'Zine Banal Nightmare

For some reason today I’m really jazzed about side-scan sonar imagery.  I don’t know if you were anything like me as a kid (Lord I hope not), but I loved to watch those stupid Discovery Channel shows with titles like GHOSTS: CAUGHT ON TAPE?!  Anyway, this is probably the closest we can get to real spirit photography* - peering through thousands of feet of cold, ethereal darkness, tracing the silhouettes of the corpses below.

1. Wreck of the German liner Steuben, estimated to be the third worst maritime disaster in history (~4,500 killed. But some of them were Nazis, so, you know WHATEVER GUYS).
2. The freighter Robert E. Lee, sunk by a U-Boat in 1942.  Note lifeboats on the lower-left.  SPOOOOOOOOOKY
3. The Astorian, sunk in 1923 near Seattle.
4. F-4 Wildcat, crashed during a training exercise in 1942.
5. Cessna 414, nose-dived into Long Island Sound under “suspicious circumstances” (ghost was piloting plane — FAA).
6. WWII-era Bomber, crashed in Lake Washington.
7. Remains of a WWII-era fighter after a mid-air collision.
8. Not terribly visually striking but included because it’s the first sonar image of the freaking Titanic, which is a big deal because a lot of white people died on board it :( :( :(
9. Technically cheating, as this is an “enhanced” image, but cool to look at. 17th-century ship sunk in the Baltic sea.
10. Finally, a submerged car.

*Ghosts aren’t real.  Fact, not opinion.

“The Cold Snap in America: A Transatlantic Liner Arrives in New York Covered With Ice.” Le Petit Journal, January 28, 1912.

[Editor’s note: Two and a half months later, the most famous ice-related maritime disaster in history occurred along the same route with the sinking of the Titanic.]

Your Hardcore Moment of the Day, 7/30/10:

Waves batter a merchant vessel stranded along the coast during a heavy storm in Valparaiso City, Chile, 121 km (75 miles) northwest of Santiago on July 6, 2010.

Alternate caption: WHERE’S YOUR GOD NOW?

Thanks, Big Picture.

List of Recovered Bodies from the Titanic that Remain Unidentified

An absolute treasure trove of morbidity.  Some are terse, some are painstakingly detailed:

#330 Male - Estimated age, 50. Height, 5 ft. 9 in. Weight 160lbs. Bald Head. Hair, Dark. Body badly decomposed.

#203 Male - Estimated age, 45. Hair brown, also brown moustache. Buried at Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, N. S. Wore blue serge suit, union cable belt and striped flannel shirt. Tattooed right arm; snake around coconut palm, hand with bouquet of roses; left arm, woman’s bust over wreath and dagger. Probably a fireman.

Some are… well, kind of weird in what they chose to detail:

#237 Male - Estimated age, 20. Height, 5 ft. 11 in. Weight, 145lbs. Hair, sandy; clean shaven. Marks: shoulders very square.

#223 Male - Estimated age, 20. Height, 5 ft. 5 in. Weight, 145lbs. Hair, Brown. Marks: Eye teeth extra long [Editor’s Note: Passenger later identified as Dracula].

Some possibly reflect the biases of the recoverers:

#132 Female - Estimated age, 40. Hair, dark. Complexion, Very Dark (probably a foreigner). Buried at sea. No other aids to identification. Probably third class passenger.

#233 Male - Estimated age, 24 to 26. Height, 5 ft. 8 1/2in. Weight, 140lbs. Hair, black; eyebrows, black (looks like Japanese). Marks, low forehead; prominent eyebrows; very large head.

Some are just plain bizarre:

#248 Male - Estimated age, 35. Height, 5 ft. 7 in. Weight, 155lbs. Hair, very dark. Brushed back from forehead; moustache, brown. Marks: No upper teeth.

#29 Male - Height, 5 ft. 7 in.; Weight, 150lbs. Age, about 30. Hair, dark. Buried at Fairview, Cemetery, Halifax, N.S. Nothing to aid in identification. Marks; very faint tattoo mark on left forearm; looks as though attempt was made to have same obliterated.

#8 Female - Height, 5 ft. 7 in.; Weight, 160 lbs. Age, about 25 Hair, Fair. Marks, None. Buried at Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, N.S. Wore chemise marked “B.H.” in red on front. Wore boots, size No.8. Sum of 150 Finnish marks sewed in clothing.

#3 Female - Height, 5 ft. 6 in.; Weight, 150 lbs. Age, about 30. Hair, Brown. Marks, None. Buried at Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, N.S. Wore Chemise marked “J.H.” in red. Other cloting: Gray cloth jacket; red jersey jacket; blue alpaca blouse; blue serge skirt; Woolen combinations; black stockings; black boots; grey cholera belt.

And some, heartbreaking:

#125 Male - Hair, brown. Buried at sea. Steward’s uniform, washing mark “G. V. N.” Wore company’s badge, No. 37.  Estimated age, 17.

#328 Female - Estimated age, 14. Height, 4 ft. 6 in. Weight, 80 To 85 lbs. Hair, golden brown. Marks, very dark skin, refined features. Buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Halifax, N. S. Wore lace, trimmed red and black overdress; black underdress; green striped underskirt; black woolen shawl and black slippers. No further aids to identification. Probably a third class passenger.

#55 Female - Estimated age, 30. Hair, brown. Buried at sea. Had among effects, gold watch marked on back “C. K. S.,” pinned on left breast. Opal and pearl rings, also garnet ring, engraved “H.N. to D.S.” Wedding ring engraved “A.L. to C.S.,” April 21st, 09.” (All rings left on fingers).

I leave you with this bit of intrigue:

#220 Male - Estimated age, 35. Height 5 ft. 8in. Weight, 160lbs. Hair, light; clean shaven. Marks, large scroll, girls head with a heart tattooed on right arm. “Bird and plant” with “Jamaica” under, and “Rose” Tattooed on left arm. Buried at Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, N. S. Wore black coat, flannel singlet and dungaree trousers.

OH MY GOD THEY FOUND JACK

SHE NEVER LET GO, JACK.  SHE NEVER LET GOOOOOOO

Photo: “The iceberg suspected of having sunk the RMS Titanic. Contains the infamous ‘red smear’ and was found in the same vicinity as many bodies and debris from the ship.“  Taken by the U.S. Coast Guard.