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American Ships with Tragic Loss
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Andrea Gail — American fishing vessel Lost at sea off the coast of Massachusetts with six crew during The Perfect Storm of 1991. The tragedy was the basis of the 1997 book by Sebastian Junger and the 2000 movie The Perfect Storm. LAUNCHED: 1978 → FATE: Lost at sea October 28, 1991. |
(Another ) Arizona, USS — American battleship The sunken ship lies in Pearl Harbor with a memorial above it honoring the lost of 1177 crew. The sunken ship continues to leak about a quart of oil per day into the harbor. LAUNCHED: 1915, June 18 → FATE: Sunk during the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. |
Carroll A. Deering — American five-masted commercial schooner A famous maritime mystery after she was found with her crew of 11 missing. Theories of her demise include piracy, mutiny, hurricane, and paranormal events. Nine other ships also disappeared without a trace in that same area at about the same time. LAUNCHED: 1919 → FATE: Found wrecked off Cape Hatteras on January 31, 1921; scuttled on March 4 that year. |
(Another ) Cole, USS — American aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer In the news because of a suicide attack against it on October 12, 2000. Seventeen American sailors were killed in the incident while harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden. LAUNCHED: 1995, February 18 → FATE: Still in service. |
(Another ) Conception, MV — American dive boat One of the worst maritime disaster in California with the loss of 34 passengers. The boat had been refurbished at a cost of more than $1 million following an incident in 2005 when it had been stolen and run aground. LAUNCHED: 1981 → FATE: Caught fire and eventually sank off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California, September 2, 2019. |
Cotopaxi, SS — American bulk carrier She disappeared on a voyage from Charleston, S.C., to Havana, Cuba; none of the 32 people on board were ever seen again. She became part of the legend of the Bermuda Triangle even though she was found outside that area. In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, aliens are responsible for the ship's disappearance. LAUNCHED: 1918, November 15 → FATE: Lost 35 miles off St. Augustine in Florida, December, 1925. |
(Another ) Eastland, SS — American steamship, passenger Largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes. On the morning of July 24, 1915, the ship, being top-heavy, rolled over while docked in the Chicago River, killing 844 passengers and crew. LAUNCHED: 1903, May 18 → FATE: Sunk on July 24, 1915; raised, converted to a gunboat, renamed USS Wilmette February, 1918; sold for scrap in October of 1946. |
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Edmund Fitzgerald, SS — American lake cargo ship, freighter; ore carrier Sank suddenly during a gale storm on Lake Superior without a distress signal. All 29 crew members were lost gaining it the appellation "Titanic of the Great Lakes." The wreck was found 17 miles from Whitefish Bay 4 days later. LAUNCHED: 1958, June 18 → FATE: Lost in a storm on November 10, 1975. |
El Faro, SS — American container ship (cargo ship) The worst maritime disaster for a U.S.-flagged vessel in decades, resulting in the deaths of 33 crew. In 2003, prior to the invasion of Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the vessel, then named Northern Lights, ferried U.S. Marines and supplies from California to Kuwait. LAUNCHED: 1974, November 18 → FATE: Lost at sea with all hands on October 1, 2015 after losing propulsion near the eyewall of Hurricane Joaquin. |
Essex — American barque; whale ship, a three-masted Basis of Nathaniel Philbrick's book In the Heart of the Sea and the movie as well as the inspiration for Herman Melville's 1851 classic novel Moby-Dick. She left Nantucket in 1819 on a whaling voyage in the South Pacific with 21 aboard. It was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the Pacific Ocean. Only two men survived. LAUNCHED: 1800, approx. → FATE: Sunk in the southern Pacific November 20, 1820. |
