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 allow 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 underwater.

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 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, if indeed there were any onboard. The search for these types of missing vessels is usually motivated by historical, legal or acturial interests requiring the aide of government funding such as in the 2008 discovery of HMAS Sydney and Kormoran.

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

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location SS Waratah 1909 somewhere between Durban and Cape Town

North America

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location SS Arctic 1854 somewhere off Cape Race, Newfoundland Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location L'Acadien II 2008 somewhere off Cape Breton (missing wreck)

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Iron Mountain 1872 somewhere between Vicksburg, Mississippi and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania SS Marine Sulphur Queen 1963 somewhere in Florida Strait around (missing wreck)

Indeterminant Area

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location USS Albany 1854 somewhere in Caribbean Sea SS Cotopaxi 1925 somewhere between Charleston, USA and Havana, Cuba USS Cyclops 1918 somewhere between Barbados and Baltimore, Maryland Danube 1892 somewhere between Guadeloupe and New York City HMS Heureux 1800 somewhere between the Caribbean and Halifax USS Insurgent 1800 somewhere in Caribbean Sea USS Lynx 1820 somewhere between St. Mary's, Georgia and Kingston, Jamaica USS Nereus 1941 USS Pickering 1800 somewhere between Newcastle, Delaware and Guadeloupe USS Proteus 1941 somewhere in Caribbean Sea USS Saratoga 1781 somewhere in Caribbean Sea

South America

Antarctica

Asia

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Unterseeboot 196 1944 somewhere south of Java near Sunda Strait USS Capelin 1943 somewhere near Sulawesi Lady Nelson 1825 unconfirmed destruction at Aluta Island or Baba Island

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location USS Kete 1945 somewhere off Ryukyu Islands USS Runner 1943 somewhere off Japan USS Swordfish 1945 somewhere off Ryukyu Islands

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location USS Grayling 1943 somewhere off Manila or in Lingayen Gulf

Indeterminant Area
Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location USS Porpoise 1854 somewhere off the coast of China or Taiwan USS Snook 1945 somewhere between South China Sea and Luzon Strait

Europe

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location HMS Sickle 1944 probably sunk in Antikithera Channel HMS Simoom 1943 somewhere in Aegean Sea

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Unterseeboot U-47 1941 somewhere near the Rockall Banks around Unterseeboot U-246 1945 somewhere in Irish Sea south of Isle of Man around

Indeterminant Area

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Unterseeboot U-1 1940 somewhere in North Sea Unterseeboot U-22 1940 somewhere in Skagerrak Strait Unterseeboot U-54 1940 somewhere in North Sea Unterseeboot U-122 1940 somewhere between North Sea and Bay of Biscay Unterseeboot U-240 1944 somewhere in North Sea west of Norway Unterseeboot U-337 1943 somewhere around Unterseeboot U-376 1943 somewhere in Bay of Biscay Unterseeboot U-398 1945 somewhere in Ligurian Sea Unterseeboot U-455 1944 somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea Unterseeboot U-479 1944 somewhere in Gulf of Finland Unterseeboot U-519 1943 somewhere in Bay of Biscay Unterseeboot U-703 1944 somewhere in Norwegian Sea Unterseeboot U-745 1945 somewhere in Gulf of Finland (missing wreck) Unterseeboot U-703 1944 somewhere in Norwegian Sea Gibraltar 1867 reportedly sunk in English Channel (missing wreck) HMS Seahorse 1940 somewhere in Heligoland Bight (missing wreck) HMS Snapper 1941 somewhere in Bay of Biscay

Oceania

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Awahou 1952 somewhere between Sydney and Lord Howe Island Whale 1816 somewhere between Sydney and the Hawkesbury Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Nft West 1989 somewhere in Arafura Sea Peron 1948 somewhere near Darwin Phoenix 1950 somewhere between Truscott and Darwin Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Douglas Mawson 1923 somewhere between Cairns and Thursday Island Morning Star 1814 somewhere off Booby Island Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Albion somewhere between Table Cape and Circular Head Amelia J. 1920 somewhere around the Furneaux Group Argo 1814 somewhere off the coast Awarau 1891 somewhere off Macquarie Island Celestia 1887 somewhere between Russell, New Zealand and Hobart Chris 1903 somewhere between Hobart and Adventure Bay City of Hobart 1873 somewhere between Hobart and Blackman's Bay Despatch 1826 somewhere off Cape Pillar Elizabeth Radcliff 1850 Fleetwing 1876 John Leslie Griffiths 1880 somewhere around King Island Louisa 1882 somewhere around Fortescue Bay Omega 1921 somewhere between Hobart and Lyttleton, New Zealand Reindeer 1862 somewhere around the Kent Group (missing wreck) Resolution 1832 somewhere between Launceston and Twofold Bay Southern Cross 1908 somewhere around the Furneaux Group (unconfirmed wreck) Unity 1813 somewhere off the coast Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Flying Duck 1876 somewhere off Swan Island (unidentified/missing wreck) Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Patanella 1977 somewhere off Sydney Harbour (Suspected Pirate Attack) Indeterminant Area Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Grecian Queen 1863 somewhere between Newcastle and Melbourne (unidentified/missing wreck) John 1806 somewhere between King Island and Sydney Jumna 1881 somewhere between Hobart and Fremantle Lady Franklin 1838 somewhere between Sydney and Hobart Maid of Australia 1834 somewhere between Port Arthur and Port Philip Port Phillip Packet 1838 somewhere between Launceston and Port Phillip Bay Princess Charlotte 1820 somewhere between Hobart and Sydney Raven 1806 HMS Sappho 1858 somewhere in Bass Strait Senorita 1854 somewhere between Sydney and Hobart Venus 1803 somewhere between Sydney and southern New Zealand Vivid 1854 somewhere between Melbourne and Circular Head, Tasmania Yarra Yarra 1838 somewhere between Launceston and Port Phillip Bay

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location USS Gudgeon 1944 near Maug Islands, or unconfirmed sinking southeast of Iwo Jima at (missing wreck)

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location General Grant 1866 off western shore of Auckland Island, (missing wreck)

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location HMAS AE1 1914 near Duke of York Islands (unconfirmed wreck) USS Amberjack 1943 probably sunk off Rabaul (missing wreck) USS Grampus 1943 probably sunk in Blackett Strait (missing wreck)

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location USS Grampus 1943 probably sunk in Blackett Strait (missing wreck)

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location USS S-28 1944 somewhere off Oahu, Hawaii

Indeterminant Area
Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Active 1810 somewhere in Tasman Sea Booya 1974 somewhere between Darwin to Dili

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.

Arctic Ocean
Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Unterseeboot U-355 1944 Unterseeboot U-398 1945 possibly in North Sea as well (also listed under Europe)

Atlantic Ocean

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location U-116 1942 somewhere around U-184 1942 somewhere east of Newfoundland near U-192 1943 somewhere southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland around (missing wreck) U-338 1943 somewhere around U-381 1943