Few centuries ago most trips across the world were on oceans and seas. But these days, the passenger ships making major voyages are mostly cruise ships; equipped with modern conveniences like shops, restaurants, bars and water parks on board. These are for people who desire to take leisurely floats to exotic sea locations.

In the past sea voyages were dangerous, months at sea often resulted in illnesses, ships running into storms and icebergs, and threats ranging from pirates, to U-boats (German submarines), during the naval wars. There was also the possibility of the ships sinking including the pirate ships.

Many ships were mysteriously lost to never seen again, but the 17 below landed on the ocean floor they look incredible in their shipwreck photos.

UPDATE: 2022/12/01 20:42 EST BY JAMES KARUGA

17 Photos Of Sunken Ships (10 Real-World Pirate Boats)

The changing fate of famous historical shipwrecks has always been a fascinating subject to uncover. As time passes, some shipwrecks with their treasures and artifacts get refloated, while new wrecks are discovered. That's why this guide has been updated with information on the recently discovered shipwrecks, and the interesting news on the fate the older ones.

27 The Titanic

Probably the most famous sunken ship in the world is the Titanic, the ‘unsinkable’ passenger liner that well, sank. The Titanic’s one and only voyage was in 1912, from Southampton (England) to New York City. Despite being lauded as ‘unsinkable’, the Titanic hit an iceberg and went down a few days later.

Without enough lifeboats, over 1500 souls were lost in the tragedy, which became one of the biggest disasters of the time.

Today, the Titanic shipwreck lies off the Newfoundland - and visits to the once luxurious vessel on the ocean floor is possible but also costly.

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26 Bom Jesus

This ship may have sunk in the waters off the coast of Africa, but the wreck itself was discovered buried under the beach, where it was discovered by De Beers diamond miners.

While digging, the miners found a treasure very different to the one they were looking for; the Bom Jesus, a Portuguese ship that went missing in 1533, while loaded with gold.

As well as finding gold coins, archaeologists at the site unearthed cannons, swords, ingots and tusks, but the site itself was kept under wraps because of its proximity to diamond mines in the area.

25 Quedagh Merchant

Captain William Kidd was definitely not the luckiest of pirates he started out as a privateer, hired to fight pirates in the Indian Ocean. However, he ended his life at the end of a rope, hanged for piracy over River Thames after capturing the Quedagh Merchant in 1968. Kidd had made a brave attempt to prove his innocence, but failed.

For many years, the location of the Quedagh Merchant was a mystery, until it was found in 2007 off the coast of Catalina Island.

The area is a protected marine area, though, so while divers can go explore the wreck, none of the sunken treasure can be recovered.

24 Sweepstakes

Most shipwrecks cannot be visited by average tourists, but experienced divers, the rich, or scientific teams, get to see these haunting shipwrecks up-close. But the Sweepstakes shipwreck is unique in that it sank in extremely shallow water, and can be seen from the surface! Glass bottomed boat tours allow tourists to take a good look at this shipwreck.

Located in Tobermory, Ontario, this schooner built in 1867 sunk in harbor on August 23, 1885, and was towed after being damaged but not repaired in time to be saved!

23 Queen Anne’s Revenge

Another particularly well-known shipwreck is that of the Queen Anne’s Revenge; the ship that belonged to the pirate Edward Teach (Blackbeard). The Queen Anne’s Revenge terrorized the seas in the early 1700s, before Blackbeard ran it aground around 1718 and was killed by beheading few months later.

In 1996, a wreck was found in North Carolina, and in 2011, it was officially confirmed to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge thanks to the sheer number of weapons found in the wreckage!

After so many years, the best preserved elements are the cannons and anchor, and smaller, recovered artifacts are at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

22 Giannis D

The Shaab Abu Nuhas reef in the Red Sea is an incredible spot for divers who want to spend time underwater exploring shipwrecks. There are at least four shipwrecks in the waters here.

The Giannis D is a diver favorite, built in 1969 and sunk in 1983. This is definitely a ship that is long past the pirate era, but the sight of it on the seafloor is deeply romantic, despite being so recent.

It’s possible to swim through much of the ship, including the engine room and some of the accommodations, as well as the bridge.

21 SS Central America

Also known as the Ship Of Gold, the SS Central America was sunk by a hurricane off the coast of South Carolina in 1857 - while it was carrying hundreds of people and thousands of pounds of gold from the California Gold Rush. The wreck was originally found in the 1980s, and while it wasn’t a pirate ship, the tale of the recovery is one of modern piracy!

Treasure hunter Tommy Thompson was the one to originally find and explore the wreck, thanks to the financial backing of 161 investors. However, once Thompson staked his claim to the gold he found (and sold) he absconded with the money, and has been in jail since 2015 over his plunder of the loot. In 2022 photos recovered from SS Central America's shipwreck were published to the public.

20 1877 Tall Ship Elissa

1877 Tall Ship Elissa has the honor of being one of the few 19th Century three-masted barques still sailing today nearly 150 years after she was first built! Elissa was built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland, and sailed under British, Swedish and Norwegian maritime flags. Originally a cargo ship, she was nearly put out of commission permanently in the 70s, but was saved by the San Francisco Maritime Museum.

Today 1877 Tall Ship Elissa is moored in Galveston, Texas, where visitors can tour the floating National Historic Landmark and experience a little of what it was like to sail nearly a century and a half ago.

19 Whydah Galley

The Whydah Galley, belonged to ‘Black Sam’ Samuel Bellamy, possibly the most successful pirate of all time who sank or captured a record-breaking number of ships in his "career." Before becoming a pirate ship, the Whydah Galley was a slave ship. Later it sank in a storm in 1717, taking Bellamy and his crew to their demise.