(Another ) General Slocum — American river paddle steamboat, side-wheeler Caught fire and burned to the water line in New York's East River on June 15, 1904 killing 1,021 people. She was named after Major General Henry Warner Slocum, 1827-94. LAUNCHED: 1891, April 18 → FATE: The remains were recovered and converted into a barge, which sank in a storm in 1911. |
Grandcamp, SS — American liberty ship Origin of the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and one of the largest non-nuclear explosions. The initial blast and subsequent fires and explosions in other ships and nearby oil-storage facilities killed at least 581 people, wounding over 5,000. LAUNCHED: 1942, November → FATE: Exploded and destroyed April 16, 1947. |
Henry B. Smith, SS — American lake cargo ship, freighter; steel-hulled, propeller-driven One of several ships lost in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. The crew of 25 were lost and the wreck has not been located as of 2017. LAUNCHED: 1906, May → FATE: Foundered and sank near Marquette Michigan, November 10, 1913. |
Houston, USS (CA-30) — American cruiser, Northampton-class During the Battle of Sundra Strait, she put up a valiant effort an against overwhelming Japanese offense. In the 1930s, she made several special cruises, several with President Franklin Roosevelt aboard. LAUNCHED: 1929, September 7 → FATE: Sunk by a torpedo, 1 March 1942. |
Indianapolis, USS — American Portland-class cruiser Last U.S. ship sunk by enemy in World War II; greatest loss of life at sea in the U.S. Navy's history. Four days after delivering the 1st atomic bomb to Tinian, she was torpedoed and sank with 300 crew. The 900 survivors faced exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks until 4 days later only 317 were rescued. LAUNCHED: 1931, November 18 → FATE: Sunk by a Japanese submarine July 30, 1945. |
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(Another ) Iowa, USS — American fast battleship First of her class, the last battleship in active service in the world. During a gunnery exercise, on April 19, 1989, an explosion ripped through a gun turret, killing 47 crewmen. LAUNCHED: 1942, August 18 → FATE: Anchored at San Pedro as a museum ship. |
Joyita — American luxury yacht, outfitted as a yard patrol boat Found adrift in the South Pacific, her passengers and crew mysteriously missing in 1955. She is sometimes referred to as the "Mary Celeste of the South Pacific." She has been the subject of several narrations offering explanations ranging from rational to supernatural. LAUNCHED: 1931 → FATE: Broken up near Ovalau, Fiji in the 1970s. |
Laffey, USS — American Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer During the battle of Okinawa, she withstood the greatest kamikaze air attack in history, losing 32 killed and 71 wounded. Laffey was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986, the only remaining US-owned Sumner-class destroyer LAUNCHED: 1943, November 21 → FATE: After WWII, she was repaired and continued to serve until decommissioned March 9, 1975. Laffey is currently a museum ship at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. |
(Another ) |
(Another ) Maine, USS — American battleship Its sinking precipitated the Spanish-American War. Sent to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban revolt against Spain, she exploded without warning and sank, killing 274 men. LAUNCHED: 1889, November 18 → FATE: Sank in the Havana Harbor February 15, 1898. |
Marine Electric — American bulk carrier Her sinking resulted in some of the most important maritime reforms in the 20th century. The tragedy, with the loss of 34 crew, resulted in better inspection standards, mandatory survival suits for winter North Atlantic runs, and creation of the Coast Guard's Aviation Survival Technician program. LAUNCHED: 1944, May 2 → FATE: Sank February 12, 1983 about 30 miles off the coast of Virginia. |
Mary Celeste — American brigantine The "ghost ship" found near the Strait of Gibraltar abandoned by its seven crew members in 1872. The popular mystery of the ship began with Arthur Conan Doyle's story in 1884, about a derelict ship which he called Marie Celeste. LAUNCHED: 1860 → FATE: Intentionally scuttled in January of 1885. |
