Maritime disasters. Sunken passenger ships and submarines

The world is familiar with many shipwrecks that shocked with their scale and horror of what happened. A lot of terrible shipwrecks that caused significant human casualties are also known in Russian history.

Top worst shipwrecks of the 20th century

Some water disasters have occurred far out to sea, and some have occurred offshore due to reef collisions. The consequences can be frightening. Next, consider some of the most terrible shipwrecks in the history of mankind.

Steamboat "Sultana" (SS Sultana)

Soldiers released from captivity were transported on the ship. 1653 people became victims of the disaster, 741 people were saved. This shipwreck in terms of the number of victims is the largest catastrophe of the 19th century.

Ferry "Donja Pas"

Colliding with the tanker, the ferry literally broke in half. A fire broke out and the passengers died in the fire. The number of victims of this terrible shipwreck is 4375 people.

Liner "Wilhelm Gustloff"

During the Second World War, the liner served as a hospital, and later became a barracks for submariners. In early 1945, the ship was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine. According to official figures, 5348 people died in that shipwreck. Historians also call a different number of victims - at least 9 thousand people.

The wreck of the Titanic

The victims of the shipwreck were 1513 people. Only 711 passengers survived. The Titanic sank under water in 160 minutes. This terrible disaster was reflected in the cinema: in 1997, the film of the same name was directed by James Cameron. The main roles in the film were played by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Cruise ship Costa Concordia

6 people found guilty in Costa Concordia crash

The main culprit was the captain of the liner Francesco Schettino, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison. After this incident, the rules of maritime navigation and the passage of pre-trip briefings by passengers were tightened.

The worst shipwrecks in national history

"Armenia" sank in the fall of 1941 near the Crimea in just four minutes. The ship was transporting evacuated residents and wounded Red Army soldiers. Five thousand people died, and only 8 passengers could survive.

One of the most major disasters on the water in the USSR was the crash of "Admiral Nakhimov". He went from Novorossiysk to Sochi, carrying 1243 people. Due to the fact that the steamer rammed a grain carrier, it had a hole, and it sank in 7 minutes. This shipwreck occurred at the end of August 1986, and 423 people died then.

The name "Novorossiysk" in the USSR was given to a ship that previously belonged to the Italian Navy. At the end of October 1955, an explosion occurred in the bow of the ship, due to which a hole of 150 square meters was formed. meters. Novorossiysk sank with 604 people on board.

The ferry "Estonia" in September 1994, leaving the port of Tallinn, got into a storm, lost its bow, which caused it to fall on its side and drown. rescue operation compounded by a natural disaster that left 852 people missing and dead.

Our contemporaries know about the tragedy that happened to the Kursk nuclear submarine. The crash occurred in August 2000 due to explosions on board. The crew consisted of 118 people, there were no survivors.

In July 2011 there was another terrible shipwreck in national history - the sinking of the ship "Bulgaria", which cruised along the Volga. With a capacity of 140 people, there were 208 passengers on board. About 120 people were killed, many of them children. The disaster with the ship "Goya" is recognized as the worst shipwreck

The crash of the Goya is called the bloodiest disaster. It happened during the Second World War. The ship was used as an evacuation ship. At night, a Soviet submarine caught up with the Goya and attacked the ship. After 10 minutes, the Goya ship, along with all the passengers, went under water. On land, major accidents with human casualties occurred no less frequently. We invite you to learn more about the worst disasters in history.
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If you ask the average person about some significant and important maritime disasters, with a probability of 99% you will be called only "Titanic". Yes it was terrible crash. But in history there have been catastrophes much larger and more tragic. In this article, we will cover only a few of them.

This terrible story began on November 25, 1917, when the ship "Mont Blanc" stood up for loading in the port of New York. It was loaded with liquid and dry picric acid - 2300 tons; TNT - 200 tons, pyroxylin - 10 tons, benzene in barrels - 35 tons. The ship was heading for Bordeaux, and waypoint was on the route Canadian city Halifax. Around 7 am on December 6, 1917, the Mont Blanc began to enter the port. At the same time, the Norwegian steamer Imo began to leave the port. When the ships approached, both captains began to make risky maneuvers, and as a result, the Imo rammed the Mont Blanc to starboard. A fire started on the ship, which led to an explosion, as a result of which the port and a significant part of the city were completely destroyed. About 2,000 people died under the rubble of buildings and because of the fires that arose after the explosion. Approximately 9,000 people were injured and 400 lost their sight. The explosion of the Mont Blanc ship is considered the most powerful explosion of the pre-nuclear era.