In 1984, the wreck was found in Massachusetts - and became the first positively identified pirate ship wreck thanks to the recovery of a bell inscribed with ‘Whydah Galley’.

Plenty more of Bellamy’s plunder has also now been recovered from the site, giving us a unique look into shipwrecks during the Golden Age of Piracy.

18 Sunk: Nuestra Senora de Atocha

In 1622, before the Golden Age of Piracy, the Nuestra Senora de Atocha was the jewel of the Spanish fleet and had plenty of jewels aboard, too. In fact, the Nuestra Senora de Atocha was laden with huge amount of treasure, for her voyage from Havana to Spain, but was sunk by a hurricane on the way.

Despite the best efforts of the Spanish to recover the wealth not all treasure was recovered. In 1985 the Nuestra Senora de Atocha wreck was found off Florida Keys,

17 James Craig 1874

The James Craig is the oldest three-masted barque in the world still sailing, yet this stunning tall ship was actually sunk in 1932. Now, it is back on top of the waves now in Sydney, Australia.

This cargo vessel ship was built in 1874, and spent her early years sailing around Cape Horn, before heading to Australia. James Craig was sunk by fishermen in 1932, after newer, faster ships put her out of business but was raised in 1972.

After decades of repair, the James Craig is now restored and is even available for tours and functions.

16 RMS Lusitania

Another maritime disaster rivaling that of the Titanic was the sinking of the RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915, by a German U-Boat in the First World War. Briefly the largest ship in the world, RMS Lusitania became famous not because of the sinking, but because it was attacked illegally, being a non-military vessel, fired on without warning.

Nearly 1200 people died, and today the rapidly decaying RMS Lusitania wreck lies off the coast of Ireland, where salvage workers continue attempting to bring its artifacts to the surface before they are destroyed completely underwater.

15 Star of India

The world’s oldest active sailing ship, the Star of India was built in 1863, when she was named the Euterpe, after the Greek muse.

She was unlucky at the start, and her first two voyages were plagued with disaster; on the first, the crew mutinied, and on the second, she was caught up in a cyclone.

But the Star of India’s bad luck quickly ran out, and she sailed the world (between London and New Zealand, California, Chile and Australia). Today, the Star of India calls San Diego home, and still sails on a regular basis.

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14 San Jose Galleon

Lying off the coast of Colombia, this centuries-old wreck has been dubbed ‘the world’s richest shipwreck’, thanks to the incredible amount of treasure still waiting to be salvaged from the ocean floor. Found in 2015, the ship was originally built in 1696, and was sunk by the British in 1708 during a battle.

The gold and silver on board is reported to be worth billions of dollars.

Some estimates put the net worth around $20 billion, although others aren’t quite so generous, but legal battles continue to rage over who has the rights to this sunken San Jose Galleon ship with treasure.

13 Charles W. Morgan

The last remaining US wooden whaling ship still sailing, is the Charles W Morgan that dates back to 1841, when it was part of over 2700 strong fleet.

She managed 37 voyages with each taking years to complete, and made history with a 38th in 2014, after being fully restored. A National Historic Landmark since 1966, the Charles W Morgan is now usually found at port, used to teach the history of whaling and ocean voyages - and comes with thrilling tales, including surviving attacks by cannibals legends, hurricanes, and dozens of dangerous voyages.

12 His Majesty's Hospital Ship (HMHS) Britannic

The HMHS Britannic ship fared better than her Titanic sister, lasting a year at sea before sinking to less fanfare. Originally intended as a cruise ship like the Titanic, she became instead a hospital ship.

The HMHS Britannic was requisitioned by the military but sunk during World War I on 21 November 1916, after exploding.

Its wreck itself is surprisingly well-preserved, and many expeditions have been made to explore her remains on the ocean floor, including filming, and testing to compare her preservation to that of the Titanic.

11 USS Constitution

Another record-holder, this one the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel, named by none other than George Washington himself. Built in 1797, the USS Constitution was in active service for over a century, and to celebrate 200 years afloat, was fully restored so that she would be able to sail for the first time in 116 years, on 21 July 1997.

USS Constitution doesn't make regular voyages, and is moored at a Navy Yard in Boston, where visitors take tour a museum dedicated to the ship and her history.

10 SS Gairsoppa

This cargo ship was one of many sunk during World War II and sank in 1941, with severe loss of life since only 1 of 85 people aboard survived. There is one thing that makes the SS Gairsoppa stand-out, the treasure.

She may not have been a pirate ship, but there was plenty of treasure to be found at this wreck, because the ship was carrying a huge amount of silver.

When the SS Gairsoppa wreck was discovered in 2011, it was the largest precious metal recovery ever, with the silver brought back then was worth over $200 million.

9 HMS Sussex

This English warship was lost off the coast of Gibraltar in 1694, and it’s amazing that anything was left of it after being so long underwater. A wreck found during a search that lasted from 1998 to 2001, was believed to be that of HMS Sussex, and in 2004, permission was given for the wreck to be explored and the treasure recovered. However, due to constant legal issues, the project has been abandoned, leaving the treasure unrecovered.

And it’s quite a treasure; rumor has it that the ship sank while on a secret mission to deliver a huge payment - gold that would be worth around $500 million today if anyone can get down there to find it.

8 Golden Hind

Technically this replica of the original Golden Hind galleon ship, is worth seeing, and it also sails. The Golden Hind was captained by Sir Francis Drake, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Though he was an explorer, he also brought the Golden Hind home packed with treasure.

The Golden Hind replica in Brixham, England is home to a museum about Drake and his adventures and is a vital part of the annual Brixham Pirate Festival!