Best 9 Amazing “Above-Water” Shipwrecks

The world’s oceans abound with shipwrecks and a multitude of other nautical artifacts. Lurking deep beneath the waves of the planet’s most inhospitable waters are some of history’s most grand and feared ships, presenting divers with a fascinating incarnation of a bygone age. But what about those among us who don’t scuba dive? Here are 9 corroding old vessels that can be seen clearly from the relative safety of terra firma.

1.SS Maheno, Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia

Image by NeilsPhotography

Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland in Australia is the largest sand island in the world and a breathtaking place to visit. But its most notable man-made landmark is easily the wreck of the SS Maheno. The Maheno had a varied history: built in Scotland in 1905 as a luxury passenger liner for the trans-Tasman crossings, it served as a hospital ship in the English Channel during before being declared outdated in 1935. That same year, the ship was being towed to Melbourne when a cyclone struck, setting it adrift for several days before it finally became beached on Fraser Island. It has since been used for target practise by the Royal Australian Air Force and is now a popular tourist attraction. More than three storeys of the vessel are reportedly buried beneath the sand.

2.SS American Star, Canary Islands

Image by Wollex

The incredible image above shows the wreck of the SS American Star, built in 1940 for United States Lines and wrecked in January 1994 off Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. At the time of the accident, the vessel was being towed to Thailand to be used as a floating hotel… More to come on this one later!

3.Chatham Islands, New Zealand

Image by wili hybrid

This rusty old vessel (above) was captured on the archipelago of the Chatham Islands, New Zealand, in September 2007. The islands are named after the ship HMS Chatham of the Vancouver Expedition, captained by William Robert Broughton, who claimed possession of the archipelago for Great Britain in 1791. But it’s fair to say that this old boat doesn’t quite date back to that period in history. Today, the islands have a grand population of 609 people of European and Maori descent, with surroundings that conjure an atmosphere of exploration and adventure harking back to the early settlers.

4.Republic of Vanuatu, South Pacific

Image by Graham Crumb

This ill fated ship ran aground here in the early 1980s when Cyclone Uma lashed the islands of Vanuatu. The volcanic archipelago in the Melanesia region has doubtless seen countless shipwrecks in its time. This one has rested on the reef since the day it foundered, and has since become a popular tourist attraction.

5.The Peter Iredale, Clatsop Spit, Oregon, United States

Image by joannapoe

Jutting out of the sand along the northwest coast of Oregon can be found the remains of the Peter Iredale, which ran aground here in 1906. Built in June 1890 in Maryport, northern England, by R. Ritson & Co., the vessel was attempting to enter the Columbia River when high winds literally drove her into the shore. Thankfully all 27 souls on board, including two stowaways, were saved. The weather scuppered any plans to tow the ship off the beach and it soon became embedded in the sand, where it remains to this day. Rumour has it that the ship’s skipper, Captain Harry Lawrence, waded ashore from the wreck armed with the log book and a bottle of whisky. He passed the whisky around his crew and offered up a final salute to his ship, saying:

6.Point Reyes, California

Image by Orin Zebest

It might not be the most impressive looking wreck of all time, but the photographer has done a nice job of capturing the eponymous Point Reyes fishing boat.

7.The Kakapo, Cape Town

Image by HelgaRainbow

The two remaining propeller blades framing a rusty old boiler is all that remains of the Kakapo, which ran aground on May 26, 1900. On that fateful night, the Kakapo left Cape Town bound for Sydney, reportedly shrouded in “mist and fog”. The captain turned sharp east when he saw what he thought was Cape Point, which would have allowed him to cruise into False Bay. But unbeknown to him, what he had actually seen was Chapman’s Peak, and instead of turning into False Bay he rammed the ship on Noordhoek Beach, where it has been slowly rotting away for the last century. The Cape of Good Hope is known for its treacherous conditions, and was originally called The Cape of Storms. Since 1918, the Slangkop Lighthouse has ensured subsequent captains have not made the same mistake.

8.Lake Ontario, Canada

Image by shane2u

Can anyone fill in the blanks in on this one? Name of vessel? How it came to be washed-up here? What is known is that this amazingly intact shipwreck can be found on the shores of Lake Ontario. And if you think this is cool, the lake has a plethora of wrecks – some of them commanding important places in history.

