Mysterious Partial Shipwreck Discovered Off the Coast of Maine

With such a vast and deep ocean surrounding the state of Maine, there's bound to be a few secrets lurking beneath the choppy waters off the coast. One of those secrets has been at least partially discovered, as a portion of a potential shipwreck was found 100 miles off the coast of Maine.

According to the Independent Tribune, NOAA researchers were conducting a survey of Atlantic fish populations in the Gulf of Maine. To do so, they drop cameras deep into the ocean to gain a better view. During a random drop 100 miles off the coast of Maine, they discovered an old propeller amongst sea rocks, sea stars, and other sea floor creatures. A photo of the propeller was shared on Reddit by KimCureAll.

There's a pair of mysteries surrounding the discovery. The propeller found showed no signs of damage, and likely belonged to a ship that was 50 to 60 feet long. Without a propeller, the ship would be stuck in the open ocean in an area that doesn't see a whole lot of traffic. Did the ship sink? If it did, where's the rest of the shipwreck?

It's possible that the ship that lost the propeller was rescued at sea. It's also possible that the propeller was lost cargo when a ship encountered a storm. Where the propeller was discovered is close to the maritime line with Canada. It's also possible that the vessel was a Canadian one and its rescue came from Canada. With many unanswered questions, the mystery of how an intact propeller ended up on the ocean floor and what fate befell the ship it once belonged to remains curious.