Underwater Ruins

The MSRA - Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates - is an organization that researches shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. I grew up (mostly) in Michigan, the state which is in the middle of the Great Lakes, so the subject is literally closer to home for me than ocean shipwrecks. They estimate that hundreds of major ships have sunk in these waters, with a page that links to the story of many of the ruins that they have located, complete with GPS coordinates and pictures of the ships pre-disaster.

Other similar organizations exist as well. Neighboring state Wisconsin boasts something called "The Ghost Ship Festival", devoted to scuba diving and Great Lakes Maritime History. NUMA - the National Underwater and Marine Agency - is a "volunteer foundation dedicated to preserving our maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts." Most of us saw the movie Titanic (and perhaps "Ghosts of the Abyss) which partially showed an expedition to find the famed ship, which sank in the Atlantic Ocean.

I came across the subject when I read a recent newspaper article about the discovery of a shipwreck in Lake Michigan.

Underwater, or marine archaeology is a recognized sub-field of archaeology. For example, in Israel underwater archaeologists have surveyed the ruins of Herod's harbor in Caesaria. While it used to be done by divers, today miniature submarines are often used, as well as sonar for surveying. This can include not only shipwrecks, but also underwater buildings resulting from changes in coastlines, rivers etc. One example is the so-called Seahenge.
Ship ruins are not commonly addressed in philosophical literature, and rarely appear in art. Symbolically, I image they are less poignant than land ruins, simply because while a building seems like something stable, strong, and long-lasting, a ship is far more fleeting. One doesn't think of a ship on the sea as something stable or tenable - it can't retain its position for long. Therefore, it is not so mind-boggling to think about a shipwreck. In addition, sea ruins are by far less accessible to the average person, so they are not in the public conscience in the same way. Nonetheless, they do play on our fears, and the ruins themselves are quite beautiful.

James D. Griffioen: Disappearing Detroit

I lived for 15 years in southeast Michigan. It's possible that my proximity to the city of Detroit influenced my interest in ruins. We have included a number of links to Detroit ruins, as they are disturbing and fascinating all at once. One of the most awe inspiring sites that deals with the ruins of Detroit is James D. Griffioen's website.Griffioen is a native Michigander, three years my elder. Clearly his obsession with the ruins of Detroit surpasses my own.

In particularly, I would direct you to the section which he calls "feral houses." There are dozens of pictures of Detroit houses that have literally been swallowed or chewed up by vegetation. It's amazing.

The Lost Neighborhoods section is also pretty amazing. You really get a sense of how the city has been abandoned and left to rot, with block after block of abandoned real estate.

In the Scrappers section, Griffioen explains how scavengers loot the buildings and strip them of everything of value. On the flip side is the Vernacular Security part, which shows how people defend their abandoned buildings. Finally, the section on the Detroit Public Schools Book Depository tells the story of one particular building, and how it became a ruin.

This site is worth exploring, so take you time and look through the pictures.