Wreck of the Serendipity

The  is a location featured in Red Dead Redemption in the Great Plains region of the West Elizabeth territory. It is situated at a decrepit port on Flat Iron Lake.

Background
The Serendipity is a large steamboat which has partially sunk and settled on the lake-bed, with most of the ship above the waterline. What caused the sinking of the Serendipity is unknown.

In the Edgar Ross mission "Bear One Another's Burdens", Marston must rescue a government informant named Nastas from the Serendipity. During the mission, Edgar Ross comments about the boat being a criminal hideout for many years.

Theories
What really happened to the Serendipity is unknown, though there are some theories:


 * It may be just that the ship was taken out of service and left to rot.
 * As a campfire story tells, the ship crashed in the Mexican cliffs east of Thieves' Landing and was raided by Mexican soldiers before being towed back to American waters.
 * There is also the possibility that the ship was raided, destroyed and looted by Walton's Gang according to what a gang member mentions in Armadillo. However, Walton's gang does not operate in this area.
 * Another campfire story was told in the Great Plains says that the ship's captain cheated on his wife and she destroyed the boat along with herself, him, and all the passengers.
 * A third campfire tale says that the ship crashed in a shallow area of Flat Iron Lake in very thick fog. The ship was stuck there three days because the current and the wind prevented any boat from rescuing them. On the fourth day, a ship finally reached the Serendipity soon to find out that the passengers and crew had mysteriously disappeared. The rescue boat towed the boat to the pier and left it to decay from the elements.

Trivia

 * The Serendipity is an American Sternwheel Steamboat [AMSS].
 * According to some campfire tales, the Serendipity is haunted every Thursday night.
 * In "Bear One Another's Burdens", it's mentioned that the place is usually filled with low-lives, but when visited before or after the mission, there is nobody present at the wreck.
 * The wreck seems to be covered with algae and seaweed, and is also decaying. This suggests that the ship was sunk in deeper waters but was then hoisted up from the water and dragged to the dock.
 * NPCs will occasionally mention hearing that the wreck is supposed to be "restored to her former glory". However, no mention is made of who will be restoring the steamboat.
 * Horses will occasionally fall from the nearby cliffs.
 * The wreck can be seen from Thieves' Landing, and vice versa.
 * In Multiplayer, the wreck is an excellent place to hide out with Public Enemy active - the only point of access, the jetty, can be covered from the top deck. However, accurate snipers may be able to shoot from the opposite shore.
 * On the top deck in front of the wheelhouse is a bell which can be rung by bumping into it or firing at it.
 * The ship could possibly be a homage to "Gun", the first sandbox western game. In the beginning, a boat that looks similar to the Serendipity is wrecked.
 * Serendipity means pleasent suprise and can also mean finding something good or useful without looking for it, in this sense this could be a reference to "Bear One Another's Burdens" in which Nastas is found on the ship who wasn't expected to be found on the ship and later proves useful in defeating Dutch.

Achievements/Trophies
The discovery of locations in Red Dead Redemption count towards the following Trophies/Achievements:

Wreck of the Serendipity