“Montana” and “Constellation”
The wrecks of the two ships are stacked on top of each other. In 1863, the paddle steamer “Montana” hit a shallow coral reef and sank to the bottom of the sea. Eighty years later, in 1943, the brig “Constellation” carrying more than 40,000 kilograms of cement suffered a similar fate at the same location. Some reports claim that the reason for the sinking of the Constellation was that it hit the bow of the Montana, but no one can be sure whether this is the case. Thousands of cement bags are stacked on top of each other, and they are still intact under the sea. This scene looks quite spectacular and can be seen by snorkelers, because the 25 kg cement bags are located 2.5 kg below the surface of the water. Meters away.
“Cristobal Colon”
It is the largest shipwreck in the Bermuda waters, weighing more than 10,000 tons and nearly 150 meters long. This luxury cruise ship crashed into a coral reef 8 miles north of Bermuda in 1936. Although people tried to drag it off the reef many times, all the efforts ended in failure. In the end, the cruise ship had to be salvaged, and the decorative paintings and furniture on the ship were auctioned off. Although its wreckage is scattered on the seabed of 9,000 square meters, the story of this ship continues in the daily lives of local people. Many local people have tableware and furniture on this ship. Now, divers can still dive 24 meters deep into the bottom of the sea, enter the stern, and still see the bathtub on the ship and the bathroom decorated with green tiles made by Portugal.
Bomber “Hays KB-501”
Although the vast majority of the surrounding Bermuda Islands are ship wrecks, there is one exception, that is the wreckage of the bomber “Hays KB-501”. In 1963, the American B-50 bomber “Hays KB-501” set sail from Bermuda and flew to the air force base in Alexandria, Louisiana. But shortly after takeoff, the jet engine of the plane exploded, and then the left wing caught fire. Before the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, 6 of the 7 crew members managed to escape. When the rescued diver arrived at the crash site, they found that the commander of the bomber, John Moore, was still sitting in his post. Today, the wreckage of the bomber is about 7 meters underwater. Although many parts are scattered nearby, divers can still see curved propellers, wings and fuselage.
“Mary Celestia”
This is a steam-powered ship built during the American Civil War. The Southern government used it to break the maritime blockade of the Northern government. During the war, this ship transported food, weapons and ammunition for the Southern Union. In order to hide its tracks, the 30-meter-long ship has multiple names. In 1864, the ship hit a coral reef in the southern waters of the Bermuda Islands and sank to the bottom of the sea during a voyage of ammunition. Today, the 17-meter-long wreck including the paddle wheel and engine is still intact. In 2009, a diver also found an unopened bottle of wine in the wreck, which dates back to 1853.
“King” shipwreck
Although most of the shipwrecks scattered around the Bermuda Islands were caused by accidents, the “King” was not. The ship was deliberately towed here and scuttled in order to create diving sites and artificial reefs. In 1984, Gary Lamb, the owner of the “King”, gave the tugboat to the Bermuda Diving Association, which towed it to the south coast of the island about half a mile and sinking 20 meters deep. Today, it has become a popular spot for scuba divers to find shells and tropical fish. The water in the sunken ship is a bit muddy, but divers can still walk through the gangway and enter the wheelhouse, galley and engine room.
The Bermuda Archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean is known as the shipwreck capital of the world. There are more than 300 shipwrecks in the waters near the islands. Calculated in terms of the number of sunken ships per square mile, more than anywhere else on the planet. As an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, the Bermuda Archipelago has such a rich history hidden under the water, and it is natural to take protective measures. To this end, Bermuda has joined the “Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage” adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in 2001. It regularly maintains numerous shipwrecks and often publicizes the importance of protecting these cultural relics.
In 2017, the University of California, San Diego launched a project called Bermuda 100, whose mission was to create a comprehensive digital map of numerous underwater wrecks. This is a huge project that requires the use of cutting-edge technologies such as photogrammetry, data processing, 3D computer models, and virtual reality to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the sunken ship. The purpose is to allow researchers and the general public to have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the sunken ship under the sea. .
