Knowledge

Shipwrecking

Source 📝

514: 493:. To remain buoyant, the hull of a vessel must prevent water entering the large air spaces of the vessel (known as downflooding). Clearly for the ship to float, the normally submerged parts of the hull will be watertight, but the upper parts of the hull must have openings to allow ventilation to compartments, including the engine room, for crew access, and to load and unload cargo. In a capsize, water can enter these openings if not watertight. If a ship sinks after capsizing, or as a consequence of a leak in the hull or other water ingress, it may be described as having 667:, "two large ships sink every week on average, but the cause is never studied to the same detail as an air crash. It simply gets put down to 'bad weather'." Once considered mythical and lacking hard evidence for their existence, rogue waves are now proven to exist and known to be a natural ocean phenomenon. Eyewitness accounts from mariners and damages inflicted on ships have long suggested they occurred; however, their scientific measurement was only positively confirmed following measurements of the " 531: 140: 36: 753: 185: 449:
in 1994. The stress of stormy seas on the hull and bow especially caused the bow visor to break off, in turn tearing the watertight bow door open and letting seawater flow onto the car deck. She capsized with tragic consequences. Failure of pumps can lead to the loss of a potentially salvageable ship
573:
for help during the hurricane after losing contact with the ship's master. He reported she was taking on water off the coast of North Carolina, about 160 miles (260 km) from the storm, and the crew were preparing to abandon ship. There were sixteen people aboard, two of whom did not survive the
679:
on January 1, 1995, with a maximum wave height of 25.6 metres (84 ft) (peak elevation of 18.5 metres (61 ft)). During that event, minor damage was also inflicted on the platform, far above sea level, confirming that the reading was valid. Their existence has also since been confirmed by
603:
which result in other difficulties. Waves make navigation difficult and dangerous near shallow water. Also, waves create buoyancy stresses on the structure of a hull. The weight of breaking waves on the fabric of the ship force the crew to reduce speed or even travel in the same direction as the
698:). The detonation of cargo or ammunition can cause the breach of a steel hull. An extreme temperature may compromise the durability properties of steel, causing the hull to break on its own weight. Often a large fire causes a ship to be abandoned and left to drift (e.g. 846:
were as revolutionary in the 19th century as GPS is today. However the cost of these instruments could be prohibitive, sometimes resulting in tragic consequences for ships that were still unable to determine their longitude, as in the case of the
578:
in Portsmouth, Virginia from 12 to 21 February 2013; at which it was concluded that Captain Walbridge's decision to sail the ship into the path of Hurricane Sandy was the cause, and the inquiry found this to have been a "reckless decision".
1140: 775:, or other ships. Collision has been one of the major causes of shipwreck. Accurate navigation is made more difficult by poor visibility in bad weather. Also, many losses happened before modern navigation aids such as 611:
suffer most. Although powered ships are able to resist the force of the wind, sailing vessels have few defences against strong wind. When strong winds are imminent, sailing vessels typically have several choices:
1172: 465:, can lead to the loss of a ship. When the ship's movement is determined only by currents or the wind and particularly by storms, a common result is that the ship is unable to avoid natural hazards like 1150: 1246: 872:. It is also important for the navigator to appreciate that charts may be significantly in error, especially on less frequented coasts. For example, a recent revision of the map of 473:. Loss of propulsion or steering can inhibit a ship's ability to safely position itself in a storm, even far from land. Waves attacking a ship's side can overwhelm and sink it. 655:
and fail more easily. A build-up of ice can cause instability by accumulating high on the ship, or in severe cases, crush the hull if the ship becomes trapped in a freezing sea.
887: 823:- were sufficiently accurate for journeys across oceans, but these techniques (and in many cases also the charts) lacked the precision to avoid reefs close to shore. 692:
Fire can cause the loss of ships in many ways. The most obvious way would be the loss of a wooden ship which is burned until watertight integrity is compromised (e.g.
