The rocky East Coast of North America is dotted with islands and rocky shoals which have been a treacherous problem for ships since the beginning of cross-Atlantic seafaring. Many of the famous coastal shipwrecks are the result of sandbars – shifting, shallow mounds of sediment often hiding just beneath the surface of the water and impossible to detect at night. Ships run aground on the invisible sandbars, sometimes incurring serious damage and ending up beached when the tide rolls out.

A number of islands and coastal features, notorious for attracting shipwrecks due to their prevalence for sandbars, have received the ominous nickname “Graveyard of the Atlantic”.

1. Sable Island, Nova Scotia (Canada)

Sable Island is a narrow, 42 km long crescent-shaped barrier island¹ about 180 km off the coast of Nova Scotia. Perhaps the oldest and best documented of the Atlantic Graveyards, between 1583 and 1999 Sable Island lured over 350 ships to their doom.

Most of the shipwrecks have today been washed away or buried by the shifting sands, and the Google imagery of the island doesn’t include any visible wrecks; but the precarious sandbars are visible just off the island’s edges.

The government of Nova Scotia has produced a map listing the location, names, and dates of about 200 Sable Island shipwrecks which occurred between 1797 and 1946.

Sable Island today is a nature preserve, known as much for its wild horses and endemic species as for its dark nautical history.

2. Cape Cod, Massachusetts (USA)

Perhaps Massachusetts’ most noticeable geographic feature, Cape Cod is the large “hook” extending from the state’s south shore. Known today as a major seaside resort area, and the playground of New England’s upper classes, Cape Cod was one of the first places visited and settled by Europeans in the New World. As a result, it became a major shipping destination from colonial times through the 1800s.

While the long peninsula offers excellent protection from storms and heavy ocean currents to the inner waters of Cape Cod Bay, the interaction with the ocean generates many long, treacherous shoals. Over 3,000 ships are believed to have wrecked off the shore of Cape Cod between 1626 and 1898, including American War of Independence vessels like the decorated HMS Somerset. Over 20 lighthouses lie along Cape Cod’s eastern shoreline to warn navigators of the danger.

The sheer amount of shipwrecks on Cape Cod made it a haven for “mooncussers“, the pejorative term for scavengers who would, upon discovery of a wreck, rush out in skiffs and gather up any lost cargo and other goods, to then sell for their own profit. During this time the Cape became known as “Graveyard of Ships“.

Recently, the remains of a 19th century 50-foot schooner washed ashore on Newcomb Hollow Beach, well-preserved by the shifting sands for an estimated 90 years or more, so perhaps you’ll be the one to discover more undiscovered wrecks in the satellite imagery.

3. Outer Banks, North Carolina (USA)

From North Carolina to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia lies a series of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks. Like the long, curved shores of Sable Island and Cape Cod, this coastline has been responsible for over 1,000 shipwrecks dating as far back as 1526. Just like the others, this stretch of shore is also nicknamed “Graveyard of the Atlantic”, but it’s also home to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.

The coast between South Carolina and Virginia is lined with sunken vessels, many of them naval ships such as the most famous of the area’s shipwrecks, the USS Monitor, an early ironclad warship that saw action during the U.S. Civil War. The Association of Underwater Explorers has a map showing some of the most notable shipwrecks off the North Carolinian coast.

(Another area known for its shipwrecks is the Florida Keys, with hundreds of shipwrecks dating as far back as 1733. This area has not been granted the title “Graveyard of the Atlantic” but is known as Shipwreck Trail.)

You can read more about Sable Island, Cape Cod and the Outer Banks at Wikipedia.

Locations: Massachusetts, North Carolina, Nova Scotia / Categories: Islands, Watercraft

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Continuing our journey from east to west, looking at Canada’s grand railway hotels, we start in Toronto and the Royal York Hotel.

The largest Fairmount hotel in Canada, the Royal York is directly across the street from Union Station, still the departure point for trains which head across the country to Vancouver¹.

When it opened in 1929 the hotel was the tallest building in the British Empire, and it is typically where members of the Royal Family stay when visiting the city.

