The largest maritime disasters in history. The worst shipwrecks in the world Ship accidents small messages

Experts estimate that there are about four million sunken ships in the world scattered across the oceans, some of which date back thousands of years. Even the numbers of famous shipwrecks are impressive.
A large number of shipwrecks are historically significant and are protected by UNESCO as underwater cultural heritage. Some ships have run aground near the beaches, and are gradually rotting under the influence of the forces of nature. Some of them have become tourist attractions.
The last time a shipwreck received significant media attention occurred in January 2012, when a cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized in the waters near the island of Isola del Giglio on the west coast of Italy. The capsized ship attracted thousands of curious tourists. Here we've rounded up some impressive shipwrecks that are worth seeing before time destroys them.

"SS America"

The SS America was an ocean liner built in 1940. After a long career, the ship was sold in 1993 with the intention of being renovated to become a five-star hotel in Phuket, Thailand. It was at this time that the ship was renamed American Star, although she never sailed under this new name. The ship was towed from Greece to the Atlantic by a Ukrainian tug. However, the ships were caught in a thunderstorm, the tow rope broke, the crew on board the SS America was rescued by helicopter, and the ship was abandoned to its fate. On January 18, the ship ran aground near west coast Fuerteventura Islands (Canary Islands).
Within the first 48 hours after the ship ran aground, the impacts of the Atlantic Ocean surf broke the ship. The stern section collapsed and sank in 1996, while bow remained untouched. In November 2005, the bow collapsed and the hull began to disintegrate. In 2007, the entire ship collapsed and fell into the sea. As of March 2013, this ship is only visible at low tide.

The wreckage of the American Star (SS America) in July 2004.

"Discoverer of the World"

The World Discoverer was a large cruise ship built in 1974 that made periodic voyages to Antarctica and the polar regions to allow its passengers to admire ice hummocks and icebergs. The vessel had a double hull, which provided protection from minor impacts. But nevertheless, on April 30, 2000, the ship hit a reef and pierced the hull near Solomon Islands. The captain steered the ship into Roderick Bay and grounded it to avoid sinking. The crew and passengers were evacuated and the ship was later looted by local residents.

"Mediterranean sky"

The cruise ship Mediterranean Sky was originally named New York and was built in 1952 in Newcastle, England. The ship made its last voyage in August 1996.
Due to financial problems of the owning company, Mediterranean Sky was arrested in 1997 in Patras. Two years later it was towed to the Gulf of Eleusus in Greece, where it was abandoned. At the end of 2002, the ship began to fill with water and began to tilt. In order to stop it from sinking, it was towed to shallow water. In January 2003, the Mediterranean Sky capsized on its side, where it remains awaiting its fate.

"MV Captayannis"

Captayannis was a Greek barge for transporting raw sugar. She sank on the River Clyde (Scotland) in 1974 after a collision with an oil tanker. The tanker did not suffer any damage, but its anchor chains made holes in the Captayannis, causing the vessel to fill with water. Captain Captayannis tried to steer the ship into shallow waters and it ran aground. The ship capsized the next morning and remains there to this day.
Although this ship is in relatively shallow waters, no attempt has ever been made to salvage the remains of the vessel. After some time, Captayannis became a habitat for marine fauna and birds.

BOS-400

BOS-400 is a French floating platform that ran aground in Maori Bay in South Africa during a storm, towed by a Russian tug on June 26, 1994. The BOS-400 was the largest floating crane in Africa. The tug was chartered to tow the BOS-400 from the Republic of the Congo to Cape Town ( South Africa). However, during a storm, the towing rope broke and the platform was thrown aground, where it remains to this day.

"La Famille Express"

The ship "La Famille Express" was shipwrecked in the southern waters of Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean Sea. The ship was built in 1952 in Poland and spent most of its life serving in the Soviet Navy as Fort Shevchenko. In 1999, the ship was sold and renamed La Famille Express. The circumstances of the wreck are not clearly known, except that it ran aground during Hurricane Frances in 2004. Now the ship is a big local attraction and attracts a large number of tourists.

"HMAS Defender"

HMAS Defender was a large gunboat purchased by the South Australian Government in 1884 to defend the coast against the possible "Russian threat" of the 1870s. HMAS Defender served during the Boxer Rebellion, World War I and World War II. In July 1943, HMAS Defender was requisitioned for military service by the US Navy. On the way to New Guinea, the ship was damaged in a collision with a tug. The hull subsequently ran aground off the coast of Queensland. Its rusting remains are still visible to this day.

