10 Weird Things Found in the Ocean
From treasure to hidden cities, there have been many weird, bizarre and indeed valuable things discovered at the bottom of the sea.
Here we take a look at 10 of the weirdest things found on the ocean's floors to date:
10. An Ancient Computer
That's right, long before Microsoft or Apple there was apparently this wonder - the Antikythera mechanism. Discovered sometime between 1900-1901 on the Antikythera shipwreck off the Greek island of the same name, it is believed to the earliest form of a computer. The Antikythera is an anolog computer, that was designed to serve several purposes, including predicting the astronomical positions and eclipses on the calendar. As so much of this period of history's technology has been lost, such advanced use of technology did not reappear in European historical artefacts until the 14th Century. It is now on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
9. Apollo Moon Rocket Engines
During the late 1960's and early 1970's multiple Apollo rockets were sent to orbit the Earth and moon, and their engines that powered each of the boosters' first stages dropped to the ocean floor, believed to be lost forever. But thanks to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his privately funded project, they have now been receovered. Discovered in 2012, the parts have undergone a two year renovation process and are now on display at Seattle's (Oregon, United States) The Museum of Flight. It is not exactly known why Bezos would want to invest millions of his own dollars into funding the project, but some press has speculated he did it simply "because he could."
8. World's Oldest City?
Remains of a lost city in Gulf of Cambay off the coast of India were discovered in 2001, which some archaeologists believe to be the oldest city in history. Artifcats found have included pieces of sculpture, human remains, art work and even wooden furniture - and a piece of wood examined is estimated to be at least 9,500 years old. Shrouded in mystery, scientists and archaeologists are still working to decipher just exactly what period of history this city would have existed within.
7. Locomotive Graveyard
In 1985 a locomotive graveyard was discovered off the coast of New Jersey, United States. Dating back to the 1850's, there is no known record of why they were dumped into the ocean or that they were even built at all. Historians predict that they either fell off a barge by accident or were deliberately thrown off a ship to reduce it sinking during rough seas. Although they are rusty, they are still in very good condition and have now become a popular spot for wreck diving.
6. Lake Michigan Stone Henge
OK so this wasn't found in the sea - rather a lake - but it's definitely weird. In 2007 a series of stones arranged in the shape of a circle were discovered about 40 feet below the surface of Lake Michigan. Why they're there, how old they are and what they mean are all yet undertermined, but pictures reveal they aren't that different from other strange stone arrangements found throughout the world - particularly in comparison to Stone Henge, England.
5. Emerald Treasure
Amateur treasure hunter Jay Miscovich discovered more than 10,000 emeralds off the coast of Key West in Florida, United States in 2010. Thinking he'd hit the jackpot of a lifetime (they are estimated being worth half a billion dollars), his discovery earned him mass media attention. This then caught the attention of the Federal Government of the United States, who granted him only temporary ownership of the jewels, making him legally unable to sell them. Unfortunately, drowning in debt and unable to profit from his treasure, Miscovich committed suicide in 2013. Who actually owns the treasure has yet to be settled in court.
4. An Alien Saucer?
In 2011, Ocean X (a self-funded treasure hunter team) discovered the Baltic Sea anomaly. Found on the floor of the northern Baltic Sea, it is an unusually shaped rock structure that many have claimed resembles an alien saucer. Other theories have been that it is the remains of a World War II ant-submarine device and even an underwater Nazi base. However, several scientsits have claimed that despite its weird appearance, it is likely just un unsual rock formation that good old mother nature created and very unlikely to be man or alien made.
3. The Ancient City of Alexandria
The Ancient City of Alexandria, ruled by Egypt's last Pharaoh Cleopatra, is almost perfectly preserved under the sea. It is believed the city disappeared underwater due to a series of natural disasters, including tidal waves and earthquakes. Hidden for almost 1,600 years, it was rediscovered in 1998. There have recently been plans to build underwater tunnels throughout the city, making it the world's first underwater museum.
2. Seamonsters
Modern and advanced diving technology has allowed us to dive and send cameras further down the ocean than ever before - and some of the weirdest discoveries have been some extremely strange looking sea creatures - often nicknamed "seamonsters." Just take a look at the aptly named "blobfish." This fellow lives at the very bottom of the ocean, and is usually only seen by humans when diving or if accidentally caught in deep sea fishnets.
1. RMS Republic
The locating and exploration of the RMS Republic in 1981 may not seem that weird, but the rumoured treasure that could be lying at the bottom of the ocean definitely is. It is believed by many that the ship went down with many treasures - that could be worth up to a billion dollars today. One rumour is that she was carrying American gold coins of at least $250,000, while another is that she was carrying coins worth $3,000,000 as a loan to the Imperial Russian government. After failing to discover and unearth the treasure in the 1980's, Martin Bayerle in Billion Dollar Wreck has now teamed up with his son Grant, and they are determined to discover and claim the treasure for themselves.
