Disasters
Some Notable Shipwrecks Since 1850

Disasters are reported as of mid-1994.
(Figures indicate estimated lives lost)
1854, Mar.-City of Glasgow; British steamer missing in N Atlantic; 480.
1854, Sept. 27-Arctic; U.S. (Collins Line) steamer sunk in collision with French steamer Vesta near Cape Race; 285-351.
1856, Jan. 23-Pacific; U.S. (Collins Line) steamer missing in N Atlantic; 186-286.
1858, Sept. 23-Austria; German steamer destroyed by fire in N Atlantic; 471.
1863, Apr. 27-Anglo-Saxon; British steamer wrecked at Cape Race; 238.
1865, Apr. 27-Sultana; a Mississippi River steamer blew up near Memphis, Tenn.; 1,450.
1869, Oct. 27-Stonewall; steamer burned on Mississippi River below Cairo, Ill.; 200.
1870, Jan. 25-City of Boston; British (Inman Line) steamer vanished between New York and Liverpool; 177.
1870, Oct. 19-Cambria; British steamer wrecked off N Ireland; 196.
1872, Nov. 7-Mary Celeste; U.S. half-brig sailed from New York for Genoa; found abandoned in Atlantic 4 weeks later in mystery of sea; crew never heard from; loss of life unknown.
1873, Jan. 22-Northfleet; British steamer foundered off Dungeness, England; 300.
1873, Apr. 1-Atlantic; British (White Star) steamer wrecked off Nova Scotia; 585.
1873, Nov. 23-Ville du Havre; French steamer, sunk after collision with British sailing ship Loch Earn; 226.
1875, May 7-Schiller; German steamer wrecked off Scilly Isles; 312.
1875, Nov. 4-Pacific; U.S. steamer sunk after collision off Cape Flattery; 236.
1878, Sept. 3-Princess Alice; British steamer sank after collision in Thames River; 700.
1878, Dec. 18-Byzantin; French steamer sank after Dardanelles collision; 210.
1881, May 24-Victoria; steamer capsized in Thames River, Canada; 200.
1883, Jan. 19-Cimbria; German steamer sunk in collision with British steamer Sultan in North Sea; 389.
1887, Nov. 15-Wah Yeung; British steamer burned at sea; 400.
1890, Feb. 17-Duburg; British steamer wrecked, China Sea; 400.
1890, Sept. 19-Ertogrul; Turkish frigate foundered off Japan; 540.
1891, Mar. 17-Utopia; British steamer sank in collision with British ironclad Anson off Gibraltar; 562.
1895, Jan. 30-Elbe; German steamer sank in collision with British steamer Craithie in North Sea; 332.
1895, Mar. 11-Reina Regenta; Spanish cruiser foundered near Gibraltar; 400.
1898, Feb. 15-Maine; U.S. battleship blown up in Havana Harbor; 260.
1898, July 4-La Bourgogne; French steamer sunk in collision with British sailing ship Cromartyshire off Nova Scotia; 549.
1898, Nov. 26-Portland; U.S. steamer wrecked off Cape Cod; 157.
1904, June 15-General Slocum; excursion steamer burned in East River, New York City; 1,030.
1904, June 28-Norge; Danish steamer wrecked on Rockall Island, Scotland; 620.
1906, Aug. 4-Sirio; Italian steamer wrecked off Cape Palos, Spain; 350.
1908, Mar. 23-Matsu Maru; Japanese steamer sank in collision near Hakodate, Japan; 300.
1909, Aug. 1-Waratah; British steamer, Sydney to London, vanished; 300.
1910, Feb. 9-General Chanzy; French steamer wrecked off Minorca, Spain; 200.
1911, Sept. 25-Liberté; French battleship exploded at Toulon; 285.
1912, Mar. 5-Principe de Asturias; Spanish steamer wrecked off Spain; 500.
1912, Apr. 14-15-Titanic; British (White Star) steamer hit iceberg in N Atlantic; 1,503.
1912, Sept. 28-Kichemaru; Japanese steamer sank off Japanese coast; 1,000.
1914, May 29-Empress of Ireland; British (Canadian Pacific) steamer sunk in collision with Norwegian collier in St. Lawrence River; 1,014.
1915, May 7-Lusitania; British (Cunard Line) steamer torpedoed and sunk by German submarine off Ireland; 1,198.
1915, July 24-Eastland; excursion steamer capsized in Chicago River; 812.
1916, Feb. 26-Provence; French cruiser sank in Mediterranean; 3,100.
1916, Mar. 3-Principe de Asturias; Spanish steamer wrecked near Santos, Brazil; 558.
1916, Aug. 29-Hsin Yu; Chinese steamer sank off Chinese coast; 1,000.
1917, Dec. 6-Mont Blanc, Imo; French ammunition ship and Belgian steamer collided in Halifax Harbor; 1,600.
1918, Apr. 25-Kiang-Kwan; Chinese steamer sank in collision off Hankow; 500.
1918, July 12-Kawachi; Japanese battleship blew up in Tokayama Bay; 500.
1918, Oct. 25-Princess Sophia; Canadian steamer sank off Alaskan coast; 398.
1919, Jan. 17-Chaonia; French steamer lost in Straits of Messina, Italy; 460.
1919, Sept. 9-Valbanera; Spanish steamer lost off Florida coast; 500.
1921, Mar. 18-Hong Kong; steamer wrecked in South China Sea; 1,000.
1922, Aug. 26-Niitaka; Japanese cruiser sank in storm off Kamchatka, USSR; 300.