"Gospel"

The Evangelia is a merchant ship built by the same shipyard as the Titanic and launched on May 28, 1942 under the name Empire of Power. Later it had several names and was eventually called "Evangelia".
In 1968, during a night of thick fog, the ship sailed incredibly close to coastline and ran aground near Costinesti. Some claim that the Gospel was deliberately destroyed by the owner to collect insurance compensation. The hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that during this disaster, although the fog was very thick, the sea was incredibly calm and almost all of the ship’s equipment worked perfectly.

"SS Maheno"

The shipwreck of the SS Maheno is the most famous shipwreck off Fraser Island in Australia... Built in 1905, the SS Maheno was one of the first turbine steamships. She committed regular flights on the route between Sydney and Auckland until she was converted into a hospital ship during the First World War.
In 1935 it was sold to Japan for scrap. While being towed to Japan, the ship was caught in a severe storm and lost with eight people on board. The ship was found 3 days later, washed ashore off the coast of Fraser Island; its crew had to set up camp on the shore of the island. Attempts to refloat it were unsuccessful and it was eventually put up for sale, but no buyers were found.

"Santa Maria"

The Santa Maria was a Spanish merchant ship. During its last voyage, it carried sports cars, food, medicine, cars, clothing, etc. On September 1, 1968, the ship was passing near the Cape Verde Islands on its way to Brazil and Argentina when it ran aground. After a local tug unsuccessfully attempted to salvage the ship, it was abandoned. All valuable cargo was reloaded and taken away. The wreck of the Santa Maria has since become a symbol of Boa Vista and Cape Verde.

"Dimitrios"

Dimitrios (formerly Klintholm) is a small cargo ship, 67 meters long, built in 1950. It washed up on Valtaki Beach in Laconia Prefecture in Greece on December 23, 1981.
There are rumors that the ship was used to smuggle cigarettes between Turkey and Italy. It was deliberately stranded by its crew on Valtaki Beach, about 5 kilometers from the port of Gythio, and then set on fire to hide evidence of cigarette smuggling.

"Olympia"

It was a merchant ship that was washed ashore near the city of Katapola, on the island of Amorgos in Greece. In 1979, on his way from Cyprus to Greece, he was captured by pirates. After an unsuccessful attempt to pull the ship out of the bay, it was abandoned there and became one of the most popular tourist destinations.

No matter how far scientific and technological progress goes, disasters have happened, are happening and will probably continue to happen for a long time. Some of them could have been avoided, but most of the worst events in the world were inevitable because they happened at the behest of Mother Nature.

The worst plane crash

Collision of two Boeing 747s

Humanity does not know of a more terrible plane crash than the one that occurred on March 27, 1977 on the island of Tenerife, which belongs to the Canary group. On this day, at Los Rodeo airport, two Boeing 747s collided, one of which belonged to KLM, the other to Pan American. This terrible tragedy claimed 583 lives. The reasons that led to this disaster are a fatal and paradoxical combination of circumstances.

Los Rodeos airport was seriously overloaded on this ill-fated Sunday. The dispatcher spoke with a strong Spanish accent, and the radio communications suffered from serious interference. Because of this, the Boeing commander, KLM, misinterpreted the command to abort the flight, which became the fatal cause of the collision of two maneuvering aircraft.

Only a few passengers managed to escape through the holes created in the Pan American plane. The wings and tail of another Boeing fell off, which led to a fall one hundred and fifty meters from the accident site, after which it was dragged for another three hundred meters. Both flying cars caught fire.

There were 248 passengers on board the Boeing KLM, none of whom survived. The Pan American plane became the site of the death of 335 people, including the entire crew, as well as the famous model and actress Eve Meyer.

The worst man-made disaster

On July 6, 1988, the worst of all disasters occurred in the North Sea, famous history oil production. It happened on the Piper Alpha oil platform, which was built in 1976. The number of victims was 167 people, the company suffered a loss of about three and a half billion dollars.

The most offensive thing is that the number of victims could have been much lower if not for ordinary human stupidity. There was a large gas leak, followed by an explosion. But instead of stopping the oil supply immediately after the accident began, the maintenance personnel waited for management's command.

The countdown went on for minutes, and soon the entire platform of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation was engulfed in fire, even the living quarters caught fire. Those who could have survived the blast were burned alive. Only those who managed to jump into the water survived.

Worst water accident ever

When the topic of tragedies on the water is raised, one involuntarily recalls the film “Titanic”. Moreover, such a catastrophe really happened. But this shipwreck is not the worst in the history of mankind.

