The SS America was built in 1940 and was primarily used as a passenger ship until it was caught up in a wreck in 1994. During World War II the ship was used by the Navy, but somehow two Nazi spies had managed to infiltrate the ship and were sending vital intelligence back to the German army. It was later discovered that these spies were part of Duquesne Spy Ring, who along with 31 other spies were convicted of espionage when they were uncovered by the US army, which was the largest conviction in US history.
The wreck which eventually killed the ship took place in 1994 when it got caught up in a storm just off the coast of the Canary Islands that essentially severed the ship in two. What was supposed to be a glorious 100-day journey ended in misery as the ship was destroyed and abandoned.
Beautiful Picture Of Old Helensburgh Railway Tunnel Australia
Built back in the 1880s, this tunnel was one of a network of seven tunnels that linked the countryside between Waterfall and Otford in Australia. The landscape is very hilly, so it was decided it is easier to cut through the landscape instead of trying to climb the steep hillsides. However, in 1920 it was decided they needed a two-track railway instead of a single-lane one and so instead of extending the existing tunnel, a completely new tunnel was built in a different location.
This left the original tunnel superfluous, and it was eventually closed down. There is an innate beauty and mystery to these abandoned tunnels, which until recently could be visited by tourists. They have since been subject to some vandalism, so visitors are no longer allowed to enter the tunnels.
Michigan Central Station in Detroit, U.S.A.
At the time when it was built between 1912 and 1913, it replaced the original depot in downtown Detroit after a fire in 1913 forced its closure. Michigan Central Station was forced into an early opening before it was fully completed, but it was still the tallest train station in the world and continued to function as a train station until 1988 when the Detroit train line closed down. Upon opening it would see over 200 trains coming into and out of the station each day, but by World War II it was primarily used by the military and went into a steady decline as people started to use trains less, and their personal cars more. By 1988 the station was closed entirely.
Despite numerous attempts to find an investor to regenerate the building and bring it back to life in a different form, none have been successful. But, in 2018, Ford Motor Company acquired it in order to rework the facility.
Partially Sunken Ship in Roatan, Honduras
The area of Rotan is home to a number of shipwrecks. The one in this image is the Dixon Cove wreck which happened in the 1970s and according to legend was wrecked in a storm and then pushed into the channel where it became stranded and eventually abandoned. It was rumored to have some valuable materials on boards. Some believed it to be wood, while others claimed it was marble, and some claim that it was a different ship entirely.
Local thieves came aboard the ship to loot whatever they could, and the wreckage has been left abandoned ever since. The Caribbean has always been a favorite for explorers and for many divers a ship wreckage is a fascinating thing to explore as it is full of intrigue and mystery.
Abandoned Mining Town On Silver Islet, Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada
You’ve heard about the gold rush in Australia, well this was a silver rush in a small town on the banks of Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada. Supplies of silver were discovered in 1845 but attempts to mine it proved difficult due to challenging weather conditions which included storms and ice surges. Miners were not able to successfully retrieve the silver, which was worth $3 million until a breakwater made of concrete and rocks was built in the lake which meant they were able to control the surging waters.
The mine functioned until 1883 when there was a lack of funding for the fuel required to power the furnaces and the water-filled shafts. The mine lays abandoned until this day.