"Oria", February 14, 1944

In the autumn of 1943, after Italy's withdrawal from the war and the unsuccessful Allied Dodecanese operation, the Germans transported tens of thousands of Italian prisoners of war to mainland Greece by sea. Oria was one of the ships used to transport Italian prisoners of war. On February 11, 1944, the ship left the island of Rhodes, heading for Piraeus, with 4,046 Italian prisoners of war (161 officers and 3,885 soldiers) and 90 Germans on board. The next day, due to a storm, the steamer changed course, and ran into the rocks near the island of Patroklos near Cape Sounion, Attica and sank. The ships, which managed to approach the crash site only the next day, managed to save 21 Italians, 6 Germans and 1 Greek. All the rest, 4074 people, died.

Doña Paz, December 25, 1987

Passenger ferry "Donya Paz" twice a week followed the route Manila-Catbalogan-Tacloban and back. On December 20, 1987, at about 10:30 pm, when most of the passengers were asleep, the Doña Paz collided with the tanker Vector, which was on its way from Bataan to Masbat. The Vector was carrying 8,800 barrels of gasoline and other petroleum products. Upon collision, they all spilled out of the tanker and caught fire. Survivors reported hearing a bang and an explosion that caused panic on the ferry. Trying to escape, people were forced to jump over the side of the ferry, where spilled fuel was burning on the surface of the water. The Doña Paz sank two hours after the collision, the Vector tanker four hours later. Both ships sank in the Tablas Strait, full of sharks. The crew of the tanker "Vector" consisted of 13 people, on the ferry "Dona Paz" there were 58 crew members and 4341 passengers. After the disaster, only 26 people were pulled out of the water alive. The final number of victims of the tragedy was 4386 people.

"Jin Yuan" and "Taiping", November 27, 1949

On the evening of November 26, 1949, the Chinese cargo and passenger steamer Taiping left Shanghai and headed for the Taiwanese port of Kowloon. The ship was overflowing with refugees who rushed to the island of Taiwan to escape the advance of the People's Liberation Army of China. At night the weather worsened heavy rain. Around midnight, not far from the Zhoushan Islands, in conditions of poor visibility, the Taiping collided with cargo steamer"Jin Yuan", transporting coal. Both ships quickly sank: "Jin Yuan" almost instantly, "Taiping" - in 15-20 minutes. The Australian destroyer Warramunga, who happened to be nearby, rushed to the rescue, but was able to lift only 36 people from the water. How many people actually died is unknown, since no one actually counted the refugees taken on board. Various sources indicate figures from 1000 to 1600 people, despite the fact that the ship was designed for only 580 people.

"Wilhelm Gustloff", January 30, 1945

Passenger ten-deck a cruise ship The Wilhelm Gustloff, like many other ships, was involved in Operation Hannibal in 1944-1945. As part of this operation, almost 2 million people were taken out of East Prussia by sea. They were all refugees who feared the approaching Red Army. On its last voyage, the Wilhelm Gustloff began taking on board refugees on January 22, 1945. The ship, designed for 1,500 passengers, was literally packed with people. According to modern estimates, at least 10,500 people were on board. At about nine o'clock, the Soviet submarine S-13 entered from the coast, where it could least be expected, and, from a surface position, from a distance of less than 1000 m at 21:04 fired the first torpedo with the inscription "For the Motherland", and then two more - "For the Soviet people" and "For Leningrad". The Wilhelm Gustloff sank completely about an hour after the attack. Arrived at the scene of the tragedy, rescue ships managed to save about a thousand people.

