Lost at Sea

BOAT Lost at Sea The worst maritime disasters on record. insurance Lives lost at sea. Source: ShipwreckRegistry.com, ShipwreckCentral.com, Wikipedia Rigel (Norway) November 27, 1944 Death toll: 1,833 A Norwegian vessel under German control, it was sunk by British aircraft while transporting Russian prisoners. Scharnhorst (German) December 26, 1943 Death toll: 1,964 German battleship sunk by the British Navy off the North Cape of Norway. Scharnhorst Boatmsurance.org Bismarck (Germany) May 27, 1941 Death toll: 1,995 Hunted by British forces for sinking the HMS Hood, the Bismarck sank just three days later. Rigel Wilhelm Gustloff Lusitania Wilhelm Gustloff (Germany) January 30, 1945 Death toll: est. 9,400 While evacuating civilians, soldiers and personnel, the Gustloff was torpedoed by a Russian submarine, causing one of the worst maritime disasters in history. Bismarck MV Le Joola (Senegal) Death toll: 1,863 The ferry was carrying quadruple its recommended capacity when it capsized in stormy seas of Gambia AI Salam Boccaccio 98 MV Le Joola Al Salam Boccaccio (Egypt) February 3, 2006 Death toll: 1,050 The passenger ferry sank in the Red Sea en route from Saudi Arabia to Southern Egypt. Lusitania (Britain) May 7, 1915 Death toll: 1,198 An Armed Merchant Cruiser for the Royal Navy, the Lusitania was torpe- doed by the German submarine U-20 off the coast of Kinsale, Ireland. Charles Dixon Eastland (USA) July 24, 1915 Death toll: 1,863 This Chicago tour ship became top- heavy after complying with new Federal lifeboat standards and rolled at the dock when loaded to capacity, trapping many passengers below decks. Pastla X Mont Blanc RMS Titanic General Slocum Sultana Gen. Slocum (USA) June 15, 1904 Death toll: Over 1,000 This fire on the East River caused the Titanic (Britain) April 15, 1912 Death toll: 1,517 The largest passenger ship in history when launched, it was touted unsink- able until an iceberg ended its maiden voyage. worst loss of life in New York City until the September 11th, 2001 attacks. Mont Blanc (France) December 6, 1917 Death toll: approximately 2,000 This munitions ship exploded in the Halifax Harbour after a collision, level- ing everything within 2 sq. kilometers. Sultana (USA) April 27, 1865 Death toll: 1,800, 600 survivors Carrying Union soldiers near the end of the Civil War, a boiler explosion on this river paddleboat near Memphis caused the worst maritime disaster in young America's history. Mariner's Museum, Newport News, VA Kiangya (China) December 4, 1948 Death toll: 3,920 (estimated) The suspected cause of the explosion was a mine left in the Huangpu River by the Japanese Navy during WWII. Toya Maru (Japan), September 26, 1954 Death toll: 1,153 (estimated) Sunk during Typhoon Marie in the Tsugari Strait, the number of fatalities remains unknown because of a high number of unticketed passengers. Toya M Yamato SS Kiangya Awa Maru Yamato (Japan) April 7, 1945 Death toll: 2,498 (estimated) On a suicide mission to Okinawa at the end of WWII, the Yamato's ammunition stores exploded under American fire Ural Maru Dona Paz Junyo Maru Ural Maru (Japan) September 27, 1944 Death toll: 2,340 Torpedoed by the USS Flasher 150 miles west of Masinlik, Philippines. Doña Paz (Philippines), December 20, 1987 Death toll: 4,375 The overcrowded passenger ferry struck an oil tanker in the Tablas Strait, and the resulting fire claimed both ships in the worst peacetime maritime disaster in history. History.Navy.mil Awa Maru (Japan), April 1, 1945 Death toll: 2,003, 1 survivor Mistook for a Japanese destroyer, it was sunk by an American submarine in the Taiwan Strait. Junyo Maru (Japan), September 18, 1944 Death toll: 1,863 Carrying Dutch, British, and American POW's, the steamer was torpedoed by the British off the coast of Sumatra. Pinfoshot