1184: 1327: 1315: 1238: 1340:, providing context, thematic information and detail for more than 45,000 shipwrecks in the seas surrounding Britain and Ireland, including 1107: 873: 1206: 1260: 883:
Over the centuries, many technological and organizational developments have been used to reduce accidents at sea including:
1211: 1180: 100: 17: 985:
Built-in devices to delay flooding long enough for rescue ships to retrieve survivors and/or tow the ship to the nearest
974:
Use of fireproof/nonflammable materials to prevent fires from spreading rapidly, and modern fire-fighting agents such as
72: 1047: 1090: 119: 537:
awash in the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy approximately 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C., 29 Oct. 2012.
79: 367: 132:
This article is about the event resulting in a ship being wrecked. For the physical remains of a wrecked ship, see
57: 86: 1362: 1141:"Coast Guard finds ill-fated ship Bounty avoided tighter safety standards, repair warnings by Maine shipyard" 1067: 827: 787:
were available. Until the 20th century, the most sophisticated navigational tools and techniques available -
513: 53: 740:. Such disasters may have catastrophic results, especially if the disaster occurs in a harbour, such as the 1324: 835: 411: 860:
is readily available and universally used, there is still scope for error. Using the incorrect horizontal
68: 1022: 410:
and her lower cannon deck had too low free-board for good seaworthiness. Poor design allowed the ferry
1312: 1056:. Helsinki: Joint Accident Investigation Commission. 1997. Archived from the original on 2 June 2001. 776: 575: 570: 433:
and the subsequent sinking of the vessel. Even the hulls of large modern ships have cracked in heavy
172:
to sink; the stranding of a ship on rocks, land or shoal; poor maintenance, resulting in a lack of
975: 558: 554: 46: 1117: 767:
Many shipwrecks have occurred when the crew of the ship allowed the ship to collide with rocks,
990: 379: 1242: 968: 868:
of an area may mislead the navigator, especially as many charts have not been updated to use
566: 321: 1216: 979: 952: 812: 629: 639:
Many losses of sailing ships were caused by sailing, with a following wind, so far into a
93: 8: 1357: 1027: 430: 226: 1268: 651:, mist and heavy rain increase the navigator's problems. Cold can cause metal to become 1061: 1012: 1007: 918: 843: 816: 796: 600: 543: 502: 208: 1145: 1086: 1017: 857: 831: 741: 693: 681: 672: 422: 212: 982:
that do not compromise the buoyancy and stability of the vessel as quickly as water.
838:, is attributed to the mariner's inability to find their longitude. This led to the 607:
The force of the wind pushes ships in the direction of the wind. Vessels with large
948: 936: 910: 792: 699: 526:
painting (1850) shows a handful of survivors clinging to the mast of a sunken ship.
418: 1331: 1319: 861: 849: 562: 517: 341: 285: 255: 647:, being unable to sail into the wind to leave the bay. Low visibility caused by 150: 914: 877: 788: 708:
In extreme cases, where the ship's cargo is either highly combustible (such as
522: 482: 466: 445: 250: 216: 165: 880:
showed that previous maps were in some places in error by several kilometres.
1351: 1051: 971:
and better defences to protect the ship from acts of violence, war and piracy
962: 930: 839: 733: 668: 328: 173: 1341: 1307: 437:. Leaks between the hull planks of wooden vessels are a particular problem. 958: 604:
waves to prevent damage. Also, wind stresses the rigging of sailing ships.
