What does a thousand luxury cars submerged underwater look like—and why were they even there in the first place? I’m going to tell you about several ships that met disasters at sea and ultimately destroyed billions of dollars’ worth of Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini vehicles. And the funniest part? In some cases, it was simply due to human greed.

Let’s start with one of the most famous cases: the Felicity Ace. On a day that could only be described as disastrous, a ship named Felicity Ace, 656 ft long, departed from Germany bound for the United States. Built in 2005, it could reach speeds of 22.3 knots and carry up to 6,611 tons of cargo—enough space for thousands of cars. But who could have predicted that this journey would be remembered forever?

On February 16, 2022, the Felicity Ace was sailing near the Azores, about 104 miles southwest of the islands, carrying over 4,000 luxury vehicles. By 9:00 AM, a fire broke out and quickly engulfed the ship. Despite efforts to extinguish it, the blaze raged on. All 22 crew members were successfully evacuated with the help of a commercial vessel and helicopters, but the Felicity Ace continued to burn for days while being towed. The ship eventually capsized and sank to a depth of 9,787 ft outside Portugal’s exclusive economic zone.

Thankfully, due to quick action from the Portuguese maritime authorities and the crew, everyone survived. The fire was finally extinguished on February 25. This incident serves as a reminder of the relentless struggle between humans and the forces of nature.

The financial loss, however, was staggering. The Felicity Ace was carrying vehicles valued at around $4 million, including a collection of Porsche, Audi, Bentley, and Lamborghini cars. Among them were 85 Lamborghinis—including 15 exclusive Aventador Ultimates that were no longer in production—189 Bentleys, and 1,110 Porsches. Rare cars included a 1977 Land Rover Santana, a Porsche 718 Boxer GTS 4.0, and a 1965 Honda Prelude SAR. Unfortunately, all of these vehicles were considered irretrievably lost.

The suspected cause of the fire was lithium-ion batteries in the electric cars aboard. These batteries are known to overheat and can spontaneously ignite, especially in confined spaces like a cargo ship. Water can make lithium battery fires worse, causing chemical reactions and reigniting residual heat. High temperatures can also release flammable gases, making the blaze extremely difficult and dangerous to control.

The environmental impact was also significant. The Felicity Ace sank near the Azores, a vital ecological hub for marine species including coral reefs, sharks, tuna, and dolphins. The area is also a migratory route for whales. Over 2,000 tons of fuel and other pollutants entered the water, threatening local marine ecosystems. Submerged batteries and fuel tanks continue to pose long-term environmental hazards as they degrade and release toxins, affecting marine life and biodiversity.

The financial loss alone exceeded a billion dollars. But was the Felicity Ace an isolated case? Not at all. Other incidents caused even greater losses, often due to human error.

For example, the MV Golden Ray carried 4,200 brand-new cars and suffered a major disaster off the U.S. coast in 2019. Overloading, particularly with heavy Kia SUVs placed improperly, caused the ship to list and eventually capsize 23 minutes after leaving port. The ship had approximately 4,300 vehicles on board, including Ram pickups, Chevrolet Blazers and Equinox SUVs, and Mercedes-Benz SUVs bound for Saudi Arabia. Investigations revealed that weight distribution errors and poor cargo placement were the main cause.

Then there was the Baltic Ace, a Dutch cargo ship carrying new Mitsubishi cars, which sank after colliding with the container ship Corvis J. The Baltic Ace capsized, resulting in the loss of six crew members and around 400 vehicles at the bottom of the North Sea. Luckily, the cars were insured, minimizing the financial impact, though deliveries were delayed.

Another case: the Highway Freemantle, carrying nearly 4,000 cars, caught fire in the cold North Sea, including 498 electric vehicles. One crew member tragically died after jumping into icy waters to escape the flames, which had spread rapidly. The fire was likely caused by a single EV battery explosion. The ship was eventually towed to a safe location in northern Netherlands after nearly a week of firefighting. Estimated damages reached around $1 billion.

The Sincerity Ace in 2018 faced a similar fate: 3,500 Nissan cars on board, a massive fire, and five missing crew members. The remaining 16 crew members survived, but all vehicles were lost, severely affecting deliveries to North America and forcing dealers to raise prices.

Finally, in modern times, the Costa Concordia disaster remains one of the most infamous maritime tragedies. On January 13, 2012, the cruise ship struck a reef near Giglio Island with 4,252 passengers on board. The collision, caused by a series of errors by Captain Francesco Schettino and the crew, led to the ship capsizing. Fortunately, thousands of lives were saved, but the ship was later salvaged and dismantled. Costa Crociere suffered nearly $1 billion in damages.

These incidents highlight the immense risks of maritime transport, the potential consequences of human error, and how even luxury and modern ships are vulnerable to disaster.