PEACETIME DISASTERS

Many ship disasters happen outside the realm of war. All ships, military ships included, are vulnerable to problems of weather, design or human error. Some of the disasters below occurred during periods of conflict, though their losses were unrelated to any military action. The listing is in descending order of the magnitude of casualties suffered.






RMS Empress of Ireland

General Slocum

MS Estonia

SS Admiral Nakhimov

SS Eastland

SS AlpenaMV Doña Paz (Philippines) - On 20 December 1987, the passenger ferry Doña Paz collided with the oil tanker Vector. The resulting fire and sinking left an estimated 4,341 dead.[1][2] .

SS Kiangya (China) - The Kiangya was a passenger steamship which blew up and sank in the mouth of the Huangpu River 50 mi (80 km) south of Shanghai on 4 December 1948. The suspected cause of the explosion was the Kiangya hit a mine left behind by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The exact death toll is unknown, however, it is thought that between 2,750 and 3,920 died with 700-1,000 survivors being picked up by other vessels.

SS Mont-Blanc and the Halifax Explosion (Canada) - On 6 December 1917, the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the French cargo ship Mont-Blanc, which was fully loaded with wartime explosives, after a collision with the Norwegian ship Imo. The collision happened in "The Narrows" section of the Halifax Harbour. About 2000 people were killed by debris, fires or building collapse and over 9,000 people were injured.[3] This explosion is still ranked as the largest accidental explosion of conventional weapons to date.[4]

Le Joola (Senegal) - On 26 September 2002, the overloaded ferry Le Joola capsized in rough seas with an estimated death toll of more than 1,800.[5]

Tek Sing (China) A junk that struck a reef near Indonesia and sunk on 6 February 1822, leaving an estimated 1,600 dead.[6]

RMS Titanic (Great Britain) - A passenger liner and the world's largest ship at the time. On April 14, 1912, during its maiden voyage, the Titanic collided with an iceberg, buckling a part of the hull and mortally wounding the ship. In total, only 31.8% of the ship's 2,228 people survived, leaving 1,523 dead.[7] This disaster was the catalyst for major reforms in safety for the shipping industry and is arguably the most famous maritime disaster of all time, being the subject of countless media portrayals.[8]

The Scilly naval disaster of 1707 (England) - On the night of 22 October 1707, a Royal Navy fleet on their way from Gibraltar to Portsmouth sailed through dangerous reefs west of the Isles of Scilly. Four ships (HMS Association, HMS Eagle, HMS Romney and HMS Firebrand) sank. The exact number of sailors killed is unknown, statements vary between 1,400[9] and over 2,000.[10] It was later determined that the main cause of the disaster was the navigators' inability to accurately calculate their longitude.

Toya Maru (Japan) - A Japanese passenger ferry that sank during Typhoon Marie in the Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands of Hokkaidō and Honshū on 26 September 1954. It is said that 1153 people aboard were killed in the accident. However, the exact number of fatalities remains unknown because there were victims who managed to get on board the ship unticketed and others who cancelled their passage just before the incident.

RMS Empress of Ireland (Canada) - On 29 May 1914, the Empress of Ireland sank after colliding with SS Storstad on the Saint Lawrence River claiming 1,012 lives.[11]

Al Salam Boccaccio 98 (Egypt) - On 3 February 2006, the ro-ro passenger ferry Al Salam Boccaccio 98 sank in the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga in southern Egypt. The ship was carrying 1,312 passengers and 96 crew members at the time of the disaster. Only 388 persons were saved and over 1,000 were lost.[12]

SS General Slocum (United States) - The General Slocum caught fire and burned to the water line in New York's East River on 15 June 1904. More than 1,000 people died in the accident, making it New York City's worst loss-of-life disaster until the September 11, 2001 attacks.[13]

SS Kiche Maru (Japan) - Sank during a typhoon in the Pacific Ocean on 22 September 1912. It is estimated that more than 1,000 persons lost their lives.[14]

SS Hong Moh (Singapore) - On 3 March 1921, the Hong Moh stuck the White Rocks on Lamock Island near Swatow (Shantou) on the southern coast of China. She broke in two and sank with the loss of about 1,000 lives out of the 1,100 aboard.

MS Estonia (Estonia) - The MS Estonia sank in rough water on 28 September 1994. An investigation claimed that the failure of the bow visor door allowed water from the Baltic Sea to enter the ship. The accident claimed almost 1000 lives. Only 137 survived.