407: 347: 293: 176:; or the destruction of a ship either intentionally or by violent weather. 940: 926: 757: 713: 441: 398: 363:
to create an obstacle to close a harbour, river, etc. against enemy ships
353: 145: 906: 896: 729: 725: 664: 549: 486: 470: 317: 313: 297: 231: 196: 189: 705:). Should it run aground beyond economic salvage, it becomes a wreck. 530: 139: 800: 737: 676: 644: 403: 360: 334: 235: 161: 133: 327:
overloading - either cargo or icing, and displacement exceeding the
35: 986: 900: 892: 808: 752: 717: 633: 616:
try to position themselves so that they cannot be blown into danger
426: 281: 922: 820: 804: 772: 721: 652: 620: 608: 490: 462: 393: 305: 289: 243: 239: 184: 1337: 830:, which claimed nearly 2,000 lives and was one of the greatest 807:(which recorded the vessel's heading and the speed measured by 625: 454: 421:
bow doors, with tragic consequences. Failure or leaking of the
277: 273: 1295:
Shipwreck with Spectator: Paradigm of a Metaphor for Existence
961:
quality and maintenance of seaworthiness of the ship such as "
994: 944: 865: 784: 780: 434: 222: 1053:
Final report on the MV ESTONIA disaster of 28 September 1994
375:
to destroy a derelict ship that poses a menace to navigation
768: 458: 366:
to prevent a ship from falling into an enemy's hands (e.g.
301: 263: 169: 1308:
Maritimequest Shipwreck Database (Downloadable Excel file)
888:
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
266:
winds: This often leads to capsizing, also referred to as
1112: 869: 709: 648: 640: 1334:- a learning resource from the British Library archives 1239:"Ship-sinking monster waves revealed by ESA satellites" 935:
Advanced navigation tools such as radio communication,
392:
The hallmark of a shipwreck due to poor design is the
574:
sinking. An inquiry into the sinking was held by the
221:instability, due to poor design, improperly stowed 60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 425:is a serious problem that can lead to the loss of 1173:"US Coast Guard Media Advisory, January 10, 2013" 561:, initially going on an easterly course to avoid 406:harbour 1628. She was too narrow, had too little 1349: 387: 842:to improve the aids available for navigation. 732:) a fire onboard may result in a catastrophic 489:resulting in the ship tipping on its side or 476: 453:Failure of the means of propulsion, such as 203:Factors for the loss of a ship may include: 1297:(Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1997) 1105: 262:bad weather and powerful or large waves or 1108:"Sandy claims 'Bounty' off North Carolina" 440:Equipment failure caused the shipwreck of 234:errors and other human errors, leading to 643:that the ship became trapped upwind of a 582:Poor weather can cause several problems: 505:to help preserve the necessary buoyancy. 120:Learn how and when to remove this message 751: 529: 512: 225:, cargo that shifts its position or the 183: 138: 663:According to one scientist who studies 553:) sank in a hurricane. The vessel left 14: 1350: 1138: 1080: 211:or failure of the ship's equipment or 1313:NOAA Wrecks and Obstructions Database 1106:Morgenstein, Mark (29 October 2012). 1212:National Transportation Safety Board 1181:U.S. Department of Homeland Security 747: 58:adding citations to reliable sources 29: 1249:from the original on July 24, 2014. 