2. Holland III (Whitestone, Queens)
Though submarines move underwater, they can still sink. Originally a prototype by engineer John Holland, the U.S. Navy’s first formally commissioned submarine was completed in 1900. However, several prototypes existed before its completion. In 1883, a group of Irish republicans known as the Fenian Brotherhood — which financed Holland’s models — stole his prototype, Holland III, and another submarine due to a disagreement with Holland.
The Brotherhood tied the submarines to a ship and dragged them through New York Harbor. The Holland III started to leak near Whitestone Point in Queens, and the extra water weight broke its tether, sending it 110 feet to the sea floor. Despite attempts to organize recovery efforts, the Holland rests there today.