The World Discoverer – Solomon Islands - Atlas Obscura

Both eerie and impressive to behold, this half-sunken oceanliner has been lying, tipped to one side, half-submerged since 2000. Once a globetrotting cruise ship, it was able to easily navigate the 8000 miles of the Northwest Passage, but a fateful date with an uncharted reef ended its seafaring career for good.

While everyone aboard was safely evacuated, the ship began to list as it was brought into Roderick Bay, and the captain had no choice but to ground it, lest it sink entirely. The ship still rests there to this day and has become something of a tourist attraction.

Several salvage companies have made attempts to retrieve the ship, but all found that it had already been ransacked by locals during the civil war the Solomon Islands endured. In addition, tidal activity has caused further damage to the structure and surface rusting. It is likely that this ship will remain in its place for a long time to come, until it slowly crumbles into the ocean.

Know Before You Go

The ship rests in Sandfly Passage, part of Roderick Bay.

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