SHIPS

A 1912 illustration of the Titanic sinking by Willy Stöwer.

How Long Did It Take for the Titanic to Sink?

As anyone who’s seen the movie ‘Titanic’ already knows, the ship didn’t sink immediately. So how long was the process?

10 Mysterious Incidents at the Bermuda Triangle

Most shipwrecks can usually be blamed on weather, currents, or mechanical failures. For others, the Bermuda Triangle could be the culprit.

Watercolor drawing of the leg of a patient, age 50, who had scurvy for 12 months' standing.

11 Facts About Scurvy

Scurvy’s mysterious cause wasn’t identified until the 20th century. Here are a few facts from the disease's long and miserable history.

11 Facts About Sir Ernest Shackleton

Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 voyage to Antarctica was an epic failure, but he returned a hero.

The story of the S.S. Ourang Medan is one of the strangest to emerge from the sea.

'I Die': The Bizarre Tale of the S.S. Ourang Medan

A tale involving a cargo ship begging for help and its crew being found dead of unknown causes in the 1940s has become an urban legend. But there might be some truth to this ghost ship lurking underneath the water.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet at the Oscars in 2016.

When the Stars of Titanic Helped Pay the Bills for the Last Titanic Survivor

“All I get now are phone calls all day from people asking me how I feel about Leonardo DiCaprio.” —97-year-old Titanic survivor Millvina Dean.

This iceberg replica is innocent—the toppled wall is inside the museum.

The Iceberg Cometh: A Titanic Museum’s Iceberg Wall Just Toppled in Tennessee

Near, far, wherever you are, an iceberg is plotting revenge after years of being the butt of all your Titanic-themed jokes.

The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images

Watch Titanic Survivors Tell Their Stories in This Rare Video

In this rare clip from 1970, three Titanic survivors tell their stories from that fateful night in April 1912.

Massacre on the Mary Russell: When a 19th-Century Ship Captain Murdered His Crew

“The curse of God is upon you all!” Captain Stewart bellowed. Then, he methodically bludgeoned seven sailors to death with a crowbar.

What Would Actually Happen If You Drank Saltwater?

You might think drinking seawater would be better than drinking no water at all. Your kidneys would beg to differ.

John Gregory's actual skull alongside a 3D rendering of his head.

A Skull From the 1845 Franklin Expedition Was Just Identified Using a Descendant’s DNA

Nobody made it out of Sir John Franklin’s 1845 expedition alive. But now we know just how far one sailor got.

Get in, loser, we're going planet-hopping.

11 Strange Stories From the National UFO Reporting Center

From alien encounters in England to elk abductions in Washington State, here are 11 eerie unexplained events.

The Ever Given shortly after being dislodged in the Suez Canal.

How the Full Worm Moon Helped Free the Stuck Ship in the Suez Canal

Regular full moons cause spring tides, but March’s worm moon wasn’t a regular one—it was a supermoon.

Watch the Only Surviving Footage of the Titanic Before Its Doomed Voyage

There are many photographs of the 'Titanic,' but this video shot in Belfast contains the only surviving footage of the ship before it sank.

The Quest for the North Pole: A Historical Timeline of Arctic Exploration

From Leif Eriksson’s chance continental landing to Ralph Plaisted’s trailblazing snowmobile adventure, here’s how Arctic exploration unfolded.

An 1847 illustration of the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus during an earlier Arctic expedition, by James Wilson Carmichael.

Little Weesy Coppin, the Ghost That Foretold the Franklin Expedition’s Fate

The British ships HMS 'Terror' and HMS 'Erebus' had vanished while searching for the Northwest Passage. A young Irish ghost purportedly knew where they were.

Did the Northern Lights Play a Role in the Sinking of the Titanic? A New Paper Says It’s Possible

The northern lights were spotted the night the 'Titanic' sank, and the solar storm that caused them may have contributed to the ship's demise.

Blood stars and Acadian redfish lurk near plates and a stove from the Portland.

New Expedition Will Explore the 1898 Shipwreck Known as ‘New England’s Titanic’—And You Can Livestream It

The SS 'Portland' vanished into the Atlantic during a storm of the century, but we still don’t know exactly why it sank.

The lobster boat Lydia will soon be transformed into the Orca III.

The Orca Boat From Jaws Is Coming Back, This Time to Promote Shark Conservation

The familiar shark-hunting vessel from the 1975's 'Jaws' is being recreated for ocean research and to encourage shark conservation.

Drone image above the H.M.S. Erebus shipwreck.

More Than 350 Franklin Expedition Artifacts Retrieved from Shipwreck of HMS Erebus

A pair of epaulets, a pencil case, and a glass decanter were found at the Arctic shipwreck, which continues to reveal clues to the fate of the doomed 19th century expedition.

A 16th-Century Shipwreck Was Discovered Under the Center of Stockholm

The likely remnants of the 'Samson' were discovered this year under a Stockholm park, where it's believed to have been hidden for hundreds of years.

A WWII Navy Submarine, Lost for 75 Years, Has Been Discovered Off the Coast of Japan

The location of lost Navy submarine the USS Grayback had been unknown for decades due to a translation error. After missing for 75 years, it's finally been discovered.

The Vasa shipwreck displayed in Sweden's Vasa Museum.

Swedish Divers Just Discovered Two Shipwrecks That Might Be Related to the Famous Vasa Warship

Unlike the ‘Vasa,’ these ships almost definitely didn’t sink less than a mile into their maiden voyages.

A Powerful Storm Dislodged a Cargo Ship That’s Been Stuck on Niagara Falls for 101 Years

It was such a dark and stormy night at Niagara Falls this Halloween that the ship finally escaped its craggy prison.

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