In the unpredictable conditions of the ocean, many of these vessels have been blown off course, collided with rocks or simply vanished beneath the waves. Each of these represents a time capsule, every vessel a miniature version of the society that launched it. Each vessel reflects construction techniques of the day, materials that were available to shipbuilders and the ideas about engineering as it was practiced in that time. Aboard every vessel lived a tiny society mirroring the social order of its nation or culture - officers and aristocrats, sailors and servants. With these small societies were the everyday objects of life - combs, cooking pots, clothing and currency.
Shipwrecks also represent human stories of the highest imaginable drama.
Great acts of courage, senseless tragedy, human nature at its best and worst all emerge from historical accounts and the stories that survive a broken ship. The heroism of a captain, the greed of a stingy shipowner, the stupidity of a watchman all find their ways into the written and verbal accounts of shipwrecks. Shipwrecks are remembered in the towns of lost mariners and in the towns where survivors received care. Shipwreck artifacts adorn local museums, treasured objects that symbolize a community's place in history. Families recount their roles in a rescue for generations.