January 8

American seashores are preserved and the Calypso sinks in Singapore.

Tue, Jan 08 2013 at 6:00 AM

Jan. 8, 1971: The Gulf Islands National Seashore is established in Florida and Mississippi. The seashore preserves coastal islands along the heavily developed coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Jan. 8, 1979: The oil tanker Betelgeuse explodes and sinks at dockside in Bantry Bay, Ireland. Most of its cargo is recovered, but over 14,000 barrels of oil are spilled.

Jan. 8, 1996: Jacques Cousteau’s (at right) ship, the Calypso, is accidentally rammed and sunk in Singapore Harbor. The ship is raised, but its restoration is stalled by years of disputes between Cousteau’s family members after the captain dies in 1997.

Photo: Marty Lederhandler/AP

This feature is compiled by Peter Dykstra, an MNN contributor and publisher of Environmental Health News and The Daily Climate.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

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