Hopping across the still-lacking-in-Street-View-imagery provinces, we head to Alberta and the Palliser Hotel in Calgary, located right next to the Calgary Tower.

Opened by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1914, the Palliser is now home to the CPR Pavilion, an exhibition showing the historical links between hotel and railway, including some vintage train cars². Once the tallest building in the city, the hotel is now dwarfed by skyscrapers that have sprung up in this oil-rich city.

Following the Street View car west we get to the Rocky Mountains, and two hotels that can perhaps be considered the grandest of the grand hotels. CPR President William Van Horne declared “If we can’t export the scenery, we’ll import the tourists”, and those tourists still flock to these hotels in huge numbers every year.

The Banff Springs Hotel opened in 1888 and was rebuilt 40 years later after a fire, though it took another 40 years after that for it to be made suitable for winter use.

The Banff Springs takes its name from the natural hot springs which rise in another part of the town – the hotel’s current spa is only ‘reminiscent’ of the natural springs!

Named a National Historic Site in 1992 (and located in the UNESCO World Heritage Banff National Park), the hotel is now a major ‘resort’ with a world-renowned golf course, huge conference centre, on-site staff housing and multiple accommodation wings for guests.

About 60km to the north-west is Chateau Lake Louise, which has also developed into resort status.

At the edge of a stunning glacier-blue lake, surrounded by soaring mountain peaks – this has to be one of the most scenic hotel locations in the world³, though it is amusing to see trail-ragged hikers wandering through the opulent surroundings after a long day’s walk. And despite its size, this hotel did not open year-round until the 1970s. Winter activities now include skiing and skating on the lake, as well as horse-drawn sleigh rides.

Finally to Vancouver, end (or beginning, depending on your direction of travel) of the cross-country train journey, and the Hotel Vancouver.

A joint construction by Canadian Pacific and Canadian National, the hotel is a short distance from the current VIA Rail station. It opened in 1939 with a visit from the King and Queen.

Similar to the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, the Hotel Vancouver housed the local CBC studios for a number of years.

We hope to conclude this series with the hotels in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Victoria – when Street View makes it to those cities.

Locations: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario / Categories: Buildings, Street Views

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It is often said that Canada was built on the railroad, with expansion of the train tracks from east to west ensuring that the population – particularly new immigrants – spread across the country. A network of grand railway hotels was created to encourage wealthy tourists to take the train. With the arrival of Google Street View in Canada, we’ll take a look at these hotels, starting with Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.

Opened in 1893, the hotel’s history is apparent the moment you step into the ornate wood-panelled lobby, while the exterior is typical of the style of hotels built by the Canadian Pacific Company, with soaring turrets and towers.

Its position atop a rock outcropping gives stunning views across the St Lawrence river from many of the rooms and makes it the dominating feature of the city’s skyline – see the view from the Old Town about 60m below.

The Chateau is now owned by the Fairmount hotel chain, as are most of the other grand hotels, including the Queen Elizabeth in Montreal.

The last railway hotel to be constructed (in 1958) before air travel became the preferred form of mass transit, it has a rather more modern architectural style. It is located directly above Montreal’s Central Station and is the largest hotel in Quebec with 1037 rooms.

This hotel is perhaps most famous as the location of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1969 Bed-In. They took up residence in room 1742 for a week, receiving the world’s media and many celebrities and other guests. The bed-in culminated with the recording of Give Peace a Chance.

The Queen Elizabeth was preceded in Montreal by two other – externally more elegant – hotels, both of which have now been converted for business or educational use: the Windsor Hotel and Place Viger. The Windsor Hotel was the first of the grand railway hotels, opening in 1878; it closed 103 years later. Place Viger opened 20 years later but closed in the economic depression of the 1930s.

In Ottawa the Chateau Laurier stands beside the Rideau Canal, just a few meters from Parliament Hill.

Originally located across the street from the train station¹, the hotel was commissioned by Charles Hays, chairman of the Grand Trunk Railway. Unfortunately Hays chose a ship called the Titanic to make the journey to the hotel’s opening celebration, which was subsequently delayed by a couple of months. Hays may have made the journey anyway, as a number of guests have reported seeing his ghost wandering the hallways!

