We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Boating

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is a Ship Graveyard?

By Lori Kilchermann
Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 7,140
Share

A ship graveyard is a location where ships are left to rust away and disintegrate. There are a number of reasons that a ship graveyard may be instituted. Whether it be from a scrapping and dismantling process, a common wreck area where several ships have perished or a wartime battlefield where a number of ships were sunk, a ship graveyard is commonly home for several ships in a certain proximity to each other. Many of these locations play host to underwater sightseers, scuba explorers and researchers attempting to document historic sinking of ships.

Unlike modern ecology laws, early ships were dismantled by scrappers and the empty hulls were simply towed out to sea and scuttled in an attempt to dispose of them. This created large ship graveyard sites where several ships of different types and sizes were sunk together and allowed to rust away. Modern law prohibits such behavior and the ships are no longer allowed to sit on the bottom of the ocean wasting away to nothing. Ships are dismantled in dry-dock and completely cut into scrap and disposed of instead of creating new ship graveyard sites on the ocean's floor.

In the case of a wartime ship graveyard, the area is often declared off-limits to divers as unexploded munitions are seen as dangerous threats. Occasionally, an unmanned submarine is allowed to investigate these ship graveyard sites to monitor the rate of decomposition and document the condition of the wrecks below the water's surface. In some cases, military dive teams will enter the wrecks to inspect the munitions and cargo remaining within the ships. In some instances, explosives may be planted within the cargo holds of these ships and detonated to release the explosive power of the decaying munitions.

In some areas of the world, dangerous waters and rocky shorelines are littered with the rotting hulls of ships that have perished due to natural disaster and storm activity. Remnants of ships dating back hundreds of years line the dangerous coast and ocean bottom, warning any ships entering the area to use caution. It is important to note that not all ships found in a ship graveyard are wrecked. In some cases, such as decommissioned warships, the ships are stripped of many major components and placed in storage. The ships found in this type of ship graveyard are subject to recommission in the event the ships are once again needed to provide safety for their country and enter into a naval conflict.

Share
WikiMotors is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
By ZsaZsa56 — On Mar 19, 2012

I grew up about a block away from a ship graveyard. It was a great place to be a kid because it was kind of like a massive playground that held all kinds of secrets. The place had a fence around it but we knew a spot where we could sneak underneath and pretty much have the run of the place.

Share
https://www.wikimotors.org/what-is-a-ship-graveyard.htm
Copy this link
WikiMotors, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WikiMotors, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.