SS Eastland (United States) - On 24 July 1915, while moored to the dock in the Chicago River, the capacity load of passengers shifted to the river side of the ship causing it to roll over, killing 845 passengers and crew.

HMS Vanguard - (UK) - Just before midnight on 9 July 1917 at Scapa Flow, HMS Vanguard suffered an explosion, probably caused by an unnoticed stokehold fire heating cordite stored against an adjacent bulkhead in one of the two magazines which served the amidships gun turrets "P" and "Q". She sank almost instantly, killing an estimated 843 men; there were only two survivors.

MV Bukoba (Tanzania) - The overloaded Bukoba sank on 21 May 1996 on Lake Victoria. While the ship's manifest showed 443 aboard, it is estimated that about 800 people died in the sinking.

HMS Bulwark (Great Britain) - On 26 November 1914, a powerful internal explosion ripped the Bulwark apart at 7:50am while she was moored at Number 17 buoy in Kethole Reach, 4 mi (6.4 km) west of Sheerness in the estuary of the River Medway. All of her officers were lost, and out of her complement of 750, only 14 sailors survived; 2 of these men subsequently died of their injuries in hospital.

SS Camorta (Great Britain) - The Camorta was caught in a cyclone and sank in the Irrawaddy Delta on 6 May 1902 with the loss of all 655 passengers and 82 crew. She was en route from Madras, India, to Rangoon, Burma, across the Bay of Bengal.

MV Princess of the Stars (Philippines) - On 21 June 2008, the ferry Princess of the Stars capsized and sank in Typhoon Fengshen off the coast of San Fernando, Romblon, in the Philippines. Of the estimated 747 people aboard, only 57 survived.

SS Mendi (Great Britain) - On 21 February 1917, the Mendi was transporting members of the 5th Battalion, South African Native Labour Corps, to France. At 5:00am, while under escort of the destroyer HMS Brisk, the Mendi was struck and cut almost in half by the SS Darro. Of the 823 on board, 646 died in the disaster.

SS Norge (Denmark) - On 28 June 1904 the Norge ran aground close to Rockall on St. Helen's Reef. The final death toll was 635 with 160 survivors who spent up to eight days in open lifeboats before rescue.

Novorossiysk (Soviet Union) - On 29 October 1955, the Novorossiysk was moored in Sevastopol Bay, 300 meters (1000 feet) from shore and opposite a hospital. At 1:30am, an explosion of undetermined origin occurred. The Novorossiysk capsized and sank with the loss of 608 sailors.

Shamia (Bangladesh) - On 27 May 1986, the ferry Shamia capsized and sank during a storm on the Meghna River in southern Barisa, Bangladesh. An estimated 600 people lost their lives.

SS Princess Alice (Great Britain) - On 3 September 1878 the Princess Alice was making what was billed as a "Moonlight Trip" to Gravesend and back. The Bywell Castle collided with the Princess Alice off Tripcock Point. The Princess Alice broke in two and sank within four minutes with an estimated 600 people on board losing their lives.

SS Grandcamp (United States) - On 16 April 1947, the French registered ex-liberty ship caught fire and exploded dockside while being loaded with ammonium nitrate at Texas City, Texas. In what came to be called the Texas City Disaster an estimated 581 people, including 28 firefighters, were killed and 5,000 were injured.

SS La Bourgogne (France) - The passenger steamer La Bourgogne was sunk on 4 July 1898 after a collision in dense fog with the British ship Cromartyshire off Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. At the time of the disaster she was carrying 730 passengers crew, of whom 565 were lost.[15]

Ertuğrul (Ottoman Empire) - Sank on 18 September 1890 after striking a reef during a typhoon off Kushimoto, Japan. The maritime accident resulted in the loss of 533 sailors including Admiral Ali Osman Pasha.

HMS Sussex (Great Britain) - The Sussex was lost in a severe storm on 1 March 1694 off Gibraltar. There were only 2 survivors out of a crew of 500.

SS Valbanera (Spain) - Sank in the Gulf of Mexico 45 mi (72 km) west of Key West, Florida during a hurricane in September 1919. All of the 488 crew and passengers aboard were killed.

HMS Captain (Great Britain) - On 7 September 1870, the Captain capsized and sank in high winds on the Atlantic Ocean. An estimated 480 sailors perished with 18 sailors surviving.

