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Interesting and unusual marine facts from around the world

matterof

fact

On 17 March 1907, the White Star Line steamship SS Suevic ran aground on the Maenheere Reef off Lizard Point in Cornwall. Despite the fog and violent gale, five RNLI lifeboats sped to the rescue and subsequently set the record for most lives saved in a single operation – 456 passengers and crew over the course of 16 hours. After three weeks on the rocks, the wrecked SS Suevic was dynamited into two pieces. The reclaimed two-thirds of the stern was taken to Southampton, where a new bow was added. Suevic served in the First World War before being sold to a Norwegian whaling company and renamed Skytteren. The sea claimed her again in 1942 when escaping Sweden, she was scuttled to avoid capture by the German navy.

HMHS Britannic, Titanic’s younger sister, suffered a similar, short-lived life at sea. Entering service as a hospital ship in December 1915, less than a year later, on 21st November 1916, she struck a mine in the Aegean Sea and sank, becoming the largest single shipping loss of the First World War.

The first Transatlantic cable was built by Cyrus West Field from 1854 to 1858. It only functioned for three weeks before excessive voltage destroyed the cable.

The first true bell buoy was invented in 1852 by Lieutenant Brown of the US Treasury Lighthouse Establishment.

Every problem is a gift we would not grow without problems “ “

– Anthony Robbins –

The world water speed record was set by Australian Ken Warby in a jet-powered wooden speed boat, with an official speed of 275.97 knots (511.09 km/h, or 317.58 mph).

Construction of the 100ft superyacht HISTORY SUPREME by Stuart Hughes required about 100,000kg of gold and platinum. The yacht features gold-plated hull and anchor, plus a meteoric stone wall accented with genuine T-Rex bone.

Europe’s mostimported fruit is the banana, 950,000 tonnes in 2018, while the USA’s first choice is the avocado, 1.2 million tonnes in 2021.

China’s Yangtze River is not only the longest river in Asia at 6,300 km, but it is also the world’s busiest river, carrying 2.93 billion tonnes of cargo in 2019.