Why Do Ships Wreck?

Why Do Ships Wreck?. . , Imagine yourself on a Great Lake Schooner 100 years ago. Suddenly you hear... , , Fire! Fire! , This cry brought terror to even the most seasoned sailor. Wooden ships hod seen tragic fires for thousands of years. Even with the advent of steel hulls and steam engines, fire onboard a vessel was still deadly. Even a vessel's cargo could pose a serious risk as dust from flour or coal could ignite into a fireball. Despite being surrounded by water, shipboard fires were difficult to put out. , , Baaaaaaah-rum , Without modern radios and satellites to guide them through foggy or snowy weather, these ships depended on lighthouses to provide sound and light to keep them from running aground. , , Batten down the hatches , Storms develop quickly and with little warning on the Great Lakes. Before the use of modern technology, sailors could only try to predict the weather. Changes in temperature caused thick fog or freezing conditions that hindered vessels. Strong winds whipped up wave that battered vessels caught in open water or drove them ashore. , , Bam! Crunch! Screech! , With so many ships sailing the Great Lakes during the late 1800s, it was not uncommon for them to run into one another, especially at night or during bad weather. Sometimes, captains were inattentive or failed to follow navigational rules, resulting in collisions. Some collisions caused only minor damage while others caused the sinking of one or both of the vessels.