9.River Princess, Candolim Beach, Goa

Image by Jason Turner

Perhaps more of an eyesore than historic wreck, the vast River Princess lies abandoned on Candolim Beach in Goa after it was washed-up in a storm. The local government, apparently, cannot afford to get rid of the ship, and by all accounts the water is so shallow that people can almost wade out to it – not recommended! One side of the hull has had a gaping hole cut out so that the sand and water that has gushed in will ensure the ship doesn’t move, preventing it drifting into the busy shipping lanes. Eyesore or not, this is one leviathan that could be with us for generations to come…

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Best 10 Coolest Google Earth Finds

This heart-shaped island in the Adriatic became a hit on Google Earth for Valentine's Day. The uninhabited island is only 130,000 square yards and is called Galesnjak. The owner didn't even know how perfectly this island off the Croatian coast was until he was swamped with requests from couples to stay there.

Dubbed the "Badlands Guardian" by locals, this geological marvel (Google Earth coordinates 50.010083,-110.113006) in Alberta, Canada, bears an uncanny resemblance to a human head wearing a full Native American headdress--and earphones, to boot. Of course, The Guardian was produced naturally.

A synthetic wonder that can be truly appreciated only from above, this giant man-shaped lake (-21.805149,-49.089977) is located near Bauru, Brazil.

This fingerprint can be found in Hove Park, near Brighton and Hove in the UK. It measures 38 metres around. Imagine the size of the hand.

Lion, at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England.

Some of the sights you find in Google Earth are just plain mysterious. For example, why is a fighter jet parked (Google Earth coordinates 48.825183,2.1985795) in what looks to be a residential neighborhood lot near Paris?

This is a US Navy building in Coronado, Ca. that was unintentionally built in the shape of a swastika. Now, because of a public uproar, the Navy will be spending $600,000 to alter the shape of the building.

In the early days of Firefox, a few devoted fans wanted to generate more PR for their beloved site and so gathered a team of people in Amity, Oregon, to recreate the Firefox logo in a field; their very own fox crop.

Last year, one of the Google Earth Community members called 'ear1grey' posted an amazing discovery. He found a huge picture (36 miles tall) of Santa!

So here's a giant Ipod Shuffle! It looks like a farmer's field with a horse pen or something on it? Either that or a hard core apple enthusiast. Unfortunately, it looks like he moved the pen on the map since it was first spotted.

Google Earth doesn't have advertising, unless you consider the corporate logos and trademarks big enough to be seen from space. Check out this massive Coca-Cola logo (-18.529225,-70.25002) etched into a hillside of Chile with 70,000 Coke bottles. Haven't they heard of recycling?

Best Photo Winter Storm Turns Lighthouse Into An Ice Castle

The Cleveland Harbour West Pierhead lighthouse is unrecognisable after heavy winds lifted massive waves over the lighthouse on Lake Erie in the state of Ohio. Some of the water froze on impact, eventually encasing the structure in a frosty shell. Matt Grabski from Clevelands's Great Lakes Science Centre told AOL news that what happened was unique.

"A really big storm came through and threw a lot of wind. The waves on the lake kept battering the lighthouse and splashing it. The water turned into ice and it kept building up and accumulating," he said. The lighthouse’s flashing red-and-white light signal has been difficult to see through the thick layers of ice.

Best 10 Architectural Wonders of the World

We know about natural wonders of the world like the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, Niagara Falls and so on...But why not we think about the Man - Made Wonders. Lets talk about the absolute must-see buildings. The ones that will make your jaw drop and will have you asking, "how did they do that!?"

Here is a list of "Top 10 Architectural Wonders Of The World"

10. Empire State Building, New York City, NY

This art deco skyscraper stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years and now it's 12th. The empire state building is one of the world’s most recognizable skyscrapers. Empire state building is one of the popular attraction in New York city. The tower has 102 storeys and was built in the 30s. There are two observatories, one is on the 86th floor, where you can see a breath-taking 360-degree view of the city. There is also a much smaller observation deck on the 102nd floor.