763:on Point Arguello, California, 1931 24: 1287: 541:On 25 October 2012, the tall ship 25: 1374: 1301: 1215:. 6 February 2014. Archived from 856:Even today, when highly accurate 1261:"Freak waves spotted from space" 1083:Jane's Dictionary of Naval Terms 501:. Large ships are designed with 450:with only a minor leak or fire. 34: 1267:. July 22, 2004. Archived from 1085:. London: Mcdonald and Jane's. 547:(a replica of the original HMS 356:for training or testing weapons 45:needs additional citations for 1253: 1231: 1199: 1165: 1132: 1099: 1074: 1040: 658: 569:, the ship's owner called the 565:. On 29 October 2012 at 03:54 508: 238:(with another ship, rocks, an 13: 1: 1207:"Sinking of Tall Ship Bounty" 1139:Koenig, Seth (13 June 2014). 1033: 828:Scilly naval disaster of 1707 485:of the ship rising above the 481:Instability is caused by the 27:Event causing a ship to wreck 836:history of the British Isles 388:Design and equipment failure 7: 1001: 10: 1379: 1023:List of maritime disasters 477:Instability and foundering 316:, such as accumulation of 160:is an event that causes a 131: 1066:: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( 576:United States Coast Guard 571:United States Coast Guard 414:Herald of Free Enterprise 179: 1325:Shipwrecks and Smuggling 417:to put to sea with open 1081:Joseph, Palmer (1975). 991:watertight compartments 687: 671:", a rogue wave at the 559:St. Petersburg, Florida 555:New London, Connecticut 166:ship striking something 1177:US Coast Guard Newsrom 858:navigational equipment 764: 684:of the ocean surface. 538: 527: 200: 154: 1243:European Space Agency 989:for repairs, such as 755: 533: 516: 333:intentional sinking ( 187: 142: 1363:Nautical terminology 953:satellite navigation 813:celestial navigation 628:, preferably on the 195:, which sank in the 54:improve this article 18:Shipwreck (accident) 1219:on 21 February 2014 1028:Beaching (nautical) 844:Marine chronometers 469:, shallow water or 431:free surface effect 396:of Swedish warship 227:free surface effect 143:The sinking of the 1330:2011-05-03 at the 1318:2021-07-23 at the 1120:on 29 October 2012 1013:List of shipwrecks 1008:Flotsam and jetsam 919:marine chronometer 909:tools such as the 832:maritime disasters 817:marine chronometer 797:marine chronometer 765: 539: 528: 201: 155: 1293:Hans Blumenberg, 1245:. July 21, 2004. 1146:Bangor Daily News 1018:List of disasters 748:Navigation errors 742:Halifax Explosion 682:satellite imagery 673:Draupner platform 369:Admiral Graf Spee 149:, illustrated by 130: 129: 122: 104: 16:(Redirected from 1370: 1281: 1280: 1278: 1276: 1271:on July 24, 2004 1257: 1251: 1250: 1235: 1229: 1228: 1226: 1224: 1203: 1197: 1196: 1194: 1192: 1187:on 12 April 2015 1183:. Archived from 1169: 1163: 1162: 1160: 1158: 1149:. Archived from 1136: 1130: 1129: 1127: 1125: 1116:. Archived from 1103: 1097: 1096: 1078: 1072: 1071: 1065: 1057: 1048:"21 Conclusions" 1044: 949:Radio navigation 937:radar navigation 911:magnetic compass 793:magnetic compass 720:) or explosive ( 419:roll-on/roll-off 168:that causes the 125: 118: 114: 111: 105: 103: 62: 38: 30: 21: 1378: 1377: 1373: 1372: 1371: 1369: 1368: 1367: 1348: 1347: 1332:Wayback Machine 1320:Wayback Machine 1304: 1290: 1288:Further reading 1285: 1284: 1274: 1272: 1259: 1258: 1254: 1237: 1236: 1232: 1222: 1220: 1205: 1204: 1200: 1190: 1188: 1171: 1170: 1166: 1156: 1154: 1153:on 16 June 2014 1137: 1133: 1123: 1121: 