Airplane and ship cemeteries around the world

This site contains decommissioned commercial aircraft that have been converted into living spaces. The aircraft fuselages have been transformed into residential units in a Bangkok neighborhood, where several families reside. The repurposing of these retired planes demonstrates a form of urban reuse in a densely populated city.

The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet consists of dozens of decommissioned military and commercial vessels anchored in the shallow waters of the bay. This fleet serves as a national defense reserve for the United States and is managed by the Maritime Administration. The ships are maintained for potential emergency use, though some are eventually released for scrapping or sale. The Suisun Bay location was chosen for its protected waters and favorable conditions for long-term vessel storage.

Carhenge is a replica of Stonehenge created from 39 automobiles painted gray. The installation was built in 1987 by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father. The vehicles are arranged to mirror the structure of the prehistoric monument in England. Carhenge includes a circle of upright cars and horizontal vehicles serving as capstones. The sculpture stands in the Nebraska prairie and functions as a tourist attraction and an example of artistic reuse of retired automobiles.

This facility in the Arizona desert houses more than 4000 military and civilian aircraft. The dry desert climate with low humidity protects metal structures from corrosion and enables long-term storage of decommissioned aircraft. The site serves as a reserve depot for spare parts and preserves aircraft for potential reactivation or later dismantling.

This ship breaking yard in Chittagong ranks among the largest facilities of its kind worldwide. Decommissioned commercial vessels are manually dismantled here, with steel plates, engines, cables and other salvageable components recovered for resale. The operations take place directly on the beach, where ships are pulled onto the sand during high tide and subsequently dismantled in multiple stages. The recovered materials supply the local steel industry and support numerous recycling businesses in the region.

The Roswell Aircraft Storage facility covers 300 hectares in southeastern New Mexico and serves as a storage and maintenance site for retired commercial and military aircraft. The facility takes advantage of the region's dry desert climate, which slows corrosion of aircraft structures. Aircraft from various airlines and military organizations are parked, maintained, or prepared for potential return to service here. The facility also provides dismantling and recycling services for decommissioned planes.

The cemetery of Trunyan belongs to the Bali Aga ethnic group, considered descendants of the original inhabitants of Bali. This community practices a particular burial method where the deceased are neither cremated nor buried. The bodies are placed on the ground beneath a large banyan tree and covered with bamboo structures. The tree is believed to neutralize the odors of decomposition. This tradition differs fundamentally from the Hindu cremation practices common throughout the rest of Bali. The cemetery is located on the shore of Lake Batur and can only be reached by boat.

This site serves as a storage area for hundreds of contaminated vehicles deployed during the cleanup operations following the 1986 reactor disaster. Helicopters, fire trucks, heavy machinery and bulldozers stand abandoned here, their high radiation levels making removal impossible. The vehicles continue to rust in the open air and remain part of the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear power plant.

This ship graveyard lies in Arthur Kill, a tidal strait separating Staten Island from New Jersey. Over one hundred rusted hulls from different eras have rested there for decades. Most vessels date from the early 20th century and were towed here after their service ended. Steamships, tugboats, barges, and cargo ships form this industrial accumulation. The site sits on private property and remains closed to the public. The wrecks gradually sink into the mud and become overgrown with vegetation.

The McBarge was built in 1986 as a floating McDonald's pavilion for the World Exposition Expo 86 in Vancouver. This hexagonal structure of concrete and steel housed a fast-food restaurant during the six-month event and welcomed thousands of visitors. After the exposition ended, the structure remained without commercial use and was moored in Burrard Inlet for years before being towed to various waterways in the region. Despite several renovation projects and reuse proposals over the decades, the building has remained abandoned and anchored in place.

This ship graveyard extends along the coast of Nouadhibou and contains over 300 shipwrecks that have accumulated since the 1980s. The wrecks include fishing vessels, cargo ships and other maritime vessels abandoned due to economic crises, changing fishing regulations or technical failures. The rusting hulls protrude from the shallow waters of the bay and form one of the largest ship graveyards in the world.