1927, Oct. 25-Principessa Mafalda; Italian steamer blew up, sank off Porto Seguro, Brazil; 314.
1928, Nov. 12-Vestris; British steamer sank in gale off Virginia; 113.
1934, Sept. 8-Morro Castle; U.S. steamer, Havana to New York, burned off Asbury Park, N.J.; 134.
1939, May 23-Squalus; U.S. submarine sank off Portsmouth, N.H.; 26.
1939, June 1-Thetis; British submarine, sank in Liverpool Bay; 99.
1942, Feb. 18-Truxtun and Pollux; U.S. destroyer and cargo ship ran aground, sank off Newfoundland; 204.
1942, Oct. 2-Curacao; British cruiser sank after collision with liner Queen Mary; 338.
1944, Dec. 17-18-3 U.S. Third Fleet destroyers sank during typhoon in Philippine Sea; 790.
1947, Jan. 19-Himera; Greek steamer hit a mine off Athens; 392.
1947, Apr. 16-Grandcamp; French freighter exploded in Texas City, Tex., Harbor, starting fires; 510.
1948, Nov.-Chinese army evacuation ship exploded and sunk off S Manchuria; 6,000.
1948, Dec. 3-Kiangya; Chinese refugee ship wrecked in explosion S of Shanghai; 1,100+.
1949, Sept. 17-Noronic; Canadian Great Lakes Cruiser burned at Toronto dock; 130.
1952, Apr. 26-Hobson and Wasp; U.S. destroyer and aircraft carrier collided in Atlantic; 176.
1954, Sept. 26-Toya Maru; Japanese ferry sank in Tsugaru Strait, Japan; 1,172.
1956, July 26-Andrea Doria and Stockholm; Italian liner and Swedish liner collided off Nantucket; 51.
1957, July 14-Eshghabad; Soviet ship ran aground in Caspian Sea; 270.
1961, July 8-Save; Portuguese ship ran aground off Mozambique; 259.
1962, Apr. 8-Dara; British liner exploded and sunk in Persian Gulf; 236.
1963, Apr. 10-Thresher; U.S. Navy atomic submarine sank in N Atlantic; 129.
1964, Feb. 10-Voyager, Melbourne; Australian destroyer sank after collision with Australian aircraft carrier Melbourne off New South Wales; 82.
1965, Nov. 13-Yarmouth Castle; Panamanian registered cruise ship burned and sank off Nassau; 90.
1967, July 29-Forrestal; U.S. aircraft carrier caught fire off N Vietnam; 134.
1968, Jan. 25-Dakar; Israeli submarine vanished in Mediterranean Sea; 69.
1968, Jan. 27-Minerve; French submarine vanished in Mediterranean; 52.
1968, late May-Scorpion; U.S. nuclear submarine sank in Atlantic near Azores; 99 (located Oct. 31).
1969, June 2-Evans; U.S. destroyer cut in half by Australian carrier Melbourne, S China Sea; 74.
1970, Mar. 4-Eurydice; French submarine sank in Mediterranean near Toulon; 57.
1970, Dec. 15-Namyong-Ho; South Korean ferry sank in Korea Strait; 308.
1974, May 1-Motor launch capsized off Bangladesh; 250.
1974, Sept. 26-Soviet destroyer burned and sank in Black Sea; 200+.
1976, Oct. 20-George Prince and Frosta; ferryboat and Norwegian tanker collided on Mississippi R. at Luling, La.; 77.
1976, Dec. 25-Patria; Egyptian liner caught fire and sank in the Red Sea; c. 100.
1979, Aug. 14-23 yachts competing in Fastnet yacht race sunk or abandoned during storm in S Irish Sea; 18.
1981, Jan. 27-Tamponas II; Indonesian passenger ship caught fire and sank in Java Sea; 580.
1981, May 26-Nimitz; U.S. Marine combat jet crashed on deck of U.S. aircraft carrier; 14.
1983, Feb. 12-Marine Electric; coal freighter sank during storm off Chincoteague, Va.; 33.
1983, May 25-10th of Ramadan; Nile steamer caught fire and sank in L. Nassar; 357.
1986, Aug. 31-Soviet passenger ship Admiral Nakhimov and Soviet freighter Pyotr Vasev collided in Black Sea; 398.
1987, Mar. 6-British ferry capsized off Zeebrugge, Belgium; 188.
1987, Dec. 20-Philippine ferry Dona Paz and oil tanker Victor collided in Tablas Strait; 3,000+.
1988, Aug. 6-Indian ferry capsized on Ganges R.; 400+.
1989, Apr. 7-Soviet submarine sank off Norway; 42.
1989, Apr. 19-USS Iowa; U.S. battleship; explosion in gun turret; 47.
1989, Aug. 20-British barge Bowbelle struck British pleasure cruiser Marchioness on Thames R. in central London; 56.
1989, Sept. 10-Romanian pleasure boat and Bulgarian barge collided on Danube R.; 161.
1991, Apr. 10-Auto ferry and oil tanker collided outside Livorno Harbor, Italy; 140.
1991, Dec. 14-Salem Express; ferry rammed coral reef nr. Safaga, Egypt; 462.
1993, Feb. 17-Neptune; ferry capsized off Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 500+.
1993, Oct. 10-West Sea Ferry; capsized in Yellow Sea near W South Korea during storm; 285.
1994, Sept. 28-Estonia; ferry sank in Baltic Sea when water entered through bow door; 900+.

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