Cospatrick (Great Britain) - The Cospatrick caught fire south of the Cape of Good Hope on 17 November 1874 while on a voyage from Gravesend, England, to Auckland, New Zealand. Only 3 of 472 persons on board at the time ultimately survived.

MV Salahuddin-2 (Bangladesh) - On the night of 3 May 2002, the ferry Salahuddin-2 sunk in the Meghna River south of Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing more than 450 people.

SS Central America (United States) - Sank off the Carolinas during a hurricane on 9 September 1857. An estimated 425 out of 578 aboard perished.

SS Admiral Nakhimov (Soviet Union) - On 31 August 1986, Admiral Nakhimov collided with the large bulk carrier Pyotr Vasyov in the Tsemes Bay, near the port of Novorossiysk, Russian SFSR. In total, 423 of the 1,234 people on board died.

MV Nasrin-1 (Bangladesh) - At midnight on 8 July 2003, the passenger ferry Nasrin-1 capsized and sank in the Meghna River near Chandpur, Bangladesh, killing more than 400 people.

Spanish cruiser Reina Regente (1888) - sunk in a storm in 9 March 1895, with the loss of all 420 crewmen.

Cataraqui (Great Britain) - An emigrant ship bound for Australia, the Cataraqui struck a reef south-west of King Island, Tasmania, on 4 August 1845. The sinking is Australia's worst ever maritime civil disaster, claiming the lives of 400 people.

Lady Elgin (United States) - Sunk in a collision with the schooner Augusta of Oswego on Lake Michigan on 8 September 1860 with the loss of about 400 lives.

HMS Invincible (Great Britain) - On 16 March 1801, she was damaged in a storm and driven on a sandbar off the coast of Norfolk. The following day the Invincible drifted off the sandbar and sank in deep water. Over 400 sailors drowned in the disaster with 196 being saved.

RMS Tayleur (Great Britain) - In what would come to foreshadow the Titanic tragedy, the White Star Line clipper ship Tayleur grounded and sank during its maiden voyage. The accident happened off Lambay Island, Dublin Bay, on 21 January 1854. Out of the 652 people on board 380 lives were lost, many of them immigrants.

HMS Eurydice (Great Britain) - On 24 March 1878,[16] the training ship Eurydice was caught in a heavy snow storm off the Isle of Wight, capsized, and sank. Only 2 of the ship's 378 crew and trainees survived, most of those not carried down with the ship dying of exposure in the freezing waters.

HMS Victoria (Great Britain) - Accidentally rammed by the HMS Camperdown and sunk on 22 June 1893 during annual summer fleet exercises off Tripoli in Syria (now part of Lebanon). Out of a crew of 715 aboard the Victoria, 357 crew were rescued and 358 died.

HMS Athenienne (Great Britain) - On the evening of 20 October 1806, she ran aground on a submerged reef, the Esquirques, in the Strait of Sicily and sank. In all, 347 people died while 141 men and 2 women were rescued.

SS Princess Sophia (Canada) - The Princess Sophia ran aground during a storm on 23 October 1918. After rescue ships were unable to assist due to the ongoing storm, she sank on the night of 25 October. The only survivor found was a pet dog from one of the 343 aboard.

SS Schiller (Germany) - On 7 May 1875, the Schiller sank after hitting the Retarrier Ledges in the Isles of Scilly. Most of her crew and passengers were lost, totalling 335 fatalities.

SS Elbe (Germany) - Sank on 30 January 1895 after a collision with the steamship Crathie in the North Sea. One lifeboat with 20 people was recovered out of 354 that were on the ship.

Yoshino (Japan) - On 14 May 1904, the cruiser sank with loss of 319 lives after collusion. 19 survived.

Liberté - French battleship that suffered an accidental ammunition explosion in 1911, with about 300 people killed.

SS Pacific (United States) - On the evening of 4 November 1875, the Pacific was involved in a collision with the SS Orpheus off the coast of Cape Flattery, Washington. Both vessels continued on their course and the captain of the Orpheus later testified he was unaware of the collision. Only 2 people survived out of 300 on board.

Northfleet (Great Britain) - On the night of 22 January 1873, the Northfleet was at anchor about 2 or 3 miles (5 km) off Dungeness. Around 10.30 pm, she was run down by the steamer Murillo that backed off and disappeared into the darkness. In the ensuing panic a total of 293 people were drowned.

