Military
CategoryForgotten military bases and abandoned hardware constitute many fascinating modern ruins, while educating us about our past and informing us of the heroic deeds carried out by previous generations across the world. Join us as we explore crumbling wartime airfields, isolated research stations, even top secret aircraft, and much more.
Cold War Relics: Soviet Military Jets Displayed at Omurtag Aviation Museum in Bulgaria
Occupying a commanding position overlooking the small Bulgarian town of Omurtag is the Park of Aviation and Aeronautics, a collection of largely Soviet-era military memorabilia.
Explore the Incredible Military and Merchant Ship Graveyard of the Red Sea
Known for its storms and reefs, the treacherous Red Sea is home to one of the world’s most spectacular ship graveyards, offering some of the best wreck diving in the world.
Wreck of Russian Battlecruiser Murmansk, Norway
The Murmansk was a Russian Sverdlov class cruiser built in 1955. Its impressive wreck lies off the coast of Norway between North Cape and Tromso.
Dismantling Vulcan XM652 at RAF Waddington
Though rather grainy, this rare image captures the beginning of the end for Avro Vulcan B.2 XM652, which was dismantled at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire during the early 1980s.
Russian Aircraft Graveyard, Moscow
This former museum turned aircraft graveyard is like a time capsule, a repository of corroding Cold War technology in the heart Moscow’s redeveloping urban landscape.
Russian Surveillance Ship Wreck, Red Sea
This ghostly shipwreck is that of a Russian Moma class surveillance vessel, one of many wrecks littering the floor of the Red Sea in what can only be described as a ship graveyard.
Crashed Harrier GR3, Goose Green, Falklands
Lying on the isolated Lafonia peninsula of East Falkland, this mangled tail section is all that remains of a No. 1 Squadron Harrier GR3 shot down during the battle of Goose Green.
Mothballed Sea Shadow Stealth Ship, Suisun Bay
Built in secret in 1984 by the Lockheed Skunk Works, the Sea Shadow was an experimental stealth ship funded by DARPA for potential US Navy service.
The Unintentional Aircraft Graveyard at Long Marston Airfield
Aircraft graveyards can be compelling and lead to atmospheric urbex photography, but it’s sad to see historic aircraft left to the mercy of vandals and the elements.
Military Aircraft Graveyard at Burgas Airport in Bulgaria
Abandoned planes and aircraft graveyards are popular subjects of urbex photography. This rusting Cold War collection, at Burgas Airport, is a hangover from Bulgaria’s membership of the Warsaw Pact.
Cold Warning: The Abandoned Radar Stations of the Arctic Circle
The Arctic’s proximity to the Soviet Union made Alaska, Canada and Greenland ideal locations for Cold War early warning radar stations – some now hauntingly abandoned.
Incredible Hulks: The Fearsome Prison Ships of the Former British Empire
Known as prison ships or “prison hulks”, these decomissioned vessels were used by Britain to house prisoners of war and those awaiting transportation to penal colonies, often in horrific conditions.
Suisun Bay’s Awesome Ghost Fleet Photographed from Above
California’s Suisun Bay has been home to the National Defense Reserve Fleet since the 1950s. These impressive images show the “ghost fleet” from the air, including the mighty battleship USS Iowa.
Tail Fin of Former Binbrook Gate Guard – Lightning XP748 – Sold on eBay
It’s been an interesting few months for lost aviation artifacts turning up on eBay! The latest is the tail fin of Lightning XP748, which sold for £308 twenty years after the remainder of the jet was scrapped.
Disused Historic Hangar at Floyd Bennett Field, New York City
Once New York City’s first municipal airfield, Floyd Bennett Field’s buildings are considered important examples of early aviation architecture. But despite their protected status, a number have fallen into disuse.