Brickwrecks: Eight LEGO models (including the Titanic) head to Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent
Some 170,463 bricks and 1,336.5 hours have gone into creating the eight wrecks
Photo credit Lovisa Brämming
Brickwrecks; Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks invites visitors of all ages to explore the tales of eight iconic shipwrecks, brought to life through eleven intricate, large-scale LEGO® models for a fantastic exhibition at The Historic Dockyard Chatham (opening 8th March 2025).
Some 170,463 bricks and 1,336.5 hours have gone into creating eight wrecks dating from the oldest known shipwreck in around 1300 BCE, to the iconic RMS TITANIC shipwreck of 1912, to 100 years on and the wrecking of the RENA , a container ship wrecked on New Zealand’s Astrolabe Reef in 2011.
Stand-out stories from marine archeology and marine disasters feature heavily in the exhibition that’s travelled from Australia, via Sweden, to premiere in the UK for the first time at The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent.
These meticulously crafted models range from 1 to 3 meters in length, showcasing varying scales and details that capture the history of each wreck.
Visitors will encounter renowned shipwrecks recreated with thousands of LEGO® bricks, including:
ULUBURUN: The oldest known shipwreck, dating from the Bronze Age to around 1300 BCE, discovered off the coast of Turkey. ULUBURUN brickwreck scene 26,563 LEGO bricks & 102 hours to make
SHINAN: A Chinese vessel that sank in 1323 near South Korea’s Shinan Islands; 10,345 bricks & 80 hours to create
VASA: The iconic Swedish warship, sunk in Stockholm harbour in 1628; VASA sinking includes 5,850 bricks and took 82 hours to create
BATAVIA: A Dutch trading ship that met its end in 1629 off Western Australia’s coast; 17,615 bricks and 186 hours to create
HMS PANDORA: Lost in 1791 while in pursuit of the Bounty mutineers on the Great Barrier Reef; PANDORA wreck 6,972 bricks and 120 hours to make
HMS TERROR & HMS EREBUS: Both wrecked in 1848 while seeking the Northwest Passage; 20,748 bricks and 103 hours to create
RMS TITANIC: The famed luxury liner that tragically sank in the North Atlantic in 1912;12,847 bricks and 113 hours to create
MV RENA: A Liberian container ship wrecked on New Zealand’s Astrolabe Reef in 2011. 16,734 bricks and 140 hours to create