New Era (United States) - On 13 November 1854, the New Era sank after grounding in a storm at Deal Beach in New Jersey. Of the 427 aboard, an estimated 284 were killed.[17]

USS Maine (United States) - On 15 February 1898, while at anchor in the harbor at Havana, Cuba, an explosion of undetermined origin in the ship's magazine damaged and sank the ship. Of the 374 officers and men aboard, 266 died immediately, and another 8 died later from their injuries. The sinking of the Maine precipitated the Spanish-American War.

Great Lakes Storm of 1913 (United States) - A cyclonic blizzard (sometimes referred to as an inland hurricane) on the Great Lakes that occurred between 7 and 10 November 1913. In total 12 ships were sunk with a combined crew loss of 255. An additional 7 ships were damaged beyond repair and 19 more ships that had been stranded were later salvaged.

Powhatan (United States) - On 16 April 1854, the Powhatan sank off the coast of New Jersey in a severe storm with no survivors. The loss of life was estimated by various sources to be between 250 and 311 people.[18]

HMS Avenger (Great Britain) - The Avenger sailed from Gibraltar on 17 December 1847 bound for Malta. On 20 December she ran on to the Sorelle Rocks near Malta. Only 8 crew members out of 250 survived.

Neva (Great Britain) - The Neva was a convict ship that left Cork, Ireland, bound for Sydney, Australia. On 13 May 1835, the ship was wrecked on a reef near King Island, Tasmania. 224 lives, mainly women and children, were lost.

SS Waratah (Great Britain) - Around 27 July 1909, the 500 ft (150 m) steamer Waratah en route from Australia to London was lost without trace off Durban on the east-coast of South Africa. All 211 on board were lost. The disappearance of the ship remains one of the most baffling nautical mysteries of all time.

Iolaire (United Kingdom) - The Iolaire (Scottish Gaelic for "Eagle") was an Admiralty yacht that hit rocks and sank on the 1 January 1919 just off the island of Lewis, carrying soldiers coming home from World War I. At least 205 men perished of the 280 aboard.

SS Heraklion (Greece) - On 8 December 1966, while en route from the port of Souda to Piraeus in Athens, the RO-RO car ferry capsized and sank in the Aegean Sea. The sinking resulted in the deaths of over 200 people with 47 being saved. It was later determined that an unsecured vehicle had broken through the loading door, which allowed seawater to enter the ship.

Steamship Atlantic (United States) - Sank after a collision with the steamer Ogdensburg off Long Point on Lake Erie on 20 August 1852. It is estimated that between 150 and 200 people lost their lives of the more than 500 persons on board.[19][20]

MS Herald of Free Enterprise (Great Britain) - Capsized and sank on 6 March 1987 after taking on water just minutes after leaving the harbour at the Port of Bruges-Zeebrugge. The doors to the car decks were left open by the Assistant Bosun, Mark Stanley, causing the ferry to take on water and quickly capsize. Of the 539 aboard, 193 passengers and crew killed.

SS Portland (United States) - On 26 November 1898, the steamship SS Portland left India Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts, for Portland, Maine, on a regularly scheduled run. She never made it to port. None of the 192 passengers and crew survived the massive storm that wreaked havoc on New England's coast — a storm that was later dubbed "The Portland Gale" after the tragic loss of the ship.

SS Southern Cross (Canada) - Lost in a storm between 31 March and 3 April 1914. Believed to be in the vicinity of Cape Pine. The entire crew of 173 were lost in the sinking.

SS Florizel (Canada) - Sunk after striking a reef at Horn Head Point Cape Race near Cappahayden, Newfoundland, Canada, on 23 February 1918. The loss of the disaster was 173 people.

Shiun Maru (Japan) - Collided in dense fog with sister ship Uko Maru in the Seto Inland Sea and sank with the loss of 166 passengers and 2 crew members.

Madagascar - Full rigged ship disappeared without a trace in 1853 after sailing from Melbourne for London, with the loss of about 110 passengers and about 50 crew.

MS Scandinavian Star (Denmark) - caught fire in 1990 on route between Norway and Denmark with a loss of 157 lives.

MV Princess of the Orient (Philippines) - On 18 September 1998, the Princess of the Orient, while traveling from Manila to Cebu, sailed into Typhoon Vicky. She capsized at 12:55 pm near Fortune Island in Batangas. Of 388 passengers on board, an estimated 150 perished. Passengers floated at sea for more than 12 hours before rescuers were able to reach survivors.

