The Adriatic’s Titanic, the Baron Gautsch, Turns 100 (Photos)
Two years after history’s most famous shipwreck, the Baron Gautsch strayed into a friendly minefield off modern-day Croatia and sank. Today it’s the Adriatic’s most popular dive site.
Antonio Bronic/Reuters
Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Baron Gautsch, an Austro-Hungarian steamboat that sank in the northern Croatian Adriatic Sea. The ship, launched in 1908 and originally used to service passenger lines, had been leased by the Austro-Hungarian army following the July 1914 outbreak of World War I to transport troops, only to run into a friendly minefield off the Brijuni Islands less than a month later. Between 240 and 390 people died in the sinking, making it one of the biggest losses of life in World War I. Today the shipwreck lies at a depth of 130 feet off the Croatian city of Rovinj and is said to be the most popular site for divers in the Adriatic.
At left, a diver swims near the command bridge of the wreck on June 22.
Antonio Bronic/Reuters
A diver swims near the bow of the wreck.
Antonio Bronic/Reuters
A diver swims inside the wreck.
Antonio Bronic/Reuters
A part of the wreck.
Antonio Bronic/Reuters
The upper deck of the wrecked Baron Gautsch.
Antonio Bronic/Reuters
The interior of the wreck of the Baron Gautsch.
Antonio Bronic/Reuters
The Baron Gautsch at work.
Wikipedia Commons
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.