This Is the Best 3D Model of a Shipwreck We Have to Date

Shipwrecks are spooky, romantic things, so why settle for yellowed drawings from centuries ago to communicate their allure? A slick new model of a 19th century shipwreck in Thunder Bay, created with data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is totally rad, and will be a boon for marine archaeologists.

The above model (still just a draft) is just one of four new wreck models. The data was gathered on an expedition in July with new software and cameras, making them the best 3D images of shipwrecks we have to date, Kara Fox, a NOAA marine archaeologist, told me over the phone.

But these new models aren't just nice to look at; they could also reveal new insights about the storied wrecks over time.

"We're able to go down there on a couple dives and gather data on these shipwrecks, so we have a baseline understanding of this shipwreck for 2015," Fox said. "If we want to go back in five years and see how fast that wreck is deteriorating, now we can compare the two data sets. That's huge."

Even though the wreck definitely looks awesome and watching it surely makes for a decent enough lunchtime time-waster for shipwreck nerds, Fox added, "It's all about the science."

Scientists working in the NOAA's marine sanctuaries go out and make 3D scans of wrecks every year, Fox said, but the technology and diving techniques that let scientists go deeper and take better photos keep getting better.

"You always need more data," Fox said.