SS Larchmont (United States) - On 12 February 1907, paddlewheel steamship Larchmont sunk off Block Island, Rhode Island, after a collision with the schooner Harry Knowlton. An estimated 150 persons of the 200 on board were killed.[21]

MS Express Samina (Greece) - On 26 September 2000, the RO-RO ferry Express Samina hit a reef and sunk at 23:02 near the island of Paros. 143 people were lost at sea: 82 of the 473 passengers, plus 61 crew.

MV Cebu City (Philippines) - On 2 December 1994, the ferry Cebu City sunk in Manila Bay after colliding with Singaporean freighter Kota Suria. The accident claimed 140 lives.

Moby Prince (Italy) - On 10 April 1991, the ferry Moby Prince collided with the oil tanker Agip Abruzzo in Livorno harbour and caught fire, killing 140 people.

SS Wairarapa (New Zealand) - On 29 October 1894, the steamship Wairarapa, en route from Sydney to Auckland, ran into Great Barrier Island. She was traveling at nearly full speed through heavy fog. Approximately 140 out of 230 people on board lost their lives.

SS Noronic (Canada) - Caught fire dockside at Toronto Harbour on 16 September 1949. Estimates ranged from 118 to 139 deaths. Most of the deaths were from suffocation or burns. However, some died from being trampled or from leaping off the upper decks onto the pier; only one person drowned in the disaster.

SS Koombana - A coastal passenger and cargo steamship in Western Australia which sank at an unknown location during a cyclone on 20 March 1912 with the loss of approximately 138 lives, including 20 crew. Other than some floating wreckage, no trace was ever found of the ship.

SS Morro Castle (United States) - In the early morning hours of 8 September 1934, while en route from Havana to New York, the Morro Castle caught fire and burned, killing a total of 137 passengers and crew members out of 549 on board. The ship was beached near Asbury Park, New Jersey, and remained there for several months until she was eventually towed away and sold for scrap.

SS Kuru (Finland) - A steamship that sank after capsizing in high winds on 7 September 1929 in Lake Näsijärvi near Tampere, Finland. It estimated that between 136 and 138 people lost their lives.

SS Valencia (United States) - Shortly before midnight on 22 January 1906, she struck a reef near Pachena Point on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island and sunk. Estimates of the number of lives lost in the disaster vary widely, with some sources listing it at 117 while others claim it was as high as 181; according to the federal report, the official death toll was 136 persons. Only 37 men survived, but every woman and child on the Valencia died in the disaster.

RMS Quetta - A British India Line merchant ship, on a regular route between England, India, and the Far East. Wrecked on the Far North Queensland coast on 28 February 1890. Of the 292 people aboard, 134 perished.

MV Princess Victoria (United Kingdom) - Sank on 31 January 1953 in the North Channel during a severe storm with the loss of 133 lives. The sinking of the Princess Victoria was the deadliest maritime disaster in United Kingdom waters since World War II.

HMS Ontario (Great Britain) - The Ontario sank in a storm on 31 October 1780 while underway from Fort Niagara to Oswego. Approximately 130 men perished with ship,[22] comprising 60 British soldiers of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot, a crew of about 40 Canadians, and possibly up to 30 American prisoners of war. News of the Ontario's sinking was kept quiet for a number of years to hide the military loss.[23]

TSMS Lakonia (Greece) - Caught fire and burned in the Atlantic Ocean on 22 December 1963. A total of 128 people died in the Lakonia disaster, of which 95 were passengers and 33 were crew members. Only 53 people were killed in the actual fire. The rest died from exposure, drowning, and injuries sustained while diving overboard.

SS Daphne (Great Britain) - The SS Daphne capsized and sank moments after her naming and launching at a shipyard in Govan,Glasgow, Scotland, on 3 July 1883. When launched, the Daphne had a work crew aboard to continue fitting out the ship. Although 70 people were saved, an estimated 124-195 died, which included many young boys.

SS City of Rio de Janeiro - En route from Hong Kong, this passenger ship sank on 21 February 1901 after striking a submerged reef at the entry to San Francisco Bay, killing more than 135 passengers and crew.

SS Bokhara - Steamship that sank in a typhoon on 10 October 1892, off the coast of Formosa, killing 125 people.

SS Hilda - Steamship on a cross-Channel run that sank in 1905 with the loss of 125 lives.

