Lego Pieces from 1997 Shipwreck Still Washing Ashore Nearly Three Decades Later

The 'Great Lego Spill'

It is not usual to hear about a huge chunk of Legos floating on ocean waters, but that is exactly what happened nearly three decades ago. In 1997, the United Kingdom's southwestern coast became flooded with Lego toys. The vessel, Tokio Express, carrying a container of Lego toys was hit by a "once-in-a-century" wave, Live Science reported. Sixty-two shipping containers came tumbling from the waters, one of which dumped nearly five million plastic Lego pieces into the ocean. This event went on to be known as the 'Great Lego Spill.' To this date, Lego pieces from the vessel appear on beaches in Cornwall.

Tokio Express

In 1997, Lego pieces were loaded onto the vessel 'Tokio Express' from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Cornwall Live reported. The vessel was bound for New York, but about 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the coast of western Cornwall, was hit by a wave. As per records, 4,756,940 Lego pieces were lost in the sea due to the disaster, of which the majority were light enough to float. According to the captain of the vessel, the wave hit them on February 13, BBC reported. He added that the wave was a "once in a 100-year phenomenon" which caused the ship to tilt 60 degrees in one direction and then 40 degrees in the opposite direction. 

Nautical Legos

Many legos in the vessel were inspired by the water kingdom and nautical life, Live Science reported. There were Lego pieces of octopuses, life jackets, scuba tanks, diving fins, and pirate cutlasses, according to British beachcomber and writer, Tracey Williams, author of "Adrift: The Curious Tale of the Lego Lost at Sea." The author claims that she and her family have collected thousands of Legos spilled from the 1997 disaster, in their visits to various beaches in the Cornwall area.  Williams also handles a Facebook page where people can post pictures of Lego pieces they suspect to be from the 1997 spillage. Other Legos resembling flowers, "witches' brooms" and dragons were also in the spillage.

Where Are the Legos?

US oceanographer, Curtis Ebbesmeyer, has tracked the Lego spill for decades, BBC reported. As per his analysis, the toys could have drifted 62,000 miles from their sinking location by now. He added that they could be on any beach worldwide and may continue to float for centuries. "The most profound lesson I've learned from the Lego story is that things that go to the bottom of the sea don't always stay there," Ebbesmeyer shared. "Tracking currents is like tracking ghosts - you can't see them. You can only see where flotsam started and where it ended up."

Polluting the Ocean

Various researchers believe that Legos in oceans and forests can have deadly consequences for the lives of animals in oceans and forests, BBC reported. Legos are predominantly made from plastic which does not decompose easily. Breaking down of plastics in the waters impacts animals' hormones and disrupts their reproduction, according to the American Chemical Society, Live Science reported. Scientists analyzed weathered beach Legos using  X-ray fluorescence and found that it would take another 1,300 years for the toys from the beach to decompose.