The sea has witnessed some of history's greatest triumphs, but also some of its worst disasters. From devastating battles and tragic accidents to powerful storms and fatal design flaws, these naval catastrophes claimed thousands of lives and, in some cases, changed the course of history. Here are 28 catastrophic naval disasters from history.
RMS Titanic (1912)
The Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on April 14, 1912, and sank less than three hours later. More than 1,500 of the roughly 2,224 passengers and crew lost their lives.
MV Wilhelm Gustloff (1945)
On January 30, 1945, the Soviet submarine S-13 torpedoed the German evacuation ship in the Baltic Sea. An estimated 9,000 people died, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in history.
MV Doña Paz (1987)
The Philippine ferry collided with the oil tanker MT Vector, igniting millions of liters of gasoline. More than 4,300 people were killed, with only 26 known survivors.
RMS Lusitania (1915)
A German U-boat torpedoed the British ocean liner off Ireland during World War I. The sinking killed 1,198 people and helped turn public opinion against Germany.
HMS Royal George (1782)
The British warship capsized while undergoing maintenance at Spithead after taking on water through open gunports. Around 900 sailors, civilians, and visitors died.
SS Sultana (1865)
Three boilers exploded on the Mississippi River just days after the American Civil War ended. About 1,800 people, many of them recently released Union prisoners of war, were killed.
Spanish Armada (1588)
After failing to invade England, dozens of Spanish ships were wrecked by storms around Scotland and Ireland. Roughly half of the fleet was lost.
Battle of Red Cliffs (AD 208)
A coalition led by Sun Quan and Liu Bei destroyed much of Cao Cao's fleet using fire ships. The battle permanently divided China into the Three Kingdoms.
SS Kiangya (1948)
The overcrowded Chinese passenger ship struck a mine near Shanghai and sank. Between 2,700 and 4,000 people are believed to have died.
USS Indianapolis (1945)
After secretly delivering parts for the Hiroshima atomic bomb, the cruiser was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Nearly 900 sailors died, many after spending days in shark-infested waters.
Battle of Salamis (480 BC)
The Greek fleet lured the much larger Persian navy into narrow waters, where more than 200 Persian ships were destroyed or captured.
Vasa (1628)
Sweden's new flagship sailed less than 1.5 kilometers before a gust of wind caused it to capsize. It had been top-heavy because of design changes ordered during construction.
MS Estonia (1994)
The ferry sank in the Baltic Sea after its bow visor failed during rough weather. Of the 989 people on board, 852 lost their lives.
HMS Victoria (1893)
The British battleship was accidentally rammed by HMS Camperdown during fleet maneuvers in the Mediterranean. It sank in just 13 minutes, killing 358 people.
Battle of Tsushima (1905)
Japan destroyed or captured most of Russia's Baltic Fleet after it had sailed 18,000 nautical miles from Europe. It remains one of history's most decisive naval victories.
HMHS Britannic (1916)
The Titanic's sister ship struck a mine in the Aegean Sea while serving as a hospital ship. It sank in just 55 minutes.
Battle of Cape Bon (468)
The Vandals destroyed an enormous Eastern Roman invasion fleet of more than 1,000 ships, ending one of antiquity's largest amphibious operations.
MV Le Joola (2002)
The Senegalese ferry capsized during a storm while carrying far more passengers than its certified capacity. More than 1,800 people died.
Battle of Yamen (1279)
The Mongol-led Yuan fleet defeated the Southern Song navy, ending the Song dynasty and completing the Mongol conquest of China.
HMS Captain (1870)
Built with an experimental low freeboard design, the warship capsized during a storm in the Bay of Biscay. Nearly 500 crew members were killed.
Battle of Leyte Gulf (1944)
The largest naval battle in history involved more than 200 warships across several engagements. Japan lost four aircraft carriers, three battleships, and numerous other vessels.
MV Sewol (2014)
The South Korean ferry capsized while carrying 476 people, most of them high school students. A total of 304 passengers and crew died.
Battle of Actium (31 BC)
Octavian defeated the combined fleets of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The victory cleared his path to becoming Rome's first emperor, Augustus.
SS Arctic (1854)
After colliding with another ship in dense fog, the liner sank with about 350 people. Almost every woman and child aboard died.
Battle of Midway (1942)
American dive bombers sank four Japanese aircraft carriers in a single day, permanently shifting naval superiority in the Pacific during World War II.
MV Bukoba (1996)
The Tanzanian ferry capsized on Lake Victoria while overloaded. More than 800 people are believed to have died.
Battle of Jutland (1916)
The largest naval battle of World War I involved around 250 warships and over 100,000 sailors. Fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk.
SS Andrea Doria (1956)
The Italian luxury liner collided with the MS Stockholm off Nantucket in heavy fog. Although 46 people died, more than 1,600 were successfully rescued.
