52 warships sank in a single day at Scapa Flow. June 21, 1919. Germany lost WWI. The Allies parked the German fleet in Scotland while they argued over who gets what. Admiral von Reuter didn't wait for the verdict. He gave a secret order and every crew opened their sea valves at once.

In 1864, French tourists took a train from Paris to watch a naval battle between two American Civil War ships off Cherbourg. Hotels were booked out. Spectators lined the cliffs. Manet painted it 26 days later from newspaper accounts alone.

170 years of history. Literally.