Mighty Servant 2 — American heavy lift ship, semi-submersible Hauled the USS Samuel B. Roberts from Dubai to Newport, RI after the frigate struck a mine in the Persian Gulf. Along with sister ships Mighty Servant 1 and Mighty Servant 3, used mainly for moving oil drilling rigs. LAUNCHED: 1983 → FATE: Capsized near the Indonesian island of Singkep with loss of 5 crew November 2, 1999. |
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(Another ) Morro Castle, SS — American cruise ship A devastating fire aboard ship that killed 137 resulted in greater fire safety on newer ships. The burnt ship ended up at Asbury Park, NJ, where it became a tourist attraction. The tragedy resulted in the establishment of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. LAUNCHED: 1930, August 18 → FATE: Beached on September 8, 1934, scrapped March 29, 1935. |
Mount Hood, USS — American ammunition ship The ship and dozens of surrounding vessels were obliterated with over 370 casualties in a massive explosion. The ship's 3800 tons of ordnance produced a blast equivalent to a tactical nuclear weapon. LAUNCHED: 1943, November 28 → FATE: Exploded on November 10, 1944, at Seadler Harbor on Manus Island. |
Myron, SS — American wooden steamship, built as a lumber hooker The wreck is protected as part of an underwater museum in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve. She defied the adage "Lake Superior seldom gives up her dead" when all 17 crew drifted ashore found frozen to death. The captain survived. LAUNCHED: 1888 → FATE: Sank to the end of Lake Superior during a storm on November 23, 1919. |
(Another ) Oriskany, USS — American aircraft carrier, Essex class The world's largest, and the U.S.'s first, artificial reef. She had multiple reconfigurations and updates. In 1966, a flare accidentally ignited on the hangar bay causing a catastrophic fire killing 44 crewmen. LAUNCHED: 1945, October 18 → FATE: Sunk as an artifical reef May 17, 2006. |
Panay, USS — American river gunboat The USS Panay incident; on December 12, 1937, a Japanese bombing attack on this U.S. Navy river gunboat and three Standard Oil Company tankers on the Yangtze River. Two newsreel cameramen were present on Panay and filmed much of the attack and afterward from shore as Panay sank. See Newsreel. LAUNCHED: 1927, November 10 → FATE: Sunk in December 12, 1937. |
Pewabic, SS — American lake steamship; cargo ship Worst shipwreck on the Great Lakes with the loss of an estimated 125 lives, hundreds of tons of copper, silver, and iron ore. Over the years five divers died attempting to salvage the cargo. Some of the copper was recovered during World War I, the rest in 1974. LAUNCHED: 1863 → FATE: Collided with SS Meteor in Michigan's Thunder Bay and sank August 9, 1865. |
Portland, PS — American sidewheel steamer Known as the "Titanic of New England" and considered New England's worst maritime disaster, she went down with an estimated 192-245 passengers and crew. The storm that sank her, killed more than 400 persons and sank more than 150 other boats and ships. LAUNCHED: 1889 → FATE: Sank in the Portland Gale off of Cape Ann November 27, 1898. |
Poseidon, SS — American cruise ship; British ocean liner Subject of a ship sinking in the 1969 novel The Poseidon Adventure and four movie adaptations, 1972, 1979, 2005, and 2006. In each version of the story, the ship is capsized and several survivors try to make their way to the top of the overturned ship. LAUNCHED: 1969, original story → FATE: Inconclusive. |
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Prineton, USS — American screw steam warship First ship with screw propellers powered by an engine mounted entirely below the waterline. In 1844, during a pleasure cruise for dignitaries, a gun exploded killing 6 high-ranking federal officials and wounding 20 more, the worst such tragedy in American history. LAUNCHED: 1843, September 5 → FATE: Broken up at the Boston Navy Yard, October 1849. |
Reuben James, USS — American destroyer First US ship to be sunk in World War II. She was torpedoed while escorting an Atlantic convoy of supply ships to Britain; 159 crew were lost, 44 survived. LAUNCHED: 1919, October → FATE: Sunk October 31, 1941. |
