r/ShipwreckPorn

Hey everyone, just wanted to share Part 2 of our dive at the Helles Barges in the Dardanelles Strait.

These are WWI-era wrecks that have completely transformed over the last century into heavy artificial reefs. The large barge has great structure to swim along, but the small one (around 03:05) actually has denser coral and sponge coverage.

The Dardanelles current was quite a factor as usual, but we managed to spot a massive Dusky Grouper (Orfoz) that actually stayed around for the camera, which is rare for high-traffic sites here.

Kept the video completely raw—just 4K diver's perspective, regulator breathing, and ambient reef sounds. No loud music or narration.

Would love to hear your thoughts or if anyone else here has dived the Gallipoli campaign wrecks!

On April 27, 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River, killing more people than the Titanic. Almost nobody knows about it.

The victims were Union soldiers who had survived the Civil War and Confederate prison camps, finally heading home — packed onto a boat at six times its legal capacity because of corruption and greed. The boilers had already been flagged as unsafe. The repair was rushed. Three of the four boilers exploded while most of the men slept.

The story was swallowed by history because Lincoln's assassin had been killed the day before. The country moved on. The soldiers were forgotten.

This documentary is a full dramatic recreation — not narration over photographs. Built by a two-person team using AI filmmaking tools, it plays more like a film than a traditional documentary. 23 minutes.

Happy to answer questions about the history or the production.