THE ITALIAN UMBRIA

When WWII had broken out—but before Italy had formally declared war on the Allies—The Umbria was searched by British sailors, who noted that it was chock-full of arms and explosives which would inevitably go towards the Axis war effort. But Italy still had not declared war, so Britain couldn’t do a thing. That night, as the Umbria lay in British custody on the Red Sea, the Italian captain was the first to hear Italy’s war declaration over the radio. Wasting no time, he scuttled the ship—with 360,000 bombs still onboard. The ship and its contents have never been salvaged.

A WWII Relic

Originally SS President Coolidge, converted to carry troops, hit by two land mines off the coast of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. Today, the Coolidge is the largest and most accessible wreck of its size and type from WWII.

British Pilot’s License, Circa 30s

SHIPWRECKED ON LAKE MICHIGAN

One of the last giant cargo steamships to cross Lake Michigan was the DOTY.
Lost in a storm in October 1898, recovered 115 years later.

Russian Spy Ship Found in Red Sea

This sunken ship was discovered in 1988. The Russians denied this was part of their secret surveillance operations but no-one believed them as they had a surveillance facility nearby in Yemen’s Military Airbase.

Runway carved out of sea ice. Antarctica.

Yes, this is actually a runway. Beach Barra, Scotland

Landing Approach, Rock of Gibralter

 

Landing at Matekart, Lesotho. No tarmac and 2000′ drop at the end

A LANDING STRIP IN THE FRENCH ALPS

NO ROOM FOR ERRORS!