25 Sad Pictures Of Boats and Ships Washed Ashore
Boats are one of the oldest modes of transportation that exists. Unlike automobiles, which in comparison, have had a much shorter history of a little more than 130 years, boats have been around a lot longer. According to Soft Schools, the earliest boats found by archaeologists were canoes believed to be about 7,000 to 10,000 years old. Even beyond that, many believe boats have existed for even longer. Compiled here are photos of boats washed ashore that although once had former glory on the seas, now decay while aging close to the shore.
25 COSTA CONCORDIA
There’re often fascinating mysteries surrounding shipwrecks. This particular image of the Costa Concordia, confirmed by the blog Love These Pics, is the aftermath of what happened in January 2012. Even a huge ship like this is susceptible to capsizing in a major collision.
From the outside, it looks like a huge building with all its windows and rooms visible. Even though boats stand as feats of engineering prowess, they still face a lot of challenges out at sea that aren’t always predictable.
24 GYTHEION SHIPWRECK
This huge boat still managed to stand upright on shore by the time a photographer found it. Bearing one single mast, the majority of the ship still seems intact from afar.
According to Pinterest user Stefanos Voniatis, the ship managed to wash upon a shallow shore in Gythion, Greece.
Supposing this is a ship made of steel, it would take around 6 months for the hull to start showing visible signs of rust. There’s no telling how long this boat has been sitting here.
23 COLORFUL SHIP
Ghost ships wash up on shores all over the world. This colorful ship made mostly out of wood washed up close to Akita prefecture in Japan, according to Scribol. The fishermen on board were from North Korea and made it back in one piece, despite damage to the ship.
When a ship gets damaged at sea, it’s up to the crew to find a solution. If a boat’s crew isn’t able to repair the ship, then they could be stranded at sea.
22 CAMEL HOVEL
In one of the rare photos on this list not to include seawater, these boats serve a different purpose these days by providing shade to camels. According to a Reddit user, these ships once cruised the Aral Sea near Kazakhstan before serving these camels.
Used for fishing, they’ve long since rusted and will probably never set sail on the sea again. Part of that may be due to what the same source reports is the Aral Sea drying up. Without a lake to fish, these boats found a different purpose.
21 MV RANGA SHIPWRECK
There’s not much left of the MV Ranga, though what remains was still visible from the road that runs along the coast. This photo is only a memory of the boat though. Deep below the picturesque cliffs of Coumeenoole Beach in Ireland, the blog Love These Pics details that the Spanish shipwreck has since sunken into the ocean.
With the constant beating of waves and wind, the ship was bound to succumb to nature. All that remains now are the photos and memories of passersby.
20 SHIP GRAVEYARD
This coast looks like a final resting place for ships. Located in Brazil, this beach of abandoned ships is near Praia de Santiago, according to the blog The Adventures of Mara & Rodrigo. The ship lying in the distance isn’t even turned right-side up, with waves crashing over its hull.
The overcast skies above serve as the perfect backdrop for these ships that have long remained retired. The same source reports that people are free to roam the boats, though it’s not recommended considering how fragile they are.
19 MEISHO MARU
Once a vessel for fishing, it now stands as a perch for seagulls. All lined up along the railing and hull of the shipwrecked Meisho Maru stand birds completely still. The Night Jar Travel Guide notes that the Meisho Maru was a former Japanese fishing boat that made its way to L’Agulhas.
The same source confirms that it happened back in November 1982 due to a storm. The ship continues to deteriorate slowly as long as it sits here off the coast.
18 HANSITA
The bigger the shipwreck, the more attention it attracts. These ships help maintain canals and waterways and is called a hopper dredger. This particular one, as YouTube user Nizam Ashraf notes, bears the name Hansita V. Found on a shore in Kollam, India, it managed to get the attention of locals.
The same source reports that after sitting there for almost a year, it has become a tourist attraction. While shipwrecks aren’t the prettiest thing to look at, people can’t help but take a closer look.
17 FLORIDA SAILBOAT
Sailboats and yachts usually belong to the rich, so it’s strange to see one cast off. According to Sun Sentinel, it’s 45-feet long and appeared on a shore in Brevard County as a result of Hurricane Irma.
The mystery surrounding this boat and its history only adds to the intrigue as people walked by it to get a better look. It’s surprising someone would just let something so expensive float away.
16 SALVAGED SHIP
From the look of the ship, it has been on the shore for some time. While a majority of it has already eroded away, a blog called The Road Chose Me speculates that many of its scrap looks to have been taken.
Taken on a shore north of Luanda, the capital of Angola, this photo shows how many ships are abandoned and washed up on the shore. Hiring a clean-up team to remove the ship off the beach could cost a pretty penny.
15 WORLD DISCOVERER
With a name like World Discoverer, the ambitions of this ship were enormous. The blog Last Stand On Zombie Island confirms that this German made ship is 287-feet long. While the ship looked to have docked close to the coast in 2000 it collided with a rock and sunk as a result.
The ship still manages to stick out of the water barely hanging on for dear life. In this unfortunate state it has continued to age with little hope of ever riding the sea again.
14 AMERICAN STAR
This abandoned ship still stands, despite no longer serving as a seafaring vessel. The starboard side is all that’s visible and shows discoloration and rust forming. The funnel that once billowed is no longer active and the masts look like they’re barely standing.
According to the blog Love These Pics, it’s called the American Star and rests on the edge of land on Fuerteventura of the Canary Islands. Now it stands as an omen to any ships cruising close by.
