There are few things more fascinating, tragic and eerie than a shipwreck, whether purposefully sunk for scuba-diving exploits or the devastating result of freak weather conditions. Here we take a look at some stunning images of the world’s most spectacular shipwrecks caught on camera, including the newly-discovered medieval wreck found in Norway's largest lake. 

The Peloponnese, the leaf-shaped region that dangles from the edges of mainland Greece, has it all: stunning sandy stretches, glorious mountains and turquoise seas. It’s also home to the rusting hulk of the shipwreck Dimitrios, located on the area's eastern shore near the charming port town of Gytheio.

Today photographers come from around the world to capture what has become known as the Corpach Wreck – it can be pictured with the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis, in the background.

Love this? Follow us on Facebook for travel inspiration and more

You can easily visit Bessie White on Fire Island by taking a ferry from Long Island, but how much of the wreck you’ll see will depend on the weather. The whims of the wind, waves and sand determine how visible the hull is on any given day. 

Discover these amazing ancient ruins in the USA you probably didn't know existed

The ship, which was suspected of being a smuggling vessel, was built in the 1930s and ran aground in the 1980s due to stormy weather. Today, it's possible to admire the boat from the high cliffs above or take a boat trip to the beach itself for a close-up view of the rusting hull. 

The Mary Rose was raised from the seabed in 1982 after years of archaeological work and now the historic warship lives in the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth. More than 19,000 items were recovered from the wreck site including human remains, guns and clothes. The ship can be viewed close up at the museum, which was redesigned in 2016 to offer visitors an even more immersive experience.

The area of coast that leads to the mouth of the Columbia River was notoriously hard to navigate and the ship ran aground in 1906 due to heavy winds. Its rusted and barnacle-clad bow and masts are still intact and visible, poking out of the sand. When the tide is low, you can walk right up to the ship and examine it for yourself.

These are the most shocking weather events from 1900 to today

The remains of the Pesuta are a popular tourist attraction. Getting here involves a four-hour round-trip hike through flat forests and beaches of the Naikoon Provincial Park on Graham Island. Currently the park is open for day-use only. 

After a successful inaugural expedition of the wreck in 2021, experience company OceanGate will be taking a limited number of qualified explorers and crew on annual scientific expeditions to document the Titanic and its rate of decay. In August 2019, divers explored the wreck for the first time in 15 years and discovered that it's deteriorating from bacteria and salt corrosion. The starboard side of the officer's quarters has disappeared and the divers predict it won’t be long before the entire ship is lost. 

Check out the secrets you never knew about life onboard the Titanic

The ship has been out of service since 1981 and instead of being scrapped it was run aground in Skápadalur Valley – here it has remained ever since, drawing photographers keen to capture its beauty. 

Located in Tomales Bay this is another shipwreck that's beloved by photographers, with the best shots taken during low tide. Here the wreck is captured at night by professional photographer Cameron Venti, flanked by the Milky Way. But its popularity also means it's under threat – in 2016 a fire damaged the rear of the ship and the exterior and interior have been graffitied too. 

Discover the abandoned hotels, resorts and airports that are frozen in time

The vessel was sold as scrap metal to an Indian company but got stranded after it came loose from its towing line on its way to Mumbai. The Zeila is now one of the most accessible wrecks along the Namibian coast even though the sea is too rough to set foot on the decaying ship. It is best seen from the beach, an easy stop off near the popular fishing spot 'Die Walle'.

Check out these extraordinary archaeological finds discovered by amateurs

Touted as the most important discovery since the Mary Rose was unearthed in 1982, the HMS Gloucester warship was discovered off the coast of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk in 2007 – but this incredible find has only just been made public due to security reasons. The vessel sank in 1682 after running aground, resulting in the tragic deaths of hundreds of people onboard. In fact, it had been carrying the soon-to-be King of England, the Duke of York, who just managed to flee the sinking ship in time. If he hadn't, history could have taken a very different course. 