9. Kogod Courtyard, Washington D.C.

The courtyard was designed to make visitors feel like they’re outside, without having to deal with cold and rain. Thus, a roof was necessary to making the space truly useful, and the architects decided upon a wavy glass and steel structure, with glass panels set in a grid and supported by columns. There are several pools of water, which are only a quarter inch deep. They reflect the courtyard and can also be turned off to accommodate more people in the space. Adorning the courtyard are two 32-foot ficus trees and 16 black olive trees, which are filled in with a variety of shrubs and ferns. The space is 28,000 square feet, and will feature free wireless internet access. it was Designed by Norman Foster, this elegant glass canopy was built as an addition to the museum and houses part of the Smithsonian's art gallery. It won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1999. It's over 28,000 square feet of glass and gives the impression of a floating ceiling.

8. Panama Canal, Panama

Panama canal is a man-made canal was. It remains as one of the most difficult and impressive engineering feats of our time. Panama Canal links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Tt was built as a travel port and has had an enormous impact on shipping between the east and west. Each year over 14,000 vessels pass through its concrete tunneled walls. The canal has been enormously successful, and continues to be a key conduit for international maritime trade. The canal can accommodate vessels from small private yachts up to large commercial vessels.

7. Red Ribbon, Qinhuangdao, China

In Qinhuangdao, China the Tanghe River Park features a new installation of a red steel bench that runs for half a kilometre through the park. The Red Ribbon project is th winner of American Society of Landscape Architects award and was also selected by readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine as one of the seven new wonders of the architecture world. This knee-high red steel bench acts as a viewing place for the area's lush vegetation and diverse species. The challenge of this project is to protect the good ecological condition of the site and to ensure safety hygiene accessiblity and attractiveness, allowing people touse the site as an urban park. This "red ribbon" provides seating, environmental interpretation, lighting and displaying of native plants.

6. Hoover Dam, Border of Arizona and Nevada

Hoover Dam, originally known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. Hoover Dam is one of the world's largest hydro-electric generating stations. Hoover Dam is one of the most jaw-dropping sites in the US. The dam is named after America's 31st president, Herbert Hoover, who played a large role in bringing the nearby states into agreement about water allocations, settling a 25-year controversy. One more great thing about this dam is it was completed ahead of schedule. Construction began in 1931 and finished in 1936. Two years ahead of schedule and well under budget.

5. The Channel Tunnel aka The Chunnel, Europe

The Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel,is a 50.5-kilometre undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. The Channel actually consists of three tunnels bored in the rock below the seabed of the Channel. Two of the tubes are full sized and accommodate rail traffic. In between the two train tunnels is a smaller service tunnel that serves as an emergency escape route. There are also several cross-over passages that allow trains to switch from one track to another.Today, trains roar through the tunnel at speeds up to 100 miles per hour and it's possible to get from one end to the other in only 20 minutes!

4. CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The CN Tower is the world's tallest building as well as Canada's most recognizable icon. The tower is the centre of tourism in Toronto. From the top of the tower you can view the breathtaking view of downtown Toronto. Things to do in the tower include walking on glass floor, eating over 1000 ft above ground at the revolving 360 Restaurant, watching a movie about the construction of the CN tower and of course enjoying the view. It is also a centre for telecommunications in Toronto.

3.The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art. It was designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry and built by Ferrovial. The museum is located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The exhibitions in the museum itself change often, the museum hosts thematic exhibitions, centered for example on Chinese or Russian art. The museum features permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists. The circular body is signature to the architect and was built to showcase the museum's pieces in a unique way. It stands alongside Spain's magnificent Nervion River.

2. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Arching over the Pacific ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge links San Francisco to Marin County . The Golden Gate Bridge is acclaimed as one of the world's most beautiful bridges and with its tremendous towers, sweeping main cables and great span, it is a sensory beauty featuring color, sound, and light. The Bridge can be a very busy place, particularly during the summer months. Pedestrians can walk the bridge to get sprawling views of San Francisco's harbor. Historically, it's also one of the most photographed bridges in the world.

1. Burj Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Burj Dubai is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest man-made structure ever built. Construction began on 21 September 2004, and the tower is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy by September 2009. This structure will be the world's tallest building once it's completed. Although the height has been a well-kept secret, experts predict it will be over 2200 feet and tower plans suggest an outdoor swimming pool will be located on the 78th floor and the 124th floor will be an observation deck. It will also, reportedly, contain the world's fastest elevator.

Best 12 Amazing Strange Hotels Around the World

Whenever you take a business trip or vacation you need to find a good hotel to stay in. Most people prefer to find regular lodging, but after awhile the majority of hotels all start to feel the same. If you’re bored of traditional hotels and are feeling adventurous you can try staying in one of these twelve weird hotels, which are designed to make your visit feel unique and memorable.