Wilhelm Gustloff

Most big disaster, which occurred on the water, is rightfully considered to be the sinking of the German ship Wilhelm Gustloff. The tragedy occurred on January 30, 1945. Its culprit was a submarine of the Soviet Union, which hit a ship that could accommodate almost 9,000 passengers.

This, at that time, a perfect product of shipbuilding, was made in 1938. It seemed unsinkable and housed 9 decks, restaurants, a winter garden, climate control, gyms, theaters, dance floors, swimming pools, a church and even Hitler’s rooms.

Its length was more than two hundred meters, it could sail half the planet without refueling. The ingenious creation could not sink without outside intervention. And it happened in the person of the crew of the submarine S-13, commanded by A. I. Marinesko. IN legendary ship three torpedoes were fired. In a matter of minutes he found himself in the abyss of the Baltic Sea. All crew members were killed, including about 8,000 representatives of the German military elite who were evacuated from Danzig.

Wreck of the Wilhelm Gustloff (video)

The greatest environmental tragedy

Shrunken Aral Sea

Among all environmental disasters, the leading place is occupied by drying out Aral Sea. In their better times it was the fourth largest among all the lakes in the world.

The disaster occurred due to the unreasonable use of water used to water gardens and fields. The drying out was due to the ill-considered political ambitions and actions of the leaders of those times.

Gradually, the coastline moved far into the sea, which led to the extinction of most species of flora and fauna. In addition, droughts began to become more frequent, the climate changed significantly, shipping became impossible, and more than sixty people were left without work.

Where did the Aral Sea disappear: strange symbols on the dry bottom (VIDEO)

Nuclear disaster

What could be worse than a nuclear disaster? The lifeless kilometers of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl region are the embodiment of these fears. The accident occurred in 1986, when one of the power units of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded early on an April morning.

Chernobyl 1986

This tragedy claimed the lives of several hundred tow truck workers, and thousands died over the next ten years. And only God knows how many people were forced to leave their homes...

The children of these people are still born with developmental anomalies. The atmosphere, land and water around the nuclear power plant are contaminated with radioactive substances.

Radiation levels in this region are still thousands of times higher than normal. No one knows how long it will take for people to settle in these places. The scale of this disaster is still not fully known.

Chernobyl accident 1986: Chernobyl, Pripyat - liquidation (VIDEO)

Disaster over the Black Sea: Tu-154 of the Russian Ministry of Defense crashed

Crash of Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Not long ago there was a crash of a Tu-154 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense en route to Syria. It claimed the lives of 64 talented artists of the Alexandrov ensemble, nine famous leading TV channels, the head of a charitable organization - the famous Doctor Lisa, eight military personnel, two civil servants, and all crew members. Total in this terrible plane crash 92 people died.

On this tragic morning in December 2016, the plane refueled in Adler, but unexpectedly crashed just after takeoff. The investigation took a long time, because it was necessary to know what the cause of the Tu-154 crash was.

The commission that investigated the causes of the accident named overloading of the plane, fatigue of the crew and low professional level of training and organization of the flight among the circumstances leading to the disaster.

Results of the investigation into the Tu-154 crash of the Russian Ministry of Defense (VIDEO)

Submarine "Kursk"

The sinking of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, which killed 118 people on board, occurred in 2000 in the Barents Sea. This is the second largest accident in the history of the Russian submarine fleet after the disaster on the B-37.

On August 12, as planned, preparations for training attacks began. The last written confirmed actions on the boat were recorded at 11.15.

A few hours before the tragedy, the crew commander was informed about the cotton, which he did not pay attention to. Then the boat shook violently, which was attributed to the activation of the radar station antenna. After that, the boat captain no longer contacted us. At 23.00 the situation on the submarine was declared as an emergency, which was reported to the leadership of the fleet and the country. The next morning, as a result of search operations, the Kursk was found at the bottom of the sea at a depth of 108 m.

The official version of the cause of the tragedy is the explosion of a training torpedo, which occurred as a result of a fuel leak.

Submarine Kursk: what really happened? (VIDEO)

Wreck of the ship "Admiral Nakhimov"

Crash passenger ship“Admiral Nakhimov” happened in August 1981 near Novorossiysk. There were 1,234 people on board the ship, 423 of whom lost their lives on that fateful day. It is known that Vladimir Vinokur and Lev Leshchenko were late for this flight.