Kiangya, December 3, 1948

The ship "Kiangya" was carrying refugees fleeing from civil war in China. There should have been about 2,000 officially registered passengers on board. However, according to eyewitnesses, in reality there were many more. The ship was moving slowly with a heavy overload. Not far from Shanghai, "Kiangya" ran into a naval mine and received a serious hole. A large number of victims of this tragedy is explained by the fact that for several hours the court nearby simply did not know about the disaster. When they approached to rescue the survivors, it was possible to extract from 700 to 1000 people from the water. According to various sources, the number of people killed in the crash of Kiangya ranged from 2,700 to 3,900 people.

The history of shipbuilding and sailing on various watercraft dates back several millennia. People sailed on boats, sailboats, nuclear icebreakers. During this time, there have been many shipwrecks, most often due to the human factor. Some shipwrecks were large, with thousands dead and injured.

The largest disasters by the number of victims

Conventionally, the largest shipwrecks can be divided into two groups and the ratings can be derived by the number of dead and the size of the ships.

Many of the top ten biggest crashes occurred during wartime as a result of hostilities. The ranking by death toll is as follows:

11th place - "Louisitania"

One of the largest English passenger liners, which died at the beginning of the First World War. The vessel, which at that time had no identification marks, was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank within 18 minutes. Nearly 1200 people died. It is believed that the destruction of the liner provoked a change in public opinion against Kaiser Germany and was one of the reasons for the US entry into the war.

10th place - "Fort Stykin"

The steamer has an official capacity of 7142 tons. At the time of the crash, there were about 1,500 tons of explosives in the holds and about 10,000 tons of other cargo, including 8,700 tons of cotton. Safety precautions when loading the ship were violated. At 2 pm on April 12, 1944, a fire started, but it was not possible to stop it. As a result, the fire reached the hold with explosives and several powerful explosions. The main consequences were from the burning cotton scattered over a distance of a kilometer, which set fire to many houses, ships, warehouses. According to official statistics alone, there were 1376 dead. The strength of the explosion can be judged by the fact that the resulting tidal wave carried the ship, which was not far from the steamer and had a displacement of about 4000 tons, to a height of 17 meters.

9th place - "Titanic"

The wreck of this ship went down in history and became a symbol of the largest shipwrecks; one of the best films about the Titanic disasters, beloved by many, was shot about it. A total of three ships of this class were produced. At the time of construction, it was the largest passenger liner peace. Length - almost 270 meters, width - 28. The ship died as a result of a collision with a large iceberg in the first big cruise. At the time of the crash, there were 2,224 people on board, including passengers and crew members. It is reliably known that only 711 people were saved, the bodies of many of the dead were not found.

8th place - "Imo" and "Mont Blanc"

The crash happened in 1917. Mont Blanc - large French cargo Ship, loaded with several types of explosives. In the Canadian harbor adjacent to the city of Halifax, this ship collided with the Norwegian ship Imo. The explosion that followed the collision is considered the most powerful in the entire pre-nuclear era. The port and part of the city were completely destroyed, total number The death toll from the explosion itself and its consequences reached 2,000. About 9,000 more were injured of varying severity.

7th place - Provence

Flagship French ship that neutralized the Greek fleet. One of the largest auxiliary cruisers of its time. Sunk after being hit German torpedo in February 1916. About 4 thousand people were on board, 3130 of them died.

6th place - "General Steuben"

A large German passenger liner, converted into a floating hospital during the war. In 1945 he carried out the evacuation from East Prussia from the Soviet troops. Torpedoed on February 10, 1945. According to the statements of the commander of the boat that torpedoed the liner, he was sure that this was a large military cruiser. More than 3600 people died.

5th place - Tanker "Vector" and ferry "Dona Paz"

The largest shipwreck that occurred in peacetime. In December 1987, a Philippine ferry collided with a tanker. As a result, about 4,400 people died.

4th place - "Armenia"

Soviet ship, sunk in 1941 by the German Air Force near the Crimean coast. The number of dead is not known exactly, according to various sources - from 3 to 5 thousand people.

3rd place - "Goya"

Norwegian ship confiscated by the Germans. In 1945, she carried out the sea evacuation of people from the Red Army. On April 16, the ship was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine and sank. The estimated death toll is over 6,000.

2nd place - "Tilbek" and "Cap Arkona"

Two German ships that died as a result of a British air strike in May 1945. The approximate death toll is 8 thousand people, mostly prisoners of concentration camps to be evacuated. The exact reasons for the air raid remain unknown.