Researchers found some incredible items at the site, including the ship's former bell, a pair of glasses preserved in their original case (pictured) and the ship's original cannons. The discovery was made by two brothers, Julian and Lincoln Barnwell, who had been diving off the coast of Norfolk when they came across a cannon lying on the seabed. But it was not until 2012, when the ship's bell was found, that the Receiver of Wreck and Ministry of Defence officially identified the shipwreck. Even after that, the site's location in public waters meant that the discovery could not be disclosed until now. 

It's been named 'Mortar Wreck' since its discovered cargo included large collection of mortars (instruments used for grinding grains, pictured) – they're made from Purbeck stone, a form of limestone quarried off England's South Coast. Purbeck marble gravestone slabs were another star find at the wreck site and, according to experts, they offer fascinating, unforeseen insights into how gravestones were produced at the time.

At the time it was launched in 1628, the Vasa was the most powerful warship in the Baltic: Sweden's equivalent to the Mary Rose. The tall ship stood at a height of about 165 feet (50m), and her 64 cannons could fire ammunition up to the speed of sound. However, 20 minutes after being launched, the Vasa was blown over by a gust of wind, and sank in Stockholm Harbour. 30 people trapped inside lost their lives.

The discovery of the Vasa wreck – and its raising from the sea bed in 1961 – was a momentous event on Swedish television, and divers spent the following years recovering fascinating items like gold rings, intricate stern decorations, and anchors from the mud where the ship lay. Today, the fully-restored Vasa sits in its own purpose-built museum, where you can see what the ship looked like in its full painted glory, and walk beside its creaky decks.

Discover these incredible new secrets of the world's ancient wonders

In October 2022, Swedish marine archaeologists confirmed a truly exciting find: the sunken wreck of the Äpplet. The sister ship of the Vasa,  the Äpplet (meaning 'apple') is a carved 17th-century warship, built with a wider hull than the Vasa to give it more stability. However, after a few decades of service, the Äpplet was deemed unseaworthy and sunk in 1659 to form part of a marine barrier, which prevented enemy ships getting into Stockholm's harbour. 

Pictured here is a cannon port, which like the Vasa, held one of 64 cannons. Knowing how significant the Vasa discovery had been, marine archaeologists were surveying the sea bed and searching for the Äpplet wreck for years. The Äpplet's discoverers say it will "help us understand how the large warships evolved... [into] seaworthy behemoths that could control the Baltic Sea – a decisive factor in Sweden’s emergence as a great power in the 1600s”. 

The discovery was made using the underwater vehicle Hugin, pictured, which is operated by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. Surprisingly, the ship was strikingly well-preserved, thanks to a combination of the freshwater environment and a lack of wave action. Archaeologists are still studying the vessel to determine where it came from and what it was used for, but so far they've identified that it seems to have been built using a Norse technique with overlapping wooden planks. Researchers believe the ship likely went down in bad weather. 

While on the hunt for building minerals in a quarry on the coast of England's Romney Marsh in April 2022, workers from a cement company unearthed something far more exciting: the remains of a rare Elizabethan shipwreck, 984 feet (300m) from the current shoreline. Experts noted that the ship's hull was in remarkably good condition; over 100 oak timbers have so far been recovered. The discovery of the vessel will help historians to learn more about shipbuilding techniques in the 17th century, an era of increased exploration, globalisation and colonisation.

Shipwrecks from this period are so rare that the find has been featured on in the latest series of popular archaeology TV show, Digging for Britain. Broadcast on 1 January 2023, historians Andrea Hamil (pictured), Anthony Firth and Alice Roberts revealed that this ship was probably built between 1558 and 1580, but its purpose is yet to be identified. Marine archaeologists are currently mapping the wreck with laser technology – once this task is complete, the ship will be re-buried in the quarry, so the silt can continue to preserve its fragile remains.

Now discover the world's most historic ships you can still visit