At 23:12, the ship collided with the dry cargo ship "Petr Vasev", as a result of which the electric generator was flooded and the light went out on the "Nakhimov". The ship became uncontrollable and continued to move forward by inertia. As a result of the collision, a hole of up to eighty square meters was formed in the starboard side. Panic began among the passengers; many climbed onto the left side and thus descended into the water.

Almost a thousand people ended up in the water, and they were also dirty with fuel oil and paint. Eight minutes after the collision, the ship sank.

Steamer Admiral Nakhimov: shipwreck - Russian Titanic (VIDEO)

Oil platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico

The most terrible ecological disasters in the world in 2010, another one was added, which happened in the Gulf of Mexico, eighty km from Louisiana. This is one of the most dangerous man-made accidents for the environment. It happened on April 20 on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.

As a result of pipe rupture, about five million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

A spot measuring 75,000 square meters formed in the bay. km, which amounted to five percent of its total area. The disaster took the lives of 11 people and injured 17.

Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico (VIDEO)

Concordia crash

On January 14, 2012, the list of the worst incidents in the world was supplemented with one more. Near Italian Tuscany, the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran into a rock outcropping, leaving a hole seventy meters in size. At this time, most of the passengers were in the restaurant.

The right side of the liner began to plunge into the water, then it was thrown onto a sandbank 1 km from the crash site. There were more than 4,000 people on the ship who were evacuated throughout the night, but not everyone was saved: 32 people were still killed and a hundred were injured.

Costa Concordia – the crash through the eyes of eyewitnesses (VIDEO)

Eruption of Krakatoa in 1883

Natural disasters show how insignificant and helpless we are in the face of natural phenomena. But all the worst disasters in the world are nothing compared to the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano, which occurred in 1883.

On May 20, a large smoke column could be seen above the Krakatoa volcano. At that moment, even at a distance of 160 kilometers from him, the windows of houses began to tremble. All the nearby islands were covered with a thick layer of dust and pumice.

Eruptions continued until August 27. The final explosion culminated in sound waves that circled the entire planet several times. At that moment, the compasses on the ships sailing in the Sunda Strait stopped showing correctly.

These explosions led to the submersion of the entire northern part of the island. The seabed rose as a result of the eruptions. Much ash from the volcano remained in the atmosphere for another two to three years.

The tsunami, which was thirty meters high, washed away about three hundred settlements and killed 36,000 people.

The most powerful eruption of Krakatoa Volcano (VIDEO)

Earthquake in Spitak in 1988

On December 7, 1988, the list of “Best Disasters in the World” was supplemented with another one that occurred in the Armenian Spitak. On this tragic day, tremors literally “wiped” this city from the face of the earth in just half a minute, destroying Leninakan, Stepanavan and Kirovakan beyond recognition. In total, twenty-one cities and three hundred and fifty villages were affected.

In Spitak itself, the earthquake had a force of ten, Leninakan was struck by a force of nine, and Kirovakan was struck by a force of eight, and almost the rest of Armenia was struck by a force of six. Seismologists have calculated that during this earthquake the energy released corresponded to the force of ten exploded atomic bombs. The wave that this tragedy caused was recorded by scientific laboratories almost all over the world.

This natural disaster deprived 25,000 people of their lives, 140,000 of their health, and 514,000 of their homes. Forty percent of the republic's industry was out of order, schools, hospitals, theaters, museums, cultural centers, roads and railways were destroyed.

Military personnel, doctors, and public figures throughout the country and abroad, both near and far, were called to help. I was actively planning humanitarian aid Worldwide. Tents, field kitchens and first aid stations were set up throughout the area affected by the tragedy.

The saddest and most instructive thing in this situation is that the scale and victims of this terrible disaster could have been many times smaller if seismic activity of this region was taken into account and all buildings were erected taking into account these features. The lack of preparedness of the rescue services also contributed.

Tragic days: earthquake in Spitak (VIDEO)

2004 Tsunami Indian Ocean - Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka

In December 2004, a devastating tsunami of terrible force caused by an underwater earthquake hit the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and other countries. Huge waves devastated the area and killed 200,000 people. The most offensive thing is that most of the dead are children, since in this region there is a high proportion of children to the population, moreover, children are physically weaker and less able to resist water than an adult.

Aceh province in Indonesia suffered the greatest losses. Almost all buildings there were destroyed, 168,000 people died.

IN geographically this earthquake was simply huge. Up to 1200 kilometers of rock have moved. The shift occurred in two phases with an interval of two to three minutes.

The number of victims turned out to be so high because along the entire coast Indian Ocean did not have common system alerts.

