater near where I live.
[On Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Stockton+NSW+2295,+Australia/@-32.9139535,151.7963066,331m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x6b7314a0ef845961:0x5017d681632f4d0!8m2!3d-32.915!4d151.784444)
[One of my photos](https://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/2152136519/)
[Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe_(ship))
---
### Author:  [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/5 "2016-09-21T15:08:37Z")
My brother and I rowed a small boat from Westport across Grays Harbor to see what was left of the [SS Catala,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Catala) it was beached near Ocean Shores, Washington. We didn’t count on a weather system moving in and ran into some heavy waves trying to get back to Westport. Thankfully a fishing boat came by and towed us back to Westport. This was back around 1972.
---
### Author:  [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/6 "2016-09-21T15:57:39Z")
I’ve been to the [MV Plassy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Plassy), on Inisheer Island in Ireland. It was interesting to see what it looked like 50 years later. I didn’t go in the thing, though I was tempted to. Probably wouldn’t really hold my weight any more as it’s so rusted.
---
### Author:  [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2016, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/7 "2016-09-22T09:08:52Z")
On a side note, I’m quite impressed by the sea floor topography on Google Maps, maybe I haven’t checked in a long time but it wasn’t that detailed before and it’s quite fascinating to “see” that landscape for the first time.
---
### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2016, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/8 "2016-09-22T10:28:21Z")
[Here](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wreck+of+the+SS+Atlantus/@38.9442517,-74.9726922,368m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89b8ab3435eb838b:0xb01d833e7c793a85!8m2!3d38.9443237!4d-74.9720898?hl=en) are the remains of the concrete ship off of Cape May NJ.
[SS Atlantus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Atlantus)
---
### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/9 "2016-09-23T02:20:35Z")
Cool - thanks, all!
---
### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2016, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/10 "2016-09-23T12:18:59Z")
Another one: the [wreck](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wreck+of+the+Peter+Iredale,+Peter+Iredale+Rd,+Warrenton,+Oregon+97121/@46.1780731,-123.9811089,21z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!1m2!3m1!2zNDbCsDEwJzQyLjEiTiAxMjPCsDU4JzUxLjYiVw!3m1!1s0x549366765e4b4f2f:0x65d406eab70594dd?hl=en) of the [Peter Iredale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Iredale) near the mouth of the Columbia River. Used to be more impressive.
Goonies!
---
### Author:  [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/11 "2016-09-23T14:32:23Z")
> [@ftg](#):
>
> Another one: the [wreck](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wreck+of+the+Peter+Iredale,+Peter+Iredale+Rd,+Warrenton,+Oregon+97121/@46.1780731,-123.9811089,21z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!1m2!3m1!2zNDbCsDEwJzQyLjEiTiAxMjPCsDU4JzUxLjYiVw!3m1!1s0x549366765e4b4f2f:0x65d406eab70594dd?hl=en) of the [Peter Iredale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Iredale) near the mouth of the Columbia River. Used to be more impressive.
>
> Goonies!
Psst - see post 3. 😃
---
### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/12 "2016-09-23T15:39:12Z")
> [@wguy123](#):
>
> Psst - see post 3. 😃
Egad. I thought I had checked all posts, including links. My bad.
---
### Author:  [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/13 "2016-09-24T00:02:14Z")
If you ride the Galveston - Port Bolivar ferry, you will get a great view of the [SS Selma](http://www.crystalbeach.com/selma.htm), a concrete ship sunk in the Houston Ship Channel in 1922.
[Google Maps view](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Galveston+Bay/@29.3427723,-94.787675,1710m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x863f77d9e50283fd:0xb64742d34b4f57f2!8m2!3d29.4719753!4d-94.7691586)
* * *
When I was on Kwajalein in the 1980s, I learned to scuba dive. There are many wrecks in the lagoon, but one of the most famous is the German battleship [Prinz Eugen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Prinz_Eugen), which was involved in the sea battle between the Hood and the Bismarck. The ship was later anchored at Bikini during the atomic bomb tests. It sank in Kwajalein Lagoon in 1946. It is a fantastic dive to make, as the ship rolled over when it sank and it is possible to swim completely under it.
[Stern visible above the water](http://www.underwaterkwaj.com/wreck/weugenpr.htm)
[Google Map view](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kwajalein+Atoll/@8.7508746,167.681983,969m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x65ac2eae99e3be7f:0xd63f6a78cbe5df1b!8m2!3d9.1898235!4d167.4242972) (not very detailed)
---
### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/14 "2016-09-24T13:46:56Z")
There’s another wreck in [Mahogany Bay](https://www.google.com/maps/@16.3277997,-86.500206,634m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en), Roatan Island, Honduras, right next to the cruise ship docks. No idea why it’s never been removed, unless it’s “local color” rather than an eyesore.
---
### Author:  [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/15 "2016-09-24T16:58:24Z")
Some very interesting stuff here- which got me to searching and I found [48 Eerily Intriguing Shipwrecks](http://www.lovethesepics.com/2012/09/48-eerily-intriguing-shipwrecks/). Sorry, no Google Maps links, although that wouldn’t be difficult to find for some of the wrecks listed (a few were already mentioned upthread).
---
### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/16 "2016-09-24T17:36:06Z")
Another concrete ship–not sunk, but definitely out of commission–is the SS Palo Alto in Aptos. It was put at the end of pier as a gambling ship back in 1929. [Google earth view](https://www.google.com/maps/@36.9715568,-121.9143371,240a,20y,166.29h,41.71t/data=!3m1!1e3)
You can use street view to walk around the pier and get a closer look. One good thing about seeing it virtually is that you don’t have to smell the guano. 😃
---
### Author:  [@storyguide3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyguide3)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/17 "2016-09-24T19:16:19Z")
Sitting in the middle of picturesque Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, we have the [SS Kyle](https://www.google.ca/maps/place/SS+Kyle/@47.6704767,-53.2553398,671m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x4b734dd102388a2d:0x7d79428830a2e92d!8m2!3d47.67051!4d-53.2537991). Been in her current, run aground, location since 1967. I beleive she has occasionally been repainted so as not to be an eyesore.
---
### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/18 "2016-09-25T01:32:01Z")
> [@Clothahump](#):
>
> …
> When I was on Kwajalein in the 1980s, I learned to scuba dive. There are many wrecks in the lagoon, but one of the most famous is the German battleship [Prinz Eugen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Prinz_Eugen)…
Huh. Very odd to see a former Nazi warship going through the Panama Canal!
---
### Author:  [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrecked-cruise-ship-on-google-maps/766497/19 "2016-09-26T21:20:59Z")
Stumbled across another one, purely by chance.
The Sub Marine Explorer is wrecked and rusting away on the beach of Isle San Telmo. It was one of the very first submarines ever built and was intended to harvest pearls. It killed its crews instead because nobody knew about decompression sickness.
[Interesting article.](https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/04/19/for-over-145-years-a-mysterious-submarine-wreck-has-surfaced-at-low-tide-every-day/) Video at the end is really cool.
[Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wreck+of+the+Sub+Marine+Explorer/@8.2816959,-78.8482118,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8e52e329b9a47ec9:0x4f5f634db5a7eb7c!8m2!3d8.2815791!4d-78.8459051)