112. Minjiang Treasure
Est. Value Today: $44+ million*
Year Disappeared: 1646
Year Discovered: 2017
Archaeologists believe that this treasure ship is one of the many thousands that belonged to Zhang Xianzhong, the Chinese peasant leader responsible for leading the uprising against the Ming Dynasty. It is said that Zhang was transporting his valuable treasure south when he was cornered by soldiers near the Minjiang River, and that is where his ship sank.
Minjiang Treasure /workandmoney.com
During the latter half of the 20th century, the location continually saw silver being washed up on shore, which led to an archaeological excavation being put in place. More than 20,000 valuable items were discovered by the excavation, which included jewelry, weapons, and gold and silver pieces.
113. HMS Endeavor
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: Late 1700s
Year Discovered: 2018
British explorer Captain James Cook has been a part of everyone’s history lessons, and you’re sure to have come across his famous HMS Endeavor at least once, the vessel he used for his historic voyage to Australia. Considered one of the most famous ships in the naval history of the entire world, archaeologists have spent the better part of the last two decades trying to locate its remains.
HMS Endeavor ©Volgi archive/Alamy
However, considering the importance of this particular vessel, both the US and Australia have yet to come to a decision on its exact history. The US authorities currently claim that there is no determining evidence to showcase that the wreckage that has been found belongs to HMS Endeavor. The investigation into the matter is still in process.
114. Boeing 747
Est. Value Today: $418 million*
Year Disappeared: –
Year Discovered: 2019
The ocean bed is not only home to shipwrecks, but also the occasional plane wreckage. What if we told you that this wreckage was intentional and the plane was sunk on purpose? You would surely wonder why a plane worth millions of dollars would be treated in this way.
Boeing 747 @paditv/Instagram
Apparently, the idea behind this whole ordeal was to build an underwater theme park that would increase diving tourism in the region and allow people to reconnect with the diving heritage of Bahrain. Also providing a location for marine and coral growth, this airplane is the largest aircraft to be intentionally submerged in water and sits at a depth of 65 feet. The park is currently open to divers and also contains other purpose-sunk wrecks.
115. Air Canada Boeing 737-200
Est. Value Today: $124 million*
Year Disappeared: –
Year Discovered: 2006
Marine conservation efforts have taken a drastic turn with the turn of the century as more and more people hurry to protect marine life. Despite the urgency of the matter, who would have thought to sink a literal plane into the water as an artificial reef? This Boeing 737-200 is now a rare airplane, the last of which was delivered in 1988, and today, less than 30 are listed as active.
Air Canada Boeing 737-200 /blog.padi.com
Despite the rarity of this aircraft, in 2006, after going through a lot of preparing and sterilizing, the Air Canada Boeing 737 entered the ocean as a purpose-sunk vessel that was supposed to serve as an artificial reef. Residing 60 feet deep into the water, the aircraft remains are thriving with over a hundred species of marine life today. Who thought even an airplane could live two different lives?
116. Zero Fighters
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: 1944
Year Discovered: 1944
While some planes might be purpose-sunk into the oceans, others fall to their untimely demise and find their final resting place in the depths of the waters. Such is the story of Truk Lagoon, a site that contains the remains of over 60 aircraft, including the Zero Fighters.
Zero Fighters ©Rob/stock.adobe.com
Over 100 vessels fell into the Truk Lagoon during Operation Hailstone of the Second World War, in which the United States Navy attacked the Japanese Navy in the Pacific Ocean. The site is now an underwater war museum that contains many remaining pieces from the Zero Fighters, including everything from wings to machine gun bullets.
117. Staniel Cay Plane Wreck
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: Late 1970s
Year Discovered: The Next Morning
This fallen aircraft comes with a sad backstory. During the late 1970s, the Bahamas’ airspace was relatively unpatrolled, and this lack of surveillance gave way to many illegal flights in the area. This aircraft was also flying through the area filled to the brim with marijuana when it reportedly ran out of fuel and sank into the water.
Staniel Cay Plane Wreck /bahamasairtours.com
The plane’s wreckage was found by a search party the very next day, and two passengers were still onboard. The wreckage resides no more than ten feet from the surface of the water and has been inhabited by many species of marine life. The accessibility of the plane wreck, along with its back story, has made the location quite popular with divers and snorkelers.
118. Ancient Etruscan Statues
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: 2,300 Years Ago
Year Discovered: 2022
While most people tend to picture the ocean’s depths when thinking about submerged treasure, sometimes it might just be lying in a bit of water on land, covered by a lot of mud. Twenty-four ancient statues were discovered in a network of baths in Tuscany that had been built by the Etruscans.