Being in the nation’s capital, the hotel routinely plays host to visiting heads of state and other dignitaries. For 80 years it was also the home of the local CBC studios, while portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh had a studio and apartment in the hotel.

We’ll cover the rest of the country in part two of this post.

Thanks to Denis Gravel, Stephen Salomons and Dave.

Locations: Ontario, Quebec / Categories: Buildings, Street Views

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We’ve already found some great Street View sights, which you can see on our brand-new Street View page or even better, follow us on Twitter to get the latest sights the moment we find them.

Montreal’s Olympic stadium was one of the very first sights we posted to Google Sightseeing, when the site was just 3 days old. Now 4 and half years later, we get a much better view of the bizarre building and the world’s tallest inclined structure.

Outside the stunning Canadian Parliament building we can see Tamil protestors, calling for action on the Sri Lankan Civil War. They protested non-stop throughout most of April 2009.

Probably Canada’s most recognisable landmark, the CN Tower in Toronto can be spotted from miles around. This unique view, complete with truck about to crash into the tower, comes from the CTV’s television station.

The impressive Czech National Museum sits atop Prague’s Wenceslas Square. The facade had to undergo major repairs following severe gunfire damage during the 1968 Warsaw Pact intervention.

Have you found anything cool on the new Street View? Send us a tweet so we can tell the world!

Locations: Czech Republic, Ontario, Quebec / Categories: Street Views

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Le Nordais is split between two locations, and it is at Éole Cap-Chat on the Gaspé Peninsula that we find the Cap-Chat Wind Turbine, which at 110 metres is the tallest vertical-axis wind turbine in the world.

The “vertical axis” refers to the the main rotor shaft which runs vertically. One of the benefits of this arrangement is that the generators and gearboxes can be placed close to the ground, but more importantly, that vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT) do not need to be pointed into the wind.

The Cap-Chat turbine is actually a Darrieus wind turbine, and the reason we don’t see many of them is that despite the apparent benefits, the constantly changing direction of the forces applied to the spinning blades causes poor performance and reliability.

For these reasons Darrieus designs are no longer developed, but the torque issues were eventually solved by using a development of the Darrieus design that features a helical twist of the blades.

Great shadow though!

Official site, Ground-level pic, VAWTs on Wikipedia. Thanks to Benoit and Eric.

Locations: Quebec / Categories: Shadows, Structures, Towers

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While Canada is generally thought of as a land of ice and snow, it is home to one arid desert – the Osoyoos or Nk’Mip Desert of British Columbia.¹

Surrounding the community of Osoyoos, and the lake of the same name, this area of the Okanagan is home to desert plants and animals not found anywhere else in the country. It is one of the hottest and driest parts of Canada year-round, and some believe that Osoyoos Lake is the warmest in the world (though there are several competing claims for that title.)

The desert is characterised by barren hillsides and plains, bordered by lush green fields and orchards which survive with heavy irrigation.

For a small desert, it is surprisingly well endowed with visitor centres. The Osoyoos Desert Society has its Centre to the north-west of town, while the Nk’Mip Indian Band’s Desert Cultural Centre is “an architectural marvel sensitively constructed into a hillside” on the other side of the lake. At both, you can learn about the local flora and fauna through static displays and a network of trails

The Nk’Mip Band have also managed to carve a golf course out of the desert, with an associated resort and spa, while nearby is an estate of vineyards producing some of the wines for which the Okanagan is renowned.

Some distance out of town, the desert even has a salt lake, called – not surprisingly – Spotted Lake. The spots appear when water evaporates, leaving rich mineral deposits behind.

Panoramio has a good selection of pictures of Canada’s Desert.

Locations: British Columbia / Categories: Buildings, Deserts, Natural Landmarks

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From: “deryk houston” <xxx@xxxxxx.com>
Date: 18 Apr 2005 02:40:26 -0000
To: <xxx@xxxxxx.com>, <xxx@xxxxxx.com>
Subject: [Google Sightseeing] Contact Form

I constructed a peace sanctuary on the foothills of the Rocky mountains in British Columbia. I used a forty-two ton bulldozer to move hundreds of tons of gravel to form the lines of a mother and child. A primitive drawing. The image is a thousand feet across. It is located near the Bennet dam in northeastern BC. on Portage mountain.