There is nothing worse than disasters and tragedies that deprive people of life, shelter, health, destroy industry and everything that a person has worked on for many years. But it often turns out that the number of casualties and destruction in such situations could have been much less if everyone had been conscientious about their professional responsibilities; in some cases, it was necessary to provide an evacuation plan and a warning system in advance local residents. Let's hope that in the future humanity will find a way to avoid such terrible tragedies or reduce the damage from them.

Tsunami in Indonesia 2004 (VIDEO)

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11/07/2011

The drowning of the motor ship "Bulgaria" claimed the lives of dozens of people, and made us think once again about the safety of the river and maritime transport. Most people are only familiar with the tragedy of the Titanic, about which many films have been made and many stories have been told.

N oh, oddly enough, it was not the Titanic that took the largest number of human lives to the bottom. This ranking lists the worst shipwrecks in history and is based on those killed in these disasters. It is worth noting that all these disasters occurred in peacetime.

1. Dona Paz - 4,375 dead

Passenger ferry registered in the Philippines. Sank on December 20, 1987 after a collision with the tanker Vector. An estimated 4,375 people were killed, making it the worst peacetime maritime disaster. The ferry was built in 1963 at the Japanese shipyard Onomichi Zosen, Onomichi, and was named Himeuri Maru. The Himeuri Maru was owned by the Ryukyu Kaiun Kaisa Company and cruised Japanese waters with a capacity of 608 passengers. In 1975, the ship was sold to Sulpicio Lines, a Philippine passenger ferry operator, and was named Don Sulphico and later Doña Paz. A month before the collision, the ferry was being repaired at the docks. During Don's confrontation, Paz performed twice a week Passenger Transportation along the route Manila-Tacloban-Catbalogan-Manila-Catbalogan-Tacloban-Manila.

2. Halifax explosion - 1,950 dead

The Halifax Explosion was an explosion that occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, in Halifax Harbour. As a result of the strong explosion of the French military transport Mont Blanc, loaded with explosives, which occurred as a result of the collision of the Mont Blanc with the Norwegian ship Imo, the port and a significant part of the city were completely destroyed. About 2 thousand people died as a result of the explosion, under the rubble of buildings, and due to fires that arose after the explosion. Approximately 9 thousand people were injured.

3. Joola - 1,863 dead

A Senegalese government ferry that capsized off the coast of The Gambia on September 26, 2002. The disaster resulted in the deaths of at least 1,863 people. On September 26, 2002, the ferry Yoola sailed from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region on one of its regular trips to the capital of Senegal, Dakar. During the voyage, the ship, designed to carry about 580 passengers, accommodated about 2,000 people. Along the way, the ship capsized due to strong winds off the coast of Gambia. Detailed reports show that this happened in less than five minutes.

4. Sultana - 1,800 dead

The steamship Sultana, sailing along the Mississippi River, was destroyed as a result of the explosion of one of its four boilers on April 27, 1865. This resulted in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. Approximately 1,800 of the 2,400 passengers on board were killed. The steamship sank near Memphis, Tennessee.

5. Titanic - 1,517 dead

Titanic is a British steamship of the White Star Line, one of three twin ships of the Olympic class. The largest passenger airliner in the world at the time of its construction. During its maiden voyage on April 14, 1912, it collided with an iceberg and sank 2 hours and 40 minutes later. There were 1,316 passengers and 892 crew members on board, for a total of 2,208 people. The Titanic disaster became legendary and was one of the largest shipwrecks in history. Several feature films have been shot based on its plot.

6. Empress of Ireland - 1,012 dead

The Empress of Ireland is a Canadian passenger liner laid down at the Govan shipyard, near Glasgow (Scotland). Launched in January 1906, she underwent sea trials until June 27, 1906. One of the most large ships of its class, owned by the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. Made flights between England and Canada. The comfort of the premises, the high speed of the vessel, as well as excellent service on board the liner have made it popular among those who want to cross Atlantic Ocean. During its next voyage on May 29, 1914, the Empress of Ireland collided with the Norwegian coal carrier Storstadt on the St. Lawrence River and sank 14 minutes later at a depth of more than 40 meters. It carried 1,477 people on board (420 crew and 1,057 passengers).