13 SS MONTE CARLO
This fallen boat has become a major tourist attraction. Still barely visible beneath the shallow waves is the hull of this lost ship. Metro reports that the ship once attracted seedy characters when it still floated a few miles off the coast back in the 1930s. Now it serves as a landing stage for visitors in flip flops and bathing suits to march across.
Located off the California coast, people come to Coronado Beach to see the SS Monte Carlo up close and personal.
12 PIBROCH
One country that lands itself on the list more than once is Ireland, which also includes this shipwrecked Pibroch. The blog Love These Pics confirms it’s a fishing vessel that has washed ashore, long calling it quits. They report that the hull is full of water and has long since inherited rust.
At least it has a comfortable spot nestled on land where it’s unlikely to ever tip over or sink. While the boat may never go out on the sea again, it now serves as a sightseeing destination.
11 ROATÁN SHIPWRECK
This shipwreck sits on the edge of the coast. The blog Love These Pics reports that the vessel carried building materials before it couldn’t go any further. As a result, local people went out to the ship and slowly carried away any of the precious supplies still on board. It took place in Roatán, Honduras.
Perhaps what led to the shipwreck was the amount of materials on board, or else environmental factors. The aftermath can be costly, both for damage incurred and what it takes to remove the boat.
10 BEACHED BOAT
Nature takes a toll on the shipwrecked. It almost looks like the boat carried animals across the sea who burst out of its hull as soon as it reached land. The blog Love These Pics reports that the boat rests on a beach close to Lake Sijung in North Korea.
While there’s plenty of mystery surrounding the shipwreck, what seems certain is the slim chance it’ll ever get cleared away. Now it stands as a strange monument on a beautiful beach.
9 ST. LUCIE SHIPWRECK
An odd looking boat that managed to wash up on a sandy beach. TC Palm reports that it appeared north of Herman’s Bay Beach in a Florida county called St. Lucie. With two parallel hulls, it looks like something resembling a catamaran until one sees the boxy enclosure up top.
While it hardly looks like a pleasure cruise, it seems sturdy enough to take on the sea even in stormy weather. Unlike an expensive sailboat, no one will probably start itching to claim it.
8 SS MAHENO
This next shipwreck happened in the land down under. Off the waters of Fraser Island near Australia sits a broken down vessel.
According to the blog Off The Track, these are the remains of the SS Maheno, a boat that set sail for Japan, but only made it as far as Fraser.
Now it slowly erodes in the sun nestled on the beach sand. There isn’t much left of this impressive vessel still standing, but it’s enough to give an impression of what the real thing was like in its heyday.
7 BOAT EXOSKELETON
What remains left of this steel ship sits on a shore while blue waves wash over it unimpeded. The blog Ghost Rider reports that the ship’s remains are on a tropical shore in Bimini, a district found in the Bahamas.
It’s not exactly clear what they used the boat for, but one can wager a guess it had to do with fishing or travel. The boat’s rusty remains stand in contrast to the blue water and the paradise around it.
6 AMORGOS SHIPWRECK
As ships take a beating from the sun and waves, it’s bound to fall apart. The process is slow and can take years before pieces of the hull start to rupture. According to the wallpaper site Tokkoro, this particular shipwreck took place in Amorgos, an island in Greece.
Visible beyond the rust and grime along the side of this ship’s hull are signs of corrosion. These irreversible traits spell the end for this boat that looks to have once been a cargo or fishing vessel.
5 ZAKYNTHOS SHIPWRECK
Cloistered within a cove is this large rusty ship. Even a ship like this can’t rest in peace though, as it’s surrounded by onlookers and sightseers. According to Pinterest user Brent Neubauer, it’s located on Zakynthos Island in Greece.
Upon further examination, one can spot another ship on the left that’s unloading travelers to take a closer look. There’re even people walking aboard the ship, which probably isn’t the safest thing considering the decrepit state it’s in. That doesn’t stop people from wanting to learn more about it.
4 BREVARD COUNTY SAILBOAT
A hurricane isn’t selective about what boats it sets adrift. In the event a storm should strike, any boats in its path will sink or wash ashore. This sailboat is one of the lucky ones to get washed on land, as opposed to being lost at sea.
According to Florida Today, this boat landed in Brevard County a week after Hurricane Irma passed through. This sailboat could’ve come from the same area, or else drifted from somewhere else—only the owner really knows.
3 WATERFORD
The “Waterford” ship is one of the few photos on this list where most of the hull is visible. Even though the ship became the victim of rust and deterioration, most of it still looks intact. The huge propeller is even still in place alongside the rudder.
One can see a crane poking out the top towards the front of the ship once used to load and unload large pieces of cargo. Towards the back, there’s what appears to be a lifeboat still hanging intact.
2 TREE POINT
Two boats washed up on a shore in front of several beachfront properties. The one photographed here, according to B-Town Blog, had a “Vessel of Concern” message on it, suggesting the boat hasn’t been used for some time. Abandoned and set adrift, these boats landed on Burien beaches in Washington State.
When something like this happens, it often leads to confusion among locals who wonder where the boats came from and where they’ll go. With abandoned boats, it’s rarely just a quick stop through, as it’s up to local authorities to sort everything out.
1 FISHERMAN’S PROVIDER
What appears to have once been a beautiful fishing ship has crashed onto the shore and remains a shadow of its former glory.
According to National Post, the ship was on a trip expected to last several days fishing for Halibut. Along the side of the boat are the words “Fisherman’s Provider II,” which is now split in two. The cords and fishing line are all jumbled sitting to the right of the boat on land and a thin layer of ice still covers the wreckage.
Sources: Pinterest & Reddit.