Saluda — American river paddle steamboat, side-wheeler Worst river steamboat accident in US; a tragedy for the Mormon Church. Over 100 passengers out of 175 were killed, including 28 Mormons. There were several dozen survivors. LAUNCHED: 1846, (sunk in 1847, raised and repaired) → FATE: Boilers exploded and destroyed the boat on the Missouri River near Lexington, Missouri, she sank April 9, 1852. |
Scorpion, USS — American Skipjack-class nuclear submarine Went missing at sea with 99 crewmen, one of two nuclear submarines the U.S. Navy has lost, the other being USS Thresher (SSN-593). She carried two nuclear-tipped torpedoes. In November 2012, the submarine veterans asked the US Navy to reopen the investigation on the sinking. LAUNCHED: 1959, December 18 → FATE: Sank on May 22, 1968 in the Atlantic Ocean southwest of the Azores. |
Sea Wing — American paddle steamer One of the worst maritime disasters that has occurred on the upper Mississippi River with 98 passengers drowned. Shortly after leaving Lake City on the excursion return trip, a violent storm broke and capsizing the steamer. LAUNCHED: 1888 → FATE: Sunk in July 13, 1890. Later recovered and rebuilt. |
Serpens, USS — American Crater-class cargo ship The most catastrophic single-event loss of life in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard with 250 casualties. In the explosion, a 12-ton locomotive, the wooden pier it sat on, and 16 boxcars loaded with bombs and ammunition disappeared completely. LAUNCHED: 1943, April 5 → FATE: Exploded in complete destruction January 29, 1945, on the coast of Guadalcanal. |
(Another ) Star Princess — Italian cruise ship; American-British owned Fire amidship produced smoke, killing one passenger and injuring 13 others. With the fire initiated, highly combustible polycarbonate partitions, polyurethane deck tiles, and the plastic furniture produced large amounts of thick black smoke. LAUNCHED: 2001, May 18 → FATE: Damage repaired and still in service. |
Staten Island Ferry — American passenger ferry boats A fleet of eight ferry boats sailing free of charge between Manhattan and Staten Island in New York. On October 15, 2003, the Andrew J. Barberi collided with a pier killing eleven people and injuring many others; NYC's deadliest mass-transit incident in 50 years. LAUNCHED: 1819 → FATE: Still in service. |
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Sultana, SS — American paddle steamboat, stern-wheeler Tragically collided with the SS Narragansett. An estimated 1,800 of 2,400 passengers were killed when the ship's boilers exploded, earning her the appellation "Titanic of the Mississippi." LAUNCHED: 1863 → FATE: Sank April 27, 1865. |
Tang, USS — American Balao class submarine Credited with sinking 31 enemy ships totaling 227,800 tons, unequaled among American submarines during World War II. When she was sunk by a circular run of her final torpedo, several crew escaped the sinking boat with a Momsen lung, the only known occasion of its use. 78 men were lost and the nine survived. LAUNCHED: 1943, August 18 → FATE: Sunk by her own torpedo in the Taiwan Strait October 24, 1944. |
Thresher, USS — American nuclear submarine Lost at sea during deep-diving tests in 1963 with 129 crew. She was the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarines and one of two nuclear submarines the U.S. Navy has lost, the other being USS Scorpion, SSN-589. LAUNCHED: 1960, July 18 → FATE: Sunk April 10, 1963. |
Tonquin — American merchant ship The ship was part of Astor's attempt to establish a fur trading outpost on the Pacific Northwest coast. After an angry encounter with natives, two surviving crew hid in the ship, then when the Indian natives returned to loot the ship, lit a fuse that detonated her powder magazine killing more than 100 natives and two crew. LAUNCHED: 1807, May 26 → FATE: Blown up June 16, 1811. |
Valencia, SS — American passenger steamboat (steamship) Consider the worst maritime disaster in the Graveyard of the Pacific, a treacherous area off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 27 years after her sinking, one of her life rafts was found floating peacefully in nearby Barkley Sound. LAUNCHED: 1882, May → FATE: Wrecked January 22, 1906. |