This tank graveyard on the outskirts of Asmara contains hundreds of abandoned military vehicles from the Eritrean War of Independence against Ethiopia, which lasted from 1961 to 1991. Soviet-made tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery pieces, and trucks of various origins lie scattered across an expansive field. The metal wrecks deteriorate under the intense sun, forming a collection of military relics that testify to three decades of armed conflict. The vehicles mainly originate from former Ethiopian army stocks and were left here following Eritrean independence in 1993. This site documents the military history of the region and the material remnants of a prolonged conflict.

This open-air railway museum gathers over 100 locomotives and wagons from the mining era, abandoned since the 1940s in the salt desert at 3700 meters altitude. The vehicles date from the heyday of mining operations, when trains transported minerals from the Andean mines for processing. The Cementerio de Trenes is located approximately three kilometers outside Uyuni and clearly shows the effects of the saline environment on metal.

The Båstnäs Car Cemetery spreads across several hectares of Swedish forest and contains approximately 1000 vehicles of various makes and eras. The collection began in the 1950s when a scrap dealer started storing decommissioned cars on his property. The vehicles, including Volvo, Saab, Ford and other European models from the post-war period, have been gradually reclaimed by nature. Today this site offers an unusual testimony to Scandinavian automotive history, with trees growing through hoods and moss covering the rusted bodywork.

This technical museum houses a major collection of historic vehicles and aircraft. Two supersonic planes stand on the roof of the main building: an Air France Concorde and a Tupolev TU-144. Both aircraft can be visited from the inside. The exhibition features over 3,000 items tracing the history of mobility and technology, including automobiles, locomotives, motorcycles, and military vehicles. The museum opened in 1981 and attracts numerous visitors each year.

Phoenix-Goodyear Airport served as a storage facility for surplus military aircraft of the United States Armed Forces after World War II. This installation functioned as a temporary location for decommissioned aircraft awaiting further use, dismantling, or scrapping. The airport played an important role in postwar military aviation resource management and documents the logistical challenges of demobilization after 1945.

Mojave Spaceport serves as a storage facility for retired commercial aircraft in the dry desert climate of California. The low humidity and minimal precipitation in this region provide optimal conditions for long-term aircraft preservation. The facility enables the conservation of aircraft for potential future reuse, parts harvesting, or final dismantling. Numerous aircraft of various types and generations are parked across the extensive grounds.

Kingman Airport operates as one of the largest aircraft storage and dismantling facilities for retired commercial aircraft in the United States. The dry desert climate of the Mojave region slows corrosion and facilitates the preservation of parked aircraft. Numerous airlines use this facility for temporary storage or complete disassembly of their planes. Dismantled components are sorted, with reusable parts sold as spare components and materials such as aluminum directed to recycling operations.

Southern California Logistics Airport serves as a long-term parking facility for retired commercial aircraft. Located in the Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles, the site takes advantage of the dry climate to preserve stored planes. Numerous airlines park their decommissioned Boeing and Airbus aircraft here before they are either returned to service, dismantled, or sold to other operators.

Pinal Airpark is a facility in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona dedicated to aircraft maintenance, storage, and disassembly. The site takes advantage of the dry desert climate, which slows corrosion and allows for extended storage periods. Retired commercial aircraft are dismantled here, parts are salvaged, and planes are preserved for potential return to service or component recovery.

Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage operates a facility for long-term storage of commercial aircraft in the Northern Territory. The region's dry climate protects aircraft structures from corrosion during periods of inactivity. The facility accommodates aircraft withdrawn from active service by airlines, whether for temporary storage during economic downturns or for permanent retirement. Aircraft are parked on hardstand surfaces and prepared according to technical requirements for preservation.

This air base serves as a storage facility for retired French military aircraft. The installation manages numerous aircraft of various types that have been withdrawn from active service. The machines are stored here before being either dismantled or used for parts recovery. Air Base 279 Châteaudun plays an important role in managing the lifecycle of military aircraft in France.

Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport operates a specialized facility for the storage and dismantling of retired commercial aircraft. The installation receives planes from European airlines as well as from other continents and processes them systematically. The site serves as a location for the recycling and disassembly of aircraft that have reached the end of their operational life.