1104: 1100: 1093: 1079: 1075: 1059: 1058: 1046: 1045: 1041: 1036: 1004: 895:aids including 750: 690: 661: 563:Hurricane Sandy 518:Ivan Aivazovsky 511: 479: 390: 342:artificial reef 256:Costa Concordia 251:running aground 188:Life raft from 182: 137: 126: 115: 109: 106: 63: 61: 51: 39: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1376: 1366: 1365: 1360: 1346: 1345: 1342:revealing maps 1335: 1322: 1310: 1303: 1302:External links 1300: 1299: 1298: 1289: 1286: 1283: 1282: 1252: 1230: 1198: 1164: 1131: 1098: 1091: 1073: 1038: 1037: 1035: 1032: 1031: 1030: 1025: 1020: 1015: 1010: 1003: 1000: 999: 998: 983: 972: 966: 957:Inspection of 955: 933: 915:nautical chart 903: 890: 878:South Atlantic 799:(to calculate 789:dead reckoning 749: 746: 689: 686: 660: 657: 637: 636: 623: 617: 597: 596: 593: 590: 589:low visibility 587: 557:, heading for 523:The Ninth Wave 510: 507: 483:centre of mass 478: 475: 389: 386: 385: 384: 383: 382: 380:insurance scam 378:as part of an 376: 373: 364: 357: 350: 344: 331: 325: 311: 308: 270: 260: 229: 219: 181: 178: 128: 127: 69:"Shipwrecking" 42: 40: 33: 26: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1375: 1364: 1361: 1359: 1356: 1355: 1353: 1343: 1339: 1338:Shipwrecks UK 1336: 1333: 1329: 1326: 1323: 1321: 1317: 1314: 1311: 1309: 1306: 1305: 1296: 1292: 1291: 1270: 1266: 1262: 1256: 1248: 1244: 1240: 1234: 1218: 1214: 1213: 1208: 1202: 1186: 1182: 1178: 1174: 1168: 1152: 1148: 1147: 1142: 1135: 1119: 1115: 1114: 1109: 1102: 1094: 1092:0-356-08258-X 1088: 1084: 1077: 1069: 1063: 1055: 1054: 1049: 1043: 1039: 1029: 1026: 1024: 1021: 1019: 1016: 1014: 1011: 1009: 1006: 1005: 996: 992: 988: 984: 981: 977: 973: 970: 967: 964: 963:A1 at Lloyd's 960: 956: 954: 950: 947:, hyperbolic 946: 942: 938: 934: 932: 931:sounding line 928: 924: 920: 916: 912: 908: 904: 902: 898: 894: 891: 889: 886: 885: 884: 881: 879: 875: 874:South Georgia 871: 867: 863: 859: 854: 852: 851: 845: 841: 840:Longitude Act 837: 833: 829: 824: 822: 818: 814: 810: 806: 802: 798: 794: 790: 786: 782: 778: 774: 770: 762: 761: 756:Shipwreck of 754: 745: 743: 739: 735: 734:conflagration 731: 727: 723: 719: 715: 711: 706: 704: 703: 702:Achille Lauro 697: 696: 685: 683: 678: 674: 670: 669:Draupner wave 666: 656: 654: 650: 646: 642: 635: 631: 627: 624: 622: 619:shelter in a 618: 615: 614: 613: 610: 605: 602: 594: 591: 588: 585: 584: 583: 580: 577: 572: 568: 564: 560: 556: 552: 551: 546: 545: 536: 532: 525: 524: 519: 515: 506: 504: 500: 496: 492: 488: 484: 474: 472: 468: 464: 460: 456: 451: 448: 447: 443: 438: 436: 432: 428: 424: 420: 416: 415: 409: 405: 401: 400: 395: 381: 377: 374: 371: 370: 365: 362: 358: 355: 351: 349: 345: 343: 339: 338: 336: 332: 330: 329:plimsoll line 326: 324:on wood hulls 323: 319: 315: 312: 309: 307: 303: 299: 295: 294:depth charges 291: 287: 283: 279: 275: 271: 269: 265: 261: 258: 257: 252: 248: 247: 241: 237: 233: 230: 228: 224: 220: 218: 217:pressure hull 214: 210: 206: 205: 204: 198: 194: 193: 186: 177: 175: 174:seaworthiness 171: 167: 163: 159: 152: 148: 147: 141: 135: 124: 121: 113: 102: 99: 95: 92: 88: 85: 81: 78: 74: 71: –  70: 66: 65:Find sources: 59: 55: 49: 48: 43:This article 41: 37: 32: 31: 19: 1294: 1273:. Retrieved 1269:the original 1264: 1255: 1233: 1221:. Retrieved 1217:the original 1210: 1201: 1189:. Retrieved 1185:the original 1176: 1167: 1155:. Retrieved 1151:the original 1144: 1134: 