12. Hotel Everland - A hotel on the move, is currently on top of the Palais de Tokyo museum in Paris. The hotel has one guestroom - a green and white fiberglass pod - and stunning views of the Eiffel tower. The hotel was previously set up on stilts over Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland and on the roof of an art gallery in Leipzig, Germany.

11. The Nantucket Lightship - A former U.S. Coast Guard lightship that once patrolled the coast of Massachusetts, warning other ships away from the rocks, is now a bed and breakfast with five bedrooms. Fully operational, the ship can take guests for a spin.

10. De Vrouwe van Stavoren Hotel - Travelers who like the smell of wine can check into De Vrouwe van Stavoren Hotel in Holland. Four oak wine casks that once held 14,500 liters of Beaujolais are now two-person rooms with attached bathrooms and sitting rooms.
9. The Propeller Island City Lodge Hotel - The Propeller Island City Lodge Hotel in Berlin has 31 rooms and each one is different. One guestroom is completely covered with mirrors, another has bed, table, chairs and a light glued to the ceiling. A third offers a nine-foot-square cell with a prison bunk and an escape hatch. For a good rest, some guests try a pair of his and her coffins.
8. The Igloo Village - The Swiss have plenty of snow but no igloos, so an enterprising hotelier in Scuol built one. It has eight guestrooms. The price of a night's accommodations includes a down-filled sleeping bag rated for North Pole expeditions.
7. Woodlyn Park - The Woodlyn Park in Waitomo, New Zealand, takes recycling to new heights. Overnight guests sleep in a 1950's Bristol freighter airplane with two rooms - one in the cockpit and the other in the tail.
6. Cappadocia, Turkey - Cappadocia, Turkey, has whole cities, hollowed into soft, volcanic rock - so of course, it has cave hotels, too, luxuriously furnished with plush cushions, Turkish carpets, and comfy beds. With walls made of solid rock, it's a good bet guests don't hear their neighbors.
5. The Sewage Pipe Hotel - The Sewage Pipe Hotel in Das Park, Austria, consists of three drainpipes, each large enough for a double bed. Guests hike to the toilets and cold showers, but the price is right. Pay what you wish.
4. Ariau Amazon Towers - Not for sleepwalkers, the Ariau Amazon Towers lets guests bunk down in a treehouse 35 feet above the floor of the Amazon rainforest. The “largest treetop hotel in the world” has 268 rooms connected by wooden catwalks.
3. Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, has the usual hotel room amenities: showers, refrigerator, TV, stereo, etc. The only catch is that it's 21 feet under the water and you have to scuba dive to get there. Each of the two bedrooms has large windows so you can watch the fish, and they can watch you.
2. The Fantasyland Hotel - The Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, has a range of rooms for every taste: Igloo (with plaster polar bears), Arabian (with paintings of seductive harem lasses), Western (with stagecoach), Sports (with football headboards and a basketball net) and Truck (with beds in the back of a pick-up truck). There's also Roman with pillars, statues and the accouterments for Roman partying.

1. The Dog Bark Park Inn - Travelers too doggone tired to drive another mile can check in to the Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho. It's a 35-foot-high beagle outfitted with a bed, table and bookshelf, plus a hideaway bed in its nose and a bathroom in its rear end.

Best 10 Deadliest Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic eruptions are deemed the most dangerous forms of natural catastrophe. The flow of burning red lava hardly gives enough time to flee. That accounts for the massive casualty lists you will find in countries and regions threatened with an active volcano. Apart from the immediate loss of life and weather anomaly, such eruptions lead to far-reaching changes in climatic conditions, often taking several years for bringing things back to normal.

10. Mount Vesuvius, Italy (3,360 deaths in August 24 AD 79)

Mount Vesuvius stands tall on the coast of Bay of Naples and graces the beautiful landscape of Naples that lays ahead to its remarkable elevation. Notwithstanding its scenic beauty, Mount Vesuvius has given way to a number of eruptions, among which the one occurring in AD 79 was violent enough to destroy the prosperous Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii.

