Other Wrecks

The third of the Olympic class liners - HMHS Britannic was requisitioned as a hospital ship during World War I. In November 21st, 1916, Britannic was en route to the island of Mudros, Lemnos, Greece to pick up wounded soldiers from the allied campaigns in Gallipoli when it struck a mine in the Kea Channel. Lessons learned from the Titanic disaster meant Britannic was able to evacuate it's crew more quickly, and only 30 people were killed in the sinking. The wreck lies in just over 400 feet of water, making it accessible to advanced SCUBA divers.

Lusitania was a Cunard line vessel which ran as a direct competitor to Titanic, Olympic and Britannic. On May 7th, 1915, Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland and sank with the loss of 1,198 lives. The massive loss of civilian life contributed to shifting the public opinion of Germany in America, and was a contributing factor to the American entry into World War I. The wreck lies in just under 400 feet of water, making it another wreck accessible by technical divers.

USS Monitor was one of the first ironclad steam powered warships ever built, and the first warship to feature a turret that could rotate 360 degrees. Monitor is most famous for its duel against the confederate ironclad CSS Virginia at the Battle of Hampton Roads near Norfolk, Virginia in 1862. The ironclad was lost while under tow to join a blockading fleet near Wilmington, North Carolina. The wreck lies in just over 200 feet of water in an area with exceptional clarity, meaning daylight is prominent at the wreck sight. The wreck is the most prominent feature of the USS Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

SS Burdigala was started her life as the SS Kasier Freidrich and was operated under that name from 1898-1912. In 1900 she was mothballed by her owner, and she would remain inactive until 1912, when she was purchased by the French Compagnie de Navigation Sud Atlantique and given the name Burdigala. Her service with the new company was short lived - she was decomissioned for a second time in 1913.

At the outbreak of World War I, Burdigala was requisitioned for service as a troop carrier. She served in this role until late 1915, when she was refit as an Auxiliary Cruiser. From then until the end of her career she operated in the Mediterranean carrying troops to the frontlines of Northern Greece.

On November 13th, 1916 the ship had just departed Thessaloniki after dropping off fresh troops. At around 10:45 AM, the ship struck a mine in the same minefield that would claim the HMHS Britannic only a few days later. 35 minutes later, the ship sank just under 4 miles from the coast of Kea. Only one life was lost in the sinking.