7. Estonia - 852 dead

The ferry Estonia was built in 1979 in Germany at the Meyer Werft shipyard in the city of Papenburg. "Estonia" sank on the night of September 27 to September 28, 1994. In this case, 852 people died out of 1049 on board. The ferry was originally built for the Viking Line and was named Viking Sally. It was supposed to run between Turku, Mariehamn and Stockholm. In 1986 it was sold to Silja Line and renamed Silja Star, keeping it on its original route. In 1991, the ferry was operated by the Wasa Line company, which was wholly owned by Silja Line, and the ferry, now under the name Wasa King, began running between the Finnish city of Vaasa and the Swedish city of Umeå. In January 1993, to provide ferry service between Tallinn and Stockholm, the Swedish company Nordström & Thulin and the Estonian state-owned Estonian Shipping Company (“Estonian Shipping Company”, abbreviated as “ESCO”) created a joint venture “Estline” (“Estonian Shipping Company”). EstLine A/S), which acquired the ferry Wasa King, renaming it Estonia.

8. Eastland - 845 dead

It was a passenger ship based in Chicago. It was used for excursions to the Great Lakes. The ship sank on July 24, 1915 as a result of a natural disaster. It became the worst shipwreck disaster in the Great Lakes region.

9. Birkenhead - 460 dead

Birkenhead is a ferry built specifically for the Royal Navy. She was designed as a frigate, but was later intended to transport troops. On February 26, 1852, while transporting troops, the ship crashed off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa.

10. Mary Rose - 400 dead

Mary Rose was a three-decker flagship of the English navy under King Henry VIII Tudor. This massive carrack was launched in Portsmouth in 1510. It was probably named after the French queen Mary Tudor (the king's sister) and the rose as the heraldic symbol of the House of Tudor. During the Italian Wars, the Mary Rose was commanded by brother admirals Edward and Thomas Howard. In 1512, the Mary Rose took part in the attack on Brest. In 1528 and 1536 it was modernized: the number of guns was increased to 91, the displacement was increased to 700 tons. In 1545, the French king Francis I landed on the Isle of Wight. The British sent 80 ships, led by the Mary Rose, to the Solent to defend the island. Overloaded with artillery, the karakka, never known for its stability, suddenly began to list and sank along with Admiral George Carew. Only 35 sailors managed to escape. By the way, the remains of this ship were found, and now they are stored in maritime museum city of Portsmouth .

optopus.ucoz.ru, photo from pajamasmedia.com

For thousands of years, ships have sunk during war, natural disasters, and in some cases even due to human error. The ten largest and most famous shipwrecks that have ever occurred have been revealed.

The Titanic sailed from Southampton to New York, where it hit an iceberg and sank after 2 hours and 40 minutes. Its hull, divided into two parts, lies on the seabed at a depth of more than 3,700 meters.

Sultana

Almost forgotten, but one of the deadliest disasters. More than 1,800 people died during the sinking of this ship. It was the greatest maritime disaster in all of history. American history. The explosion of four boilers turned the ship into a huge fireball, consuming everyone and everything. The explosion killed 80% of everyone on board. The disaster took a back seat in the press due to the fact that President Lincoln was assassinated just the day before. . The ship was designed for only 85 passengers, but there were approximately 2,400 people on board. Its wreckage lies near Memphis, Tennessee.

L.R. Doty

This ship was launched in 1894 in Michigan, in western Bay City. It was caught in a terrible storm, which caused its sinking, killing all 17 crew members on board. The wreck site was found 111 years after the sinking of the ship. It is located at a depth of 92 meters in Lake Michigan; the cargo of corn is still intact. Due to the murky water, this place is considered one of the most dangerous dive sites.

Oriskany

Nicknamed the Mighty O, the ship was one of 24 huge Essex-class ships ordered by the US Navy. The ship has seen many battles in many places, ranging from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to the Vietnam War. . The ship was converted into an artificial reef in 2004 and has become a very successful home for millions of fish. Today it is considered one of best places for diving in the world.

Jula

The sinking of this ship is considered the second worst maritime disaster not related to the war. The disaster claimed at least 1,863 lives. The ship was designed to carry 500 passengers, but at the time of the accident it was carrying more than 2,000 passengers. The ship capsized after being caught in a storm. It sank in just five minutes. Rescue teams arrived only the morning after the incident, great amount the victims died in the water while awaiting rescue. The ship is still considered missing.

Vida Galli

This ship has a very interesting story. It was primarily used for the slave trade, but then in late February 1717, a pirate named "Black Sam" Bellamy seized the ship and claimed it as his own. During the year he owned the ship, he used the Vida Galli to capture and plunder more than 50 ships. The ship was caught in a strong storm, as a result of which its main mast collapsed and it capsized, dragging all the pirates under the water. The ship was discovered more than 250 years after it disappeared along with its loot. It was at a depth of only 5 meters. It was the first real pirate ship ever discovered.

