EC-6 Unit 5 Shipwrecks
The sea had always been a treacherous place, claiming countless ships and lives throughout history. Four ships in particular, the Titanic, the Giglio, the Atocha, and the Eduard Bohlen, met their fate at the hands of the merciless ocean.
The Titanic, considered to be unsinkable, hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking over 1,500 lives with it. Despite numerous attempts to locate the wreckage, it remained lost for nearly 70 years before it was finally discovered in 1985.
The Giglio, a modern ferry, capsized off the coast of Italy due to technical problems. Despite the efforts of rescue teams, 32 people lost their lives in the tragedy. The wreck of the Giglio still lies on the seabed, serving as a grim reminder of the dangers of the sea.
The Atocha, a Spanish galleon, was carrying a fortune in gold and silver when it was lost to a hurricane off the coast of Florida in 1622. Despite countless searches, the ship's wreckage was not found until 1985, when a famous treasure hunter finally located the site.
The Eduard Bohlen, a German cargo ship, was en route to South Africa when it became stranded in the sandbanks of the Skeleton Coast. The crew abandoned the ship and eventually made it to safety, but the Eduard Bohlen remained lost in the desert for nearly a century before it was finally rediscovered in 2008.
A tsunami is an enormous wave in the ocean that usually happens after an underwater earthquake. It can be up to 40 meters high and it can travel faster than an airplane. When this powerful wall of water hits the coast, it can cause a lot of damage. A tsunami gets bigger, but slower, as it gets closer to the coast. Then the massive wave crashes into the beach and keeps traveling and. Sometimes, more waves come after the first wave has hit. Tsunamis won't happen very often, but when they do, they cause deaths and injuries. Be prepared. Have a disaster plan:
Always listen to the radio and TV for warnings.
Prepare a disaster kit. Include a first-aid kit, food, water, a radio, a flashlight, warm clothes, good shoes, a blanket, food for pets, and instructions for turning off electricity and gas.