Winfield Scott, SS — American paddle steamer A sidewheel steamer that transported passengers and cargo between San Francisco and Panama in the early 1850s, during the California Gold Rush. She has been the object of numerous salvage operations since the crash and currently rests underwater as part of the Channel Islands National Park. LAUNCHED: 1850, October 5 → FATE: During a foggy night, crashed on Anacapa Island December 2, 1853. |
Yarmouth Castle, SS — American cruise ship Fire left 90 of 552 on board died. Her loss lead to the Safety of Life at Sea law. During World War II, she served as a troop ship and hospital ship in the Pacific. LAUNCHED: 1927 → FATE: Sunk in a blaze on the way to Nassau November 13, 1965. |
The number of American Ships with Tragic Loss listed is 46 The contents of this page are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL). |
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First Ship on each page
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Page | Ship Name (Country and Type) |
1. | Arizona, USS (American battleship) |
2. | Edmund Fitzgerald, SS (American lake cargo ship) |
3. | Iowa, USS (American fast battleship) |
4. | Morro Castle, SS (American cruise ship) |
5. | Prineton, USS (American screw steam warship) |
6. | Sultana, SS (American paddle steamboat) |
American | |
1. | Arizona, USS American battleship |
2. | Carroll A. Deering American schooner |
3. | Cole, USS American aegis-equipped |
4. | Conception, MV American dive boat |
5. | Cotopaxi, SS American bulk carrier |
6. | Eastland, SS American steamship |
7. | Edmund Fitzgerald, SS American lake cargo ship |
8. | El Faro, SS American container ship |
9. | Essex American barque |
10. | General Slocum American river paddle steamboat |
11. | Grandcamp, SS American liberty ship |
12. | Henry B. Smith, SS American lake cargo ship |
13. | Houston, USS (CA-30) American cruiser |
14. | Indianapolis, USS American Portland-class |
15. | Iowa, USS American fast battleship |
16. | Joyita American luxury yacht |
17. | Laffey, USS American Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer |
18. | Lexington American steamboat |
19. | Maine, USS American battleship |
20. | Marine Electric American bulk carrier |
21. | Mary Celeste American brigantine |
22. | Mighty Servant 2 American heavy lift ship |
23. | Morro Castle, SS American cruise ship |
24. | Mount Hood, USS American ammunition ship |
25. | Myron, SS American wooden steamship |
26. | Oriskany, USS American aircraft carrier |
27. | Panay, USS American river gunboat |
28. | Pewabic, SS American lake steamship |
29. | Portland, PS American sidewheel steamer |
30. | Poseidon, SS American cruise ship |
31. | Prineton, USS American screw steam warship |
32. | Reuben James, USS American destroyer |
33. | Saluda American river paddle steamboat |
34. | Scorpion, USS American Skipjack-class nuclear submarine |
35. | Sea Wing American paddle steamer |
36. | Serpens, USS American Crater-class cargo ship |
37. | Star Princess Italian cruise ship |
38. | Staten Island Ferry American passenger ferry |
39. | Sultana, SS American paddle steamboat |
40. | Tang, USS American Balao class submarine |
41. | Thresher, USS American nuclear submarine |
42. | Tonquin American merchant ship |
43. | Valencia, SS American passenger steamboat |
44. | Winfield Scott, SS American paddle steamer |
45. | Yarmouth Castle, SS American cruise ship |
About the Data There are more than 400 ships in this database, but the initial list is only for famous ships names that begin with letters "A-B". For other listings, use the country and type tabs. Touching (or cursor over) a ship image produces an enlargement. Touch anywhere else (or move the cursor off the image) to close the larger image. Touching (or clicking on) any underlined name will link to a page with more information. Although submarines are usually called boats, they are grouped with ships here. Most of the information comes from Wikipedia. |
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