The USS Oriskany was nicknamed The Mighty O, one of the Essex-class carriers commissioned after the Second World War. It was named after one of the bloodiest battles during the Revolutionary War in 1777, the Battle of Oriskany. The ship has been retired from service in 1976, and sold for scrap.
The USS Oriskany has found itself useful to the environment beyond its call of duty. It was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico in 2006 and is used as an artificial reef, the largest vessel to be utilized as such, and its presence makes the area a choice destination for divers.
Kedrai
Located on Sedir Island, the ancient city of Kedrai was located not too far from what was known as Cleopatra’s Beach. During its peak, Kedrai was a significant center of trade, tracing its origins back to the 6th century BC. Kedrai literally means “cedar,” as there were plenty of cedar trees on the island.
However, that is no longer the case. There was no singular event in which the ruins were discovered, but many excavations and digs have been conducted over the years. One of the most significant sites of Kedrai is the 2500-seat theatre, which still stands until this very day.
The Ice Finger of Death
This photograph has nothing to do with wizardry, but it looks like ice lighting has struck the sea bed to punish a group of starfishes. It is actually a natural phenomenon called “Brinicles,” which occurs when seawater freezes in polar oceans. This causes concentrates of sea brine to be expelled, and a downward projection is shot due to its lower freezing point.
This was scientifically acknowledged in the sixties, but its first image was documented in 2011. Here, a tube of saltwater descends beneath the ice as it makes contact with a neighboring body of ocean water; the process is referred to as “The ice Finger of Death.”
The SS Thistlegorm
This British-armed Merchant Navy ship was built in 1940. It had three successful voyages until it was sunk during its fourth trip, on its way to Alexandria, Egypt. It traveled to the US, Argentina, and the West Indies. A German bomber plane suspected it of being a troop carrier and targeted it, triggering the ship’s own load of bombs and ammunition to explode, causing the SS Thistlegorm to sink in 1941.
Interest over its wreckage had been resumed after Jacques Cousteau discovered it in the 1950s. He was able to raise some of its load, while most of it remains underwater. It’s now a recreational dive site where motorcycles, trucks, and rifles, which it was supposed to deliver to the Allied forces in Egypt, can be seen on deck.
The Yonaguni Ruins
This photo was taken in Japan. A diver can be seen swimming close to the bedrock of a set of mysterious ruins, not too far from Yonaguni Island in the Okinawa Prefecture. As seen here, it has a peculiar, circular indentation that has left archeologists with plenty of question marks about its origins.
With what appears to be steps, divers and researchers alike have debated about whether it was manmade or purely the result of Mother Nature. There are other majestic parts of this discovered underwater “city,” for lack of a better term. This photo is merely scratching the surface of this strange mystery.