1st place - "Wilhelm Gustlov"

Record holder for the number of human casualties in the known maritime history. In the first half of the 40s, it was used by the German armed forces as a floating hospital. In January 1945 the ship was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine. According to researchers, the death toll exceeded 9 thousand people.

Major cargo ship disasters

To this day, the sinking of the Amoco tanker Cadiz remains one of the biggest oil disasters. Not far from the British coast, the tanker ran aground and broke in two. This resulted in a spill of more than one and a half million barrels of oil.

Among other wrecks of large ships, incidents with container ships can be separately noted. These are one of the largest ships in the world, carrying multi-ton cargo, and each such disaster leads to billions in losses. So, in June 2013, one of the largest container ships– Mol Comfort with 2400 containers on board. The specific value of the cargo is unknown, claims against insurers amounted to about $400 million. A year and a half after the shipwreck, and some time after the completion of the investigation, the insurance companies filed a lawsuit on the grounds that the disaster was caused by problems in the ship's design itself.

Among common causes that cause crashes, there are several:

• Combat operations, including terrorist attacks.
• Human factor - insufficient crew experience, etc.
• Other factors: violation of safety regulations, improper distribution of cargo, leading to deformation, exceeding the maximum permissible load of the vessel, etc.

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For thousands of years ships have sunk in war natural Disasters and in some cases even due to human error. Ten of the largest and most famous shipwrecks that have ever occurred have been revealed.

The Titanic sailed from Southampton to New York, where it collided with an iceberg and sank 2 hours and 40 minutes later. Its body, divided into two parts, rests on seabed, at a depth of more than 3700 meters.

Sultana

Almost forgotten, but one of the deadliest disasters. During the crash of this ship, more than 1,800 people died. It was the greatest maritime disaster in all American history. The explosion of four boilers turned the ship into a huge fireball that swallowed everyone and everything. The explosion killed 80% of everyone on board. The catastrophe was in the press in the background, due to the fact that just a day before it, the president was killed Lincoln . 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. He got into a terrible storm, which caused him to flood, killing all 17 crew members on board. The wreck 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. This place is considered one of the most dangerous dive sites because of the muddy water.

Oriskani

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

Jula

The sinking of this ship is considered the second worst maritime disaster unrelated to the war. The disaster claimed at least 1863 lives. The ship was designed for 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 in the morning after the incident, a huge number of victims died in the water while waiting to be rescued. The ship is still considered missing.

Vida Galli

This ship has very interesting story. First of all, she served for the slave trade, but then at the end of February 1717, a pirate named "Black Sam" Bellamy seized the ship and claimed it as his property. During the year of ownership of the ship, he used the Vida Galli to capture and plunder more than 50 ships. The ship hit strong storm, causing its main mast to collapse and capsize, dragging all the pirates underwater. The ship was discovered more than 250 years after it disappeared along with the booty. He was at a depth of only 5 meters. It was the first real pirate ship ever discovered.

Rhone

Quite possibly the most beautiful shipwreck in the world. British packet boat crashed off the coast of Salt Island, British Virgin Islands, October 26, 1867. The ship went straight into the 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 took over the ship, and now it is covered with corals, eels live in it, different types fish and even sharks.

Costa Concordia

Most last crash cruise ship. Although the ship only partially sank, the disaster cost the lives of 34 passengers. This crash was widely reported in the press. Captain Schettino was trying to make a spectacular maneuver into port. To do this, he turned off the ship's navigation system, which reported how close the ship approached the stone 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, Tuscany and has become a popular tourist attraction; plans are underway to raise and tow it.

Mont Blanc

The Mont Blanc became famous as the ship that caused the explosion in Halifax. The ship was heading to France from New York and 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 being carried. It went to 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, the explosives on board ignited. The force of the explosion was 2.9 kilotons, it was the largest non-nuclear explosion in history. Over 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 wounded.

Sweepstakes

"Sweepstakes" is very popular with divers due to wildlife and landscapes that arose at the site of 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. Fortunately, he was brought back to the port by a small tug "Jessie". The schooner was seriously damaged beyond repair, so it sank in the port itself. Fortunately, a huge cargo of coal was lifted from the sunken ship.