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At least three million ships have sunk over the course of history. What lessons can the shipwrecks below offer us as a society?
1908: CITY OF MEDICINE HAT
Shipwrecks don’t always happen at sea. The steamship City of Medicine Hat struck Saskatoon’s Traffic Bridge when the river was high from spring runoff. Before the captain attempted to navigate under the bridge, all the passengers and valuables were unloaded. Speculation exists that because the steamer was a money-losing
operation, he purposely sunk it.
1965: THE “REAL LORD OF THE FLIES”
Six Tongan classmates grew tired of their boarding school so sailed off for an adventure at sea. A storm damaged their boat, leaving them adrift until they landed at ’Ata. The boys resurrected the island’s long-abandoned settlement, and followed their traditional upbringing “to [respect] each other and try to be [loving] to each other no matter how hard the life is.” After 15 months, a fisherman spotted them and returned them to Tonga, where they had been written off as dead.
1755: DODDINGTON
The Doddington, carrying Clive of India’s fortune, hit a reef in Algoa Bay, South Africa. Only 23 of the 270 on board made it to a small island. The castaways worked harmoniously to build a small boat, and shared everything that washed up on shore equally. However, disputes erupted over a treasure chest that washed ashore. Their handcrafted boat brought them to safety, but the fight over the treasure tore their solidarity apart.
1797: SYDNEY COVE
When a storm lethally damaged the Sydney Cove, it was abandoned on Preservation Island. The castaways quickly assigned roles, built homes, and dug a well. 17 men then set out on a longboat for the Australian mainland. The longboat wrecked on Australia's southeast coast, leaving the men to walk 600 kilometres to Port Jackson. Indigenous people helped them to safety, offering food and rowing them across rivers.