Rona

This is quite possibly the most beautiful shipwreck in the world. British packet boat wrecked off the coast of Salt Island, British Virgin Islands, October 26, 1867. The ship went straight into a hurricane, which damaged it and caused the death of 123 people. Now this is a place for diving, and, I must say, absolutely stunning in beauty. Wildlife has taken the ship into its possession, and now it is covered with corals, eels live in it, different types fish and even sharks.

Costa Concordia

The most last crash cruise ship. Although the ship only partially sank, the disaster cost the lives of 34 passengers. The crash was widely reported in the press. Captain Schettino tried to make a spectacular maneuver into the port. To do this, he turned off the ship's navigation system, which reported how close the ship was to the rock shoal. The ship hit a large rock and water began to fill the ship, causing it to capsize. The "Costa Concordia" is still located in the area of Giglia Island, Tuscany, and has become a popular tourist attraction; Plans are now being developed to lift and tow it.

Mont Blanc

The Mont Blanc became known as the ship that caused the Halifax explosion. The ship was heading to France from New York and was carrying a huge amount of ammunition and explosives. The ship was not too old, but was very slow due to the weight of the cargo it was carrying. It called at Halifax, Nova Scotia, to rendezvous with a convoy bound for France. While entering the port, the ship crashed into another ship, the Imo. The collision caused a fire and the explosives on board ignited. The force of the explosion was 2.9 kilotons, the largest non-nuclear explosion in history. More than 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 wounded.

Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes is very popular among divers because wildlife and landscapes that emerged from the shipwreck. The ship lies in a large harbor and can be seen at water level. The ship was damaged near Cove Island in August 1885. Luckily, he was brought back to port by the small tug Jessie. The schooner was seriously damaged and could not be repaired, so it sank in the port itself. Fortunately, a huge load of coal was lifted from the side of the sunken ship.

Over hundreds of years of sailing on various ships, sailboats and barges across the vast seas and oceans, many different accidents and shipwrecks have occurred. Films have even been made about some of them, the most popular of which, of course, is Titanic. But which shipwrecks were the largest in terms of ship size and number of victims? In this ranking, we answer this question by presenting the largest maritime disasters.

11

The rating opens with a British passenger liner that was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 on May 7, 1915, in an area designated by the Kaiser's government as a submarine warfare zone. The ship, sailing with a blacked-out name and not raising any flag above itself, sank in 18 minutes, 13 kilometers from the coast of Ireland. 1,198 of the 1,959 people on board were killed. The destruction of this ship turned public opinion in many countries against Germany and contributed to the US entry into the First world war two years later.

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The single-screw steamer had a capacity of 7142 register tons, a length of 132 meters, a width of 17 meters, and a maximum speed of 11 knots. On April 12, 1944, a steamship with explosives with a total weight of more than 1,500 tons began unloading at the Bombay port pier. There were other cargoes on board - 8,700 tons of cotton, 128 gold bars, sulfur, wood, engine oil, etc. The ship was loaded in violation of safety regulations. At about 2 p.m., a fire started on board, and no action helped to extinguish it. At 16:06 an explosion occurred, which created a tidal wave of such force that the ship “Jalampada” with a displacement of almost 4000 tons ended up on the roof of a 17-meter warehouse. After 34 min. a second explosion occurred.

The burning cotton scattered within a radius of 900 meters from the epicenter and set everything on fire: ships, warehouses, houses. A strong wind from the sea drove a wall of fire towards the city. The fires were extinguished only after 2 weeks. It took about 7 months to restore the port. Official statistics announced 1,376 deaths, and 2,408 people were admitted to hospitals. The fire destroyed 55,000 tons of grain, thousands of tons of seeds, oil, oil; a huge amount of military equipment and almost one square mile of urban areas. 6 thousand companies went bankrupt, 50 thousand people lost their jobs. Many small and 4 large ships, tens.

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It was with this ship that the most famous disaster on the water occurred. The British White Star Line steamship was the second of the three Olympic-class twin steamships and the largest passenger airliner in the world at the time of construction. Gross tonnage 46,328 register tons, displacement 66,000 tons. The length of the ship is 269 meters, width is 28 meters, height is 52 meters. The engine room had 29 boilers and 159 coal fireboxes. Maximum speed 25 knots. During her maiden voyage on April 14, 1912, she collided with an iceberg and sank 2 hours and 40 minutes later. There were 2224 people on board. Of these, 711 people were saved, 1,513 died. The Titanic disaster became legendary; several feature films were made based on its plot.