9. Mount Vesuvius, Italy (3,500 deaths in December 1631)

Mount Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples, Italy holds the record for being the only active volcano in Europe that has erupted in the last hundred years. Right from the Roman era, Vesuvius has kept erupting time and again with varying intensity. The eruption of 1631 was of a particularly destructive nature that took its toll on almost 3,500 residents and their village settlements. Apart from the molten lava, streams of boiling hot water was also ejected that served to aggravate the devastations.

8. Galunggung, Indonesia (4,011 deaths in 1882)

This is yet another of the deadly active stratovolcanoes of Indonesia, belonging to the Pacific Ring of Fire that erupted in West Java of Indonesia in 1882. The Ten Thousand Hills of Tasik Malaja on the southeast slope of Galunggung Volcano has long remained a subject of speculation for Western geologists who have propounded different theories for their formation. While some suggest that, the accumulating deposits of liquid lava leakage formed them, others propose they have been created artificially.

7. Kelut, Indonesia (5,110 deaths in 1919)

This volcano located in East Java and Indonesia is notorious for almost 30 explosive eruptions that have the marked its history since 1000 A.D. The eruptions occurring in the years 1951, 1966, and 1990 were collectively responsible for the death of 250 people. The 1919 eruption was of a magnitude that has surpassed all recent records of destruction mainly due to its massive mudflow that took 5,110 lives.

6. Laki, Iceland (9,350 deaths in 1783)

Laki is the other name for the term Lakagígar meaning ‘Craters of Laki’ – a system of Eldgjá canyon and Katla volcano found between the Mýrdalsjökull and Vatnajökull glaciers near the Kirkjubæjarklaustur town. After the large eruption of AD 934, history repeated itself on 8 June 1783 when about 14 km³ of thick basalt lava emitting from the Grímsvötn volcano and Laki fissure flooded the plains.

5. Mount Unzen, Japan (14,300 deaths in 1792)

Mount Unzen stands out as an active volcano from among a group of interlacing stratovolcanoes bracing the city of Shimabara in the Kyūshū Island. The volcano has again become active in the last decade and pyroclastic flows were reported latest in 1991. However, these are nothing compared to the 1792 post-eruption earthquake and the subsequent collapse of many volcanic domes including the eastern part of the Mayuyama dome that set in motion killer tsunamis. This was coupled by the deadly dacitic lava flow from the nearby Fugen-dake peak. Recent tests are being carried out by volcanologists to find out the possibility of the repetition of such tragedy.

4. Mount Ruiz, Colombia (25,000 deaths in October 1985)

The Andean stratovolcano Nevado Del Ruiz or Mount Ruiz is located in Colombia’s Caldas Department that falls within the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’. Although this volcanic cone had been active since the early Pleistocene epoch, its 1985 eruption and the subsequent mudflow were phenomenal and sufficient to wipe out the very existence of Armero. The October 1985 disaster that measured 3 in the Volcanic Explosive Index came as a shock since Mt. Ruiz had been inactive for 150 years.

3. Mount Pelee, Martinique (30,000 deaths in April-May 1902)

Situated in the northern fringe of Martinique, Mt. Pelee is one of the greatest stratovolcano of the world that created havoc in the city of Saint-Pierre with its massive 1902 eruption. Saint-Pierre use to be a fairly large and prosperous city of the French Caribbean until the unlucky day of 25 April when a series of explosive eruptions heralded the oncoming catastrophe. Within no time, the streets of Saint-Pierre were covered in layers of volcanic ash.

2. Krakatoa Volcanic Island, Indonesia (36,417 deaths in August 1883)

This notorious volcanic island is situated between Sumatra and Java. The devastations caused by the serial eruptions on August 26 and 27 of 1883 have even outshone the Hiroshima nuclear bombings in impact and sound. It was heard from as far as Australia and Mauritius! The eruption that ranged up to 6 in the Volcanic Explosive Index wiped out two-thirds of the Krakatoa Island. It was followed by all-engulfing tsunamis that ravished the city of Merak and disrupted vessels floating on the South African coast.

1. Mount Tambora, Indonesia (92,000 deaths in the April 1815 eruption)

This 4,300 m high active stratovolcano located in Sumbawa Island of Indonesia drained the contents of its massive magma chamber in April 1815 accumulated over centuries. The impact of this titanic explosion measured 7 in the Volcanic Explosive Index and was felt throughout 1816 with gross climatic changes, a mini tsunami, volcanic ash rain and destruction of crops and livestock that caused a lasting famine in Northern Hemisphere.