Shipwrecks of Tasmania
Apparently, shipwrecks are so common in Tasmania that there is an article dedicated to it. Why is this?
Well, Tasmania is well located in the Southern Hemisphere - it's near the 42nd parallel. This is a special part of the ocean - there is a very strong wind in the area called the "Roaring Forties". Sailors would use this wind (and still do) to get across the ocean very fast.
However, while fast winds can be a boon in some cases, they can be a death sentence in others. Tasmania is an island in this area. The thing about sea vessels - they don't do well with islands. In strong enough winds, boats will get thrown into parts of the Tasmanian island area and be destroyed by storms caused by the Roaring Forties.
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| Otago, on the coast of Otago, Tasmania https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otago,_Tasmania |
So who knows? Maybe we'll see some shipwrecks.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Forties
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipwrecks_of_Tasmania
That's so interesting about the roaring forties thing! Check out my blog post from one of the first weeks on one of the shipwrecks called Sydney Cove if you haven't already :) I thought the shipwreck thing was super cool too.
ReplyDeleteBrittany Hallawell