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In the harbor of the Canadian city of Halifax on December 6, 1917, the French military cargo ship Mont Blanc, which was fully loaded with one explosive - TNT, pyroxylin and picric acid, collided with the Norwegian ship Imo. As a result of a powerful explosion, the port and a significant part of the city were completely destroyed. About 2,000 people died as a result of the explosion under the rubble of buildings and due to the fires that broke out after the explosion. Approximately 9,000 people were injured and 400 lost their sight. The explosion in Halifax is one of the most powerful explosions caused by mankind; this explosion is considered the most powerful explosion of the pre-nuclear era.

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This French auxiliary cruiser served as the flagship and took part in the neutralization of the Greek fleet. Displacement - 25,000 tons, length - 166 meters, width - 27 meters, power - 29,000 horsepower, speed - 20 knots, cruising range - 4,700 miles at 10 knots. It sank in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece on February 26, 1916 after a torpedo attack by the German submarine U-35. Of the 4,000 people on board, 3,130 died and 870 were saved.

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After 1944, this German passenger ocean liner was converted into a floating hospital, participated in the evacuation of mainly wounded military personnel and refugees from East Prussia from the advancing Red Army. The liner left the port of Pillau on February 9, 1945 and headed to Kiel, with more than 4,000 people on board - wounded military personnel, soldiers, refugees, medical staff and crew members. On the night of February 10 at 00:55, the Soviet submarine S-13 torpedoed the liner with two torpedoes. The ship sank 15 minutes later, killing 3,608 and saving 659 people. When torpedoing the liner, the submarine commander was convinced that in front of him was not a passenger liner, but a military cruiser.

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The Philippine-registered passenger ferry Dona Paz sank on December 20, 1987 at about 10 p.m. off the island of Marinduque after a collision with the tanker Vector. An estimated 4,375 people were killed, making it the worst peacetime maritime disaster.

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This passenger and cargo ship of the Adzharia type was built at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad in 1928, and on November 7, 1941, it was sunk by the Germans near the coast of Crimea. The death toll was, according to various estimates, from 3,000 to 4,500 people. On the ship there were several thousand wounded soldiers and evacuated citizens, including personnel from 23 military and civilian hospitals, the leadership of the pioneer camp and part of the party leadership of Crimea. The loading of evacuees was in a hurry, and their exact number is not known. There is a version that the cause of this naval disaster was the criminal mistakes of the command of the Black Sea Fleet. The overcrowded ship, instead of making the transition to the Caucasus, was sent by the command to Yalta.

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The cargo ship, built in Oslo, Norway, was launched on April 4, 1940. It was confiscated by the Germans after the occupation of Norway by Germany. At first it was used as a mock target for training the crews of German submarines. Later, the ship took part in the evacuation of people by sea from the advancing Red Army. It was armed with military cannons. This ship managed to make four trips, during which 19,785 people were evacuated. On the night of April 16, 1945, the ship, making its fifth voyage, was torpedoed by the Soviet submarine L-3, after which the Goya sank in the Baltic Sea. More than 6,900 people died in the disaster.

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On May 3, 1945, a tragedy occurred in the Baltic Sea, killing approximately 8,000 people. The German liner Cap Arcona and the cargo ship Tilbeck, transporting prisoners from evacuating concentration camps, came under fire from British aircraft. As a result, more than 5,000 people died on the Cap Arcona, and about 2,800 on the Tilbek. According to one version, this raid was a mistake on the part of the British Air Force, which believed that there were German troops on the ships; according to another, the pilots were ordered to destroy everything enemy ships in the area.

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The worst thing on the water happened to this German passenger liner, which since 1940 was converted into a floating hospital. During World War II it was used as an infirmary and dormitory for the 2nd submarine training brigade. The death of the ship, torpedoed on January 30, 1945 by the Soviet submarine S-13 under the command of A. I. Marinesko, is considered biggest disaster in maritime history - according to some historians, real losses could be more than 9,000 people.

At 21:16 the first torpedo hit the bow of the ship, later the second blew up the empty swimming pool where the women of the naval auxiliary battalion were located, and the last hit the engine room. Through the joint efforts of the crew and passengers, some lifeboats were able to be launched into the water, but many people still found themselves in the icy water. Due to the strong roll of the ship, an anti-aircraft gun came off the deck and crushed one of the boats full of people. About an hour after the attack, the Wilhelm Gustloff completely sank.

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