Teruel Airport operates as a storage and maintenance facility for European commercial aircraft temporarily or permanently withdrawn from service. The site provides parking spaces for numerous wide-body aircraft and features technical facilities for aircraft preservation, maintenance and dismantling. The dry climate of the Aragon region facilitates long-term storage and reduces corrosion risks for parked aircraft.

Tripoli International Airport suffered extensive damage during the Libyan civil conflicts and now houses numerous destroyed and decommissioned aircraft across its grounds. The infrastructure shows significant damage to runways, terminals, and hangars. Many civilian aircraft were destroyed or looted during the fighting. The site serves partly as an involuntary aircraft graveyard, where damaged planes from various airlines were abandoned.

Abilene Regional Airport operates a storage and dismantling facility for retired commercial aircraft on its grounds. This installation enables the recovery of aircraft parts and materials following the decommissioning of commercial planes. The West Texas location provides suitable climatic conditions for outdoor aircraft storage during the disassembly process.

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base operates the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, the largest aircraft storage facility in the world. Spanning over 1,000 hectares, this installation houses more than 4,000 retired military aircraft. The dry desert climate of Arizona prevents corrosion and allows for long-term preservation of the planes. This facility serves multiple purposes: strategic reserve storage, spare parts harvesting, and controlled material recycling. Some aircraft can be returned to service after maintenance and upgrades.

This museum houses a collection of military aircraft from various periods of aviation history. The exhibition includes fighter planes, bombers, and transport aircraft preserved in the Arizona desert. Visitors can view aircraft from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The dry desert climate provides excellent conditions for preserving the metal structures.

These aircraft boneyards in the Sonoran Desert climate serve as storage for decommissioned commercial and military aircraft. The dry conditions slow corrosion and allow for long-term preservation of the machines. The facilities are used for parts recovery, potential aircraft reactivation, or systematic material recycling. Several thousand aircraft of various types occupy these expansive sites.

The Gadani ship-breaking yard is located on the Balochistan coast and ranks among the largest facilities of its kind worldwide. Decommissioned commercial vessels, tankers and cargo ships are beached here and manually dismantled by teams of workers. Steel, copper, aluminum and other recoverable materials are systematically extracted and supplied to the local recycling industry. Working conditions are considered difficult and environmental impacts from pollutants such as asbestos and oil residues are substantial.

This aircraft boneyard at Marana Regional Airport serves as a storage facility for commercial and private aircraft. The site takes advantage of Arizona's dry desert climate for long-term preservation of retired planes. Many aircraft stored here are systematically dismantled to recover spare parts for other operational aircraft. The facility houses dozens of planes from various manufacturers and models, arranged in long rows across the property.

This coastal area along Arthur Kill Road contains several rusted ship hulls partially submerged in the water. The wrecks originate from different periods of maritime navigation and were abandoned or moored here. They rest along the shoreline and serve as testimony to local maritime history. The structures show signs of saltwater corrosion and tidal action, continuously changing through natural erosion processes.

Manas International Airport maintains a storage area where decommissioned passenger and cargo aircraft from the Soviet era await dismantling or reuse. These planes are parked on the grounds, where they remain until their components can be salvaged or the aircraft are broken down. The site serves as a holding facility for various aircraft types that have ended their operational service.

This port area in Al Hudaydah serves as a dismantling facility for decommissioned tankers. The vessels are beached and systematically broken down, with metals and other recoverable materials being extracted. The demolition operations take place along the coastline, where multiple tankers can be processed simultaneously.

This underwater storage site contains wrecks of military aircraft that crashed during US Navy training flights on Lake Michigan during World War II. The aircraft carriers USS Sable and USS Wolverine served as floating training platforms for naval pilots. Between 1942 and 1945, approximately one hundred aircraft were lost during landing exercises. The wrecks rest at depths between 30 and 90 meters on the lake bed and represent a marine archive of military aviation history.

The James River Reserve Fleet consists of decommissioned US Navy vessels anchored along the James River. These ships await either dismantling or potential reactivation for national defense purposes. The fleet serves as a strategic reserve and includes various types of vessels from different periods of American naval history. The administrative center is located near Fort Eustis in Virginia, where the ships are maintained under the supervision of the Maritime Administration.