1122:. Retrieved 1118:the original 1111: 1101: 1082: 1076: 1052: 1042: 969:Intelligence 959:shipbuilding 882: 855: 848: 825: 803:) and ships 766: 759: 707: 701: 694: 691: 662: 638: 606: 599:Wind causes 598: 592:cold weather 581: 548: 542: 540: 534: 521: 503:compartments 498: 494: 480: 452: 444: 439: 413: 397: 391: 368: 348:wreck diving 267: 254: 249:), etc.) or 245: 202: 191: 164:, such as a 158:Shipwrecking 157: 156: 151:Willy Stöwer 144: 116: 107: 97: 90: 83: 76: 64: 52:Please help 47:verification 44: 1223:11 February 941:gyrocompass 897:lighthouses 870:modern data 726:fertilizers 714:natural gas 665:rogue waves 659:Rogue waves 509:Bad weather 471:tidal races 442:cruiseferry 354:target ship 340:to form an 284:including: 110:August 2017 1358:Shipwrecks 1352:Categories 1191:31 January 1124:29 October 1034:References 907:navigation 791:using the 730:ammunition 695:Cospatrick 632:side of a 595:high waves 586:high winds 499:foundering 487:metacenter 322:tube worms 320:and other 318:polychaete 314:biofouling 268:foundering 236:collisions 232:navigation 197:Baltic Sea 80:newspapers 1062:cite book 901:sea marks 801:longitude 738:explosion 677:North Sea 645:lee shore 495:foundered 491:capsizing 404:Stockholm 361:blockship 352:use as a 335:scuttling 290:torpedoes 272:warfare, 244:RMS  162:shipwreck 134:Shipwreck 1328:Archived 1316:Archived 1265:BBC News 1247:Archived 1002:See also 987:shipyard 893:Pilotage 864:for the 850:Arniston 773:icebergs 758:SS  722:nitrates 718:gasoline 634:landform 427:buoyancy 306:missiles 282:sabotage 199:in 1994. 153:in 1912. 1275:May 22, 923:sextant 876:in the 834:in the 821:sextant 805:logbook 760:Harvard 675:in the 653:brittle 630:leeward 621:harbour 609:windage 463:rigging 455:engines 446:Estonia 429:or the 408:ballast 394:capsize 246:Titanic 240:iceberg 192:Estonia 146:Titanic 94:scholar 1157:9 June 1089:  905:Basic 815:using 626:anchor 550:Bounty 544:Bounty 535:Bounty 435:storms 278:mutiny 274:piracy 209:design 180:Causes 96:  89:  82:  75:  67:  995:pumps 980:foams 976:gases 945:sonar 866:chart 862:datum 811:) or 785:sonar 781:radar 769:reefs 601:waves 467:rocks 459:sails 359:as a 302:bombs 298:mines 280:, or 223:cargo 207:poor 101:JSTOR 87:books 1277:2010 1225:2014 1193:2015 1159:2015 1126:2012 1087:ISBN 1068:link 993:and 978:and 951:and 929:and 899:and 826:The 819:and 783:and 688:Fire 423:hull 399:Wasa 346:for 310:fire 304:and 286:guns 264:gale 213:hull 170:ship 73:news 1113:CNN 927:log 809:log 777:GPS 736:or 716:or 710:oil 700:MS 649:fog 641:bay 567:EDT 520:'s 497:or 461:or 412:MS 402:in 190:MS 56:by 1354:: 1263:. 1241:. 1209:. 1179:. 1175:. 1143:. 1110:. 1064:}} 1060:{{ 1050:. 943:, 939:, 925:, 921:, 917:, 913:, 853:. 795:, 779:, 771:, 744:. 728:, 724:, 712:, 457:, 337:) 300:, 296:, 292:, 288:, 276:, 215:- 1344:. 1279:. 1227:. 1195:. 1161:. 1128:. 1095:. 1070:) 997:. 965:" 372:) 259:) 253:( 242:( 136:. 123:) 117:( 112:) 108:( 98:· 91:· 84:· 77:· 50:. 20:)

Index

Shipwreck (accident)

verification
improve this article
adding citations to reliable sources
"Shipwrecking"
news
newspapers
books
scholar
JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message
Shipwreck

Titanic
Willy Stöwer
shipwreck
ship striking something
ship
seaworthiness

MS Estonia
Baltic Sea
design
hull
pressure hull
cargo
free surface effect
navigation
collisions

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.