Could you help me find a photo of it from space? The project was completed two years ago. (It is actually an ongoing project but the main image is completed. The National film board of Canada did a documentary on it called “From Baghdad to Peace Country“.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Deryk Houston

Well Deryk, it may have taken 4 years, but Google did eventually add high-resolution imagery of the area to Maps and Earth, meaning that we have finally been able to find your peace sanctuary.

During further correspondence with Deryk, he sent me this image he took of the site from a light aircraft, which clearly shows the two faces, a dove, and a hand.

Until someone launches live satellite imagery, there will always be some sort of waiting period for imagery to be updated. However, perhaps the brand-new Geoeye-1 satellite will at least reduce the waiting time to a matter of months? Or maybe even days?

Deryk’s official site has more info on the Peace Sanctuary project.

Locations: British Columbia / Categories: Monuments

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After 43 years of service to British and US forces, the base was closed in 1993. Today the runways, taxiways and stands are home to countless¹ thousands of cars and other vehicles. Just off the main runway we can even see a transport truck delivering or removing some vehicles.

Further west, Royal Portbury Dock in Bristol handles well over half a million vehicles every year, with areas dedicated to many of the major car manufacturers.

Many of the vehicles have white plastic covers to protect the bodywork during shipping. And on the quayside cars are being loaded onto a ship for transport.

Although there’s always one person who doesn’t read the memo about colour-coordinated parking, isn’t there?

In the port of Vancouver we find a similar operation, with the north-eastern end of Annacis Island serving as a rail / sea terminal for vehicles.

We see rail cars and a ship with ramps deployed to receive or unload vehicles.

And again, there’s always one…

Where are the largest car parks in your part of the world?

Thanks to Gareth Smart and Fabio Ferrari.

Locations: British Columbia, England / Categories: Other Vehicles

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The arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere leads to flood alerts in many areas as snow melts and rivers rise. The Red River is renowned for causing flooding in the US states of North Dakota and Minnesota.

It is Winnipeg, however, that is most threatened by this river. A terrible flood in 1950 led to construction of the Floodway from 1962 to 1968. At the time it was the world’s largest earth-moving project, bigger even than the Suez Canal. Since completion it has been used more then 20 times to protect the city’s almost 700,000 residents from flooding.

Control gates south of the city divert water into the Floodway when forecasts indicate that flooding could occur. The channel and dikes can contain flood water flowing at 2,550 cubic metres per second safely around the city and back to the river at Lockport.

The 1997 flood tested the Floodway and other dikes to their limit. Construction is currently underway to expand the channel to a capacity of 4,000 cubic metres per second. This would accommodate a “1 in 700 year event” in the terminology of the Floodway Authority.

The CBC Archives have good information about the 1950 flood and the construction of the Floodway.

Other flood-prevention systems previously featured on Google Sightseeing include the Thames Barrier in England and the Delta Works in the Netherlands.

Thanks to Daryl.

Locations: Manitoba / Categories: Natural Landmarks, Structures

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With all the other weirdness in Arizona, these symbols could only be alien communications, right? The reality is that they were created by Forest Service employees. While they were indeed thinking of how they looked from the air (do I see a face with a Picasso influence?), the intent was to improve water collection in this mostly dry pond known as Duck Lake.

Secondly, in central New Brunswick we find this network of varying zigzag lines:

I cannot come up with any explanation for this one. Aliens again? Some kind of scientific research?

Lastly, a triangular network of ponds in Maryland:

Occult practices? Yet more aliens?

If you have explanations for the last two, do let us know. And of course if you know of weird waterways in your part of the world, we’d love to see them!

Thanks to Sean McCabe, Bully, Bob and Troy Stanley.

Locations: Arizona, Maryland, New Brunswick / Categories: Weirdness

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