El Desdemona Shipwreck

The El Desdémona was built in Hamburg and sailed to South America as a merchant ship. As early as 1983, it was severely damaged off the coast of Buenos Aires. A lightning strike destroyed the navigation system, and it ran aground. The crew managed to escape and navigated the ship onward to Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of Argentina.

When the engine also failed, the captain attempted to reach the port of Ushuaia at a slow speed. The shipyard was unable to repair the damage, but the crew continued their journey nonetheless. As we now know, however, they didn't get very far.

The goddess of iron and steel ran aground again on a sandbank, water flooded in, and the crew fled to safety. For almost forty years, this fairytale-like vessel has lain dormant, and all salvage attempts have been unsuccessful.