List of missing ships and wrecks
SS Waratah and its 211 crew and passengers were last heard from on 27 July 1909. Its wreck has yet to be found.
This is a list of missing ships and wrecks . If it is known that the
ship in question sank, then its
wreck has not yet been located.
Ships are usually declared lost and assumed wrecked after a period of disappearance. The disappearance of a ship usually implies all hands lost. Without witnesses or survivors, the mystery surrounding the fate of missing ships has inspired many items of
nautical lores and the creation of
paranormal zones such as the
Bermuda Triangle . In many cases a probable cause has been deduced, such as a known
storm or
warfare , but it could not be confirmed without witnesses or sufficient documentation.
Many disappearances occurred before
wireless telegraphy became available in
navigation applications in the late 1890s, which would have allowed
crew to send a
distress call . Sudden disasters such as military strike, collision,
rogue wave , or
piracy could also prevent a crew from sending a distress call and reporting a location.
Among the many missing ships on the list are
submarines , which have
limited communication , and provide the crew almost no chance of survival if struck by disaster under water.
The
advancement of radar technology by the end of
World War II and today's
Global Positioning System make it more likely that a distressed vessel will be located.
Most vessels currently listed as missing disappeared over a vast search area and/or
deep water and there is little commercial interest in searching for the vessels and
salvaging the wreck and its contents. Often the search and recovery costs are prohibitive even with today's
sonar and
wrecking technologies and could not be compensated by
salvaged valuables , even if there were any on board. The search for these types of missing vessels is usually motivated by
historical ,
legal or
actuarial interests requiring the aid of government funding such as in the
2008 discovery of HMAS Sydney and Kormoran .
[1]
The list is organised by the marine region in which the disappearance or sinking occurred, or the closest country to the area. The year of the disappearance, last known location, and possible location of the wreck are included.
Africa
North America
Central America
Asia
Europe
Greece
Prefix
Ship
Year
Possible or Last Known Location
HMS
Sickle
1944
probably sunk in
Antikythera Channel
[40]
Unterseeboot
UB-3
1915
Lost in the Aegean Sea west of Izmir
[41]
Oceania
Australia
Undetermined area
Prefix
Ship
Year
Possible or Last Known Location
Grecian Queen
1863
somewhere between Newcastle and Melbourne (unidentified/missing wreck)
[61]
John
1806
somewhere between King Island and Sydney
[58]
Jumna
1881
somewhere between Hobart and Fremantle
[61]
Lady Franklin
1838
somewhere between Sydney and Hobart
[61]
Maid of Australia
1834
somewhere between Port Arthur and Port Philip
[61]
Port Phillip Packet
1838
somewhere between Launceston and Port Phillip Bay
[61]
Princess Charlotte
1820
somewhere between Hobart and Sydney
[61]
Raven
1806
[61]
HMS
Sappho
1858
somewhere in
Bass Strait
Senorita
1854
somewhere between Sydney and Hobart
[61]
Venus
1803
somewhere between
Sydney and southern New Zealand
[61]
Viscount McDuff
After 8 August 1882
somewhere between Sydney and Madras (unidentified/missing wreck)
[61]
Vivid
1854
somewhere between
Melbourne and Circular Head, Tasmania
[61]
Yarra Yarra
1838
somewhere between Launceston and Port Phillip Bay
[61]
High seas
The following lists contain entries that could not be referenced to an area close to any one particular country or an area definitely in
international waters .
See also
References
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