Full rigged ship Dunbar - Wrecked near the entrance to Sydney Harbour, Australia, in 1857 with the loss of 121 lives.

SS Yongala (Australia) - The Yongala sank off Cape Bowling Green, Australia, after steaming into a cyclone. There were no survivors of the 122 on board.

SS Mohegan - A steamer that sank off Cornwall after hitting a reef on 14 October 1898, with a loss of 106 lives and 40 rescued by shore-based lifeboat.

SS Gothenburg - A steamship that wrecked on the Barrier Reef off the north Queensland coast in a cyclone-strength storm off, killing between 98 and 112 persons with 22 survivors.

SS City of Columbus - Passenger steamer that ran aground on off Massachusetts in January 1884. Approximately 100 people froze or drowned, with only 29 saved by land-based rowboats and a revenue cutter.

USS Huron (United States) - On 23 November 1877, the Huron departed for a scientific cruise on the coast of Cuba. The Huron encountered heavy weather soon after departure and was wrecked shortly after 1 am on 24 November near Nags Head, North Carolina. For a time her crew worked in relatively little danger, attempting to free their ship but she soon heeled over, carrying 98 officers and men to their deaths.

Hans Hedtoft (Denmark) - The Hans Hedtoft Danish liner sailing from Greenland that struck an iceberg and sank on 30 January 1959. Besides the 40 crew members, there were a total of 55 passengers on board at the time. There were no survivors of the disaster. The Hans Hedtoft was on its maiden voyage and was said to be "unsinkable" due to its strong design.

SS Yarmouth Castle (Panama) - The Yarmouth Castle was a steamship whose loss in a disastrous fire in 1965 prompted new laws regarding safety at sea. 87 people went down with the ship, and 3 of the rescued passengers later died at hospitals, bringing the final death toll to 90.

SS Home (United States) - On 7 October 1837, the Home struck a sandbar off the New Jersey coast. Unaware of the extent of the damage, her captain proceeded on schedule to Charleston when she encountered the 1837 Racer's Storm. The Home started taking on water as she rounded Cape Hatteras and was put aground to ride out the developing storm. Before rescue operations could be effected the next day, the Home was torn to pieces by the surf and 90 lives were lost.

Metropolis (United States) - On 31 January 1878, the wooden steamer Metropolis sank off the North Carolina coast with 85 dying in the accident.[24]

HMAS Voyager (Australia) - On the evening of 10 February 1964, while undergoing post-refit exercises, the destroyer HMAS Voyager was rammed and sunk off Jervis Bay, New South Wales, by the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, which was also performing post-refit exercises.[25] 82 of the 314 personnel aboard Voyager were killed;[25] the largest loss of military life in Australia's peacetime history.

Currach Fishing Tragedy - On 11 February 1813, 200 currachs were fishing off Bruckless Bay, Donegal. The shoal of herring moved out to sea, followed by the fragile boats. A sudden storm capsized most of them. Over 80 fishermen drowned [26]

Alpena (United States) - The Alpena was a sidewheel steamer that capsized and sank on Lake Michigan in the "Big Blow" storm of 15 October 1880. An estimated 80 people lost their lives in the sinking.

SS Stella - English passenger ferry that wrecked on a submerged reef on 30 March 1899, with 78 people lost of the 190 passengers and crew on board.

SS Penguin (New Zealand) - On 12 February 1909, the inter-island ferry Penguin hit a rock near the entrance to Wellington Harbour, sinking then exploding when water entered her boiler room. Of the 105 people on board, 75 died.

HMS Affray - a British Amphion class submarine disappeared on 16 April 1951 during a training exercise in the English Channel, with the loss of all 75 lives. She was the last Royal Navy submarine to be lost at sea.

USS Frank E. Evans (United States) - In the early morning of 3 June 1969, while operating as a plane guard for the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne during the SEATO training exercise Sea Spirit, the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans crossed the bows of the carrier and was rammed and sunk.[27] Of the 273 aboard Evans, 74 died.[27] The handling of the inquiry into the collision was seen as detrimental to United States-Australia relations.[27]

STV Royston Grange (United Kingdom) - The British cargo liner Royston Grange was destroyed by fire after a collision with the petroleum tanker Tien Chee in the Rio de la Plata on 11 May 1972. There were no survivors from the 72 aboard.

HMS M1 - A British submarine that sank with all hands (69) on 12 November 1925 after being struck while submerged by the Swedish ship SS Vidar in the English Channel.

