Douglas DC-3, Sólheimasandur Beach, near Vik, southern Iceland

Sitting in perfect isolation, this wreckage of a US Navy DC-3 dates back to 1973, when the aircraft was forced to crash- land here after it experienced uncontrollable ice build-up in flight. During the nights of the deep winter months, the Northern Lights often play across the Icelandic heavens above the shattered airframe.

Credit: Dreamstime (Simone Kesh) 

Rose, Montenegro

Hundreds of small fishing boats are lost globally each year to accident or disrepair, such as this one off the Montenegrin coast. Fishing fleets have also suffered from global commercial conditions, particularly regarding the depletion of fish stocks and the inability of small independent boats to compete with the large fishing companies.

Dreamstime (Peter Lasovic)

New Zealand Coast

The sand and the sea of the New Zealand coastline are steadily destroying this relatively modern family saloon car. Many vehicles worldwide are claimed by the sea each year, when their owners park them on a clear beach only to come back later and find them submerged in the tidal waters.

Shutterstock (Muhammad Mughal)

Akhalkalaki, Georgia

Showing a resourceful repurposing, Georgian engineers have converted this old train carriage into a functional river bridge, each end of the carriage set on concrete plinths. Such arrangements are not uncommon – carriage bridges are also seen in India and other parts of the world.

Fotolia (Vitaly Titov)

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Located in a high-altitude Andean plain, Uyuni is the desolate Bolivian graveyard for dozens of decrepit trains and carriages, many of them relics of the steam age. A large percentage of the trains found there were originally built in the United Kingdom and exported to South America in the 1800s and first half of the 20th century.

Dreamstime (Thomas Lusth)

Desdemona, Cabo San Pablo, Patagonia, Argentina

Apart from its rusted hue, the wreck of the cargo ship Desdemona still looks remarkably intact. The ship ran aground on 9 September 1985. Grounding can be a very destructive experience for a ship, but sometimes results in surprisingly little structural damage.

Dreamstime (Veronika Peskova)

All images taken from the book Abandoned Wrecks by Chris McNab published by Amber Books Ltd and available from bookshops and online booksellers now (RRP £19.99).