(DailyVantage.com) – A Texas man was riding his jet ski when he made a sudden and surprising discovery. Bill Milner said he was racing along when he suddenly felt his jet ski hit something, so he stopped to survey and saw what looked like spikes sticking out above the water line. Milner slowly moved back toward them and realized he was sitting above a very old sunken ship.
Record-low water levels revealed what turned out to be five sunken vessels. Milner took several pictures and some video, which he posted to Facebook. At the time, he noted the double wooden hull connected by a specific kind of iron spike. Milner and others guessed these vessels may have sunk sometime in the late 1800s.
However, experts in the field at the Texas Historical Society say they have been aware of these wrecks since the early 2000s, but this is the lowest the water level has been to really investigate them. They say the ships are not from the 1800s but rather were being constructed for use during World War One. The ships were built by an outfit called the U.S. Shipping Board Emergency Company but were abandoned at the conclusion of the war. They are believed to be the largest example of abandoned WWI vessels anywhere. Texas law prohibits anyone from taking any part of sunken ships, and officials also advise citizens to stay clear of sites like this as they could prove dangerous.
These ships are not the only historical naval war relics that have suddenly surfaced recently. Water levels receding near Prahovo, Serbia, revealed the remains of over 20 sunken German vessels from World War II. They were part of the Nazi Black Sea Fleet that sank while retreating from Russian vessels during the last days of WWII. Local residents fear those vessels, which still contain munitions and other dangers, are a threat to their coastline and people.
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