HMS Truculent - A British T class submarine that sank in the Thames Estuary on 12 January 1950 after colliding with the Swedish oil tanker Divina. A total of 64 people died, most in freezing cold mid-winter conditions after escaping the collision.

HMS K5 - A British K class submarine, lost with all hands (57) on 20 January 1921 when she sank en route to a mock battle in the Bay of Biscay.

Lucy Walker (United States) - On 23 October 1844, the sidewheel steamboat Lucy Walker was en route from Louisville, KY, to New Orleans, LA, when her three boilers exploded, the boat caught fire, and sank mid-stream of the Ohio River, about 4 miles below New Albany, IN. Pieces of boat and humanity fell on both the Indiana and Kentucky banks of the river. Since passenger and crew lists were lost, estimates of deaths range from 50 to 100 persons killed, with some 50 survivors. The boat may have been engaged in a race with another vessel, and the captain had driven the Lucy Walker's engines too hard.

SS Mackinac [United States] - late in the afternoon of 18 August 1925, the 162-foot excursion ship was passing by Naval Station Newport off Newport, Rhode Island, when its boiler exploded, killing 55 passengers. The ship was on a day cruise from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to Newport, [Harbor] Rhode Island, in order for passengers to enjoy the sites and beaches of the City of Newport. The bulk of the injuries and deaths were due to burns and smoke or steam inhalation, and though some jumped overboard none died from drowning. Many boats came to the rescue, while the ship remained afloat. Over 600 passengers survived the melee, many without injury. The ship's skipper was Captain George W. McVey, also captain of the SS Larchmont Disaster, which occurred in an area less than 20 miles away, in 1907. [www3.gendisasters.com]

SS Andrea Doria (Italy) - On 25 July 1956, approaching the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, bound for New York City, the Andrea Doria collided with the eastward-bound MS Stockholm. 1,660 passengers and crew were rescued and survived, while 46 people died as a consequence of the collision. In what became one of history's most famous maritime disasters, the loss of the Andrea Doria generated great interest in the media and many lawsuits.

MV Derbyshire (United Kingdom) - Lost on 9 September 1980, south of Japan, during Typhoon Orchid. All aboard (42 crew and 2 spouses) perished. At 91,655 gross tons she was, and remains, the largest UK ship ever to have been lost at sea.

SS Islander (Canada) - On 15 August 1901, while sailing down the narrow Lynn Canal south of Juneau, the Islander struck what was reported to be an iceberg that stove a large hole in her forward port quarter. The Islander sank quickly, with 40 lives lost out of 172 on board.

Carl D. Bradley - Sank in Lake Michigan in a 18 November 1958 storm with the loss of life of 33 crewmen.

MV Demas Victory - a Dubai-based supply steamer capsized 10 nmi (12 mi; 19 km) off the coast of the Qatari capital city of Doha in rough seas on Tuesday, 30 June 2009, at 6:30am local time. The disaster resulted in over 30 missing.[28]

SS Edmund Fitzgerald (United States) - The Edmund Fitzgerald sank without warning during a Lake Superior gale on 10 November 1975 in 530 ft (160 m) of water. There were no survivors of her crew of 29.

Superior City - Sank in 1920 in Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior after a collision with the Willis L. King with the loss of 29 lives. The boiler exploded as the vessel sank.

SS Daniel J. Morrell (United States) - A Great Lakes freighter that broke up during a strong storm 29 November 1966 on Lake Huron. Of the 29 crewmen aboard, 28 were killed.

HMS Gladiator (Great Britain) - Sank off the Isle of Wight on 25 April 1908 with the loss of 27. The Gladiator was heading into port when she struck the outbound SS Saint Paul.

Charles K Buckley - Lumber schooner destroyed by high speed winds on 5 April 1914. Only 1 man of the crew of 8 survived.[29]

Finance - Outbound to Panama sank off Sandy Hook on 26 November 1910 after being rammed by White Star freighter Georgic with loss of 4 killed.[30]

Eleanor Lancaster - was wrecked in a gale on Oyster Bank, Newcastle, New South Wales, on 7 November 1856. She was on passage from Newcastle to Melbourne with 640 tons of coal, under the command of Capt. James McLean and with 15 crew. All crew were rescued by a Mr. Skelton, who rowed out to them three times from the shore. The event is described in the anonymous 19th century poem "The Perilous Gate".