on march 13 1948, a british trawler was wrecked near djúpalónssandur beach in iceland, but because of the bad weather, it was impossible to reach the ship to rescue the crew. 14 people died that day, one washed ashore still alive, and four were rescued when the tide finally turned, by throwing a line from the nearby cliffs to the mast, and using a rescue seat to bring those sailors back to safety.
70 years later and the twisted iron is still strewn around the beach, a powerful memorial to this accident.
ps — also, this 99% invisible episode, which links to readtheplaque.com, a wonderful compendium of interesting places.