Ancient Etruscan Statues /theguardian.com
These statues had been lying covered by water and mud for thousands of years before they finally resurfaced again. Alongside these statues, other remains from the era were found as well, including coins and Latin and Etruscan inscriptions. Many have labeled this excavation an ‘exceptional discovery’ offering significant insight into ancient Etruscan lifestyle.
119. Sunken Japanese Submarine I-14
Est. Value Today:
Year Disappeared: 1946
Year Discovered: 2009
This Japanese submarine played a key role during the Second World War until Japan eventually surrendered, and the submarine got into the hands of the US authorities. From there, it was towed to Pearl Harbor and then sunk into the depths of the water at the Oahu Coast.
Sunken Japanese Submarine I-14 /combinedfleet.com
The Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory sent deep-diving submersibles that discovered the wreckage of the I-14 lying in the ocean at a depth of 2,625 feet. By the time the wreckage was discovered, the submarine had broken into two parts and deteriorated to a huge extent. Despite its present condition, the submarine offers a key look into the military dynamics of the Second World War.
120. Sunken Submarine S-5
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: 1920
Year Discovered: 2001
The USS S-5 was a submarine of the United States Navy that accidentally sank during trial runs on the 1st of September 1920. Due to the efforts of multiple parties, no lives were lost, and the submarine was refloated, although it eventually sank again while being in tow.
Sunken Submarine S-5 ©PJF Military Collection/Alamy
The exact location of the wreckage was unknown until July 2001, when it was discovered by a survey ship of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The SONAR data that the survey ship gathered while it was searching for the submarine was then donated for display at the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Connecticut.
121. Mayan Pyramids & Ruins
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: Between 800 and 1000 C.E.
Year Discovered: 2018
Even the discovery of a single ancient artifact underwater can be quite exciting for archaeologists, let alone a whole underground cave system filled with relics of different kinds. The world’s largest underwater cave system, belonging to the Mayans, was discovered by divers in Mexico, who were pleasantly surprised at the discovery.
Mayan Pyramids & Ruins /thetravel.com
The Gran Acuifero Maya organization had spent almost ten months exploring this underwater system, and they found a network of more than 200 underwater caves that were entirely interlinked to form this intricate chain. Human bones, pottery, and a lot of other artifacts dating back almost 2000 years have been discovered in these caves, which pose a fascinating learning opportunity for archaeologists.
122. Cù Lao Chàm Shipwreck
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: 15th Century
Year Discovered: 1997
The Cù Lao Chàm Shipwreck is considered the biggest one archaeologists have managed to locate in Vietnamese seas. The excavation for this 15th-century shipwreck lasted from 1997 to 2000, when over 250,000 artifacts were excavated from the site.
Cù Lao Chàm Shipwreck /vietnamnews.vn
Two of the most significant things that were discovered in this wreckage were human remains as well as essential pieces of ceramics. The designs on these ceramics are reminiscent of the specific characteristics of Vietnamese ceramics, which were quite different from Chinese ceramics of the same time.
123. Bình Thuận Ship
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: 1608
Year Discovered: 2001
The wreckage of the Bình Thuận Ship dates back to the Maritime Silk Route of the 1600s, during which many ships fell to their demise in the waters. This wreckage was first discovered after local fishermen accidentally got their net caught in the remains.
Bình Thuận Ship /elevenmyanmar.com
Over 60,000 valuable artifacts were excavated from the ship between 2001 and 2002, consisting of ceramics and colored porcelain. Scientists compared the items found in these remains to those found on the Witte Leeuw, a Dutch ship that sank in 1613 with trading goods from Asia onboard. Hence, the vessel may have been carrying these ceramics to export to the East India Company in the sub-continent.
124. Cà Mau
Est. Value Today: Unknown
Year Disappeared: 1723
Year Discovered: 1998
Local fishermen were responsible for finding this piece of wreckage which was then properly excavated, and 130,000 artifacts were found onboard. The ceramics onboard had rich decorations on them, which followed both Chinese patterns as well as European requests for these kinds of ceramics.
Cà Mau /silkroadfutures.net
Three Vietnamese museums were given the opportunity to select the pieces they wanted to put on display, whereas the rest of them were sold in auction. Some of the most well-known pieces on board came from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province and Guangzhou in Guangdong.
125. Eureka
Est. Value Today: $11.7 million, adjusted for inflation*
Year Disappeared: 1857
Year Discovered: 1988
Eureka was a gold ingot discovered from the wreckage of the ship SS Central America nearly 150 years after it sank to the depths of the ocean. The steamer initially sank with almost 30,000 pounds of gold, along with other valuable items, which triggered the Panic of 1857.
Eureka ©The History Collection/Alamy
Eureka itself weighed 80 pounds and was extracted by a remotely-operated vehicle in 1988. At the time of its extraction, the ingot was considered the most valuable piece of currency in the entire world. It was sold for a whopping $8 million to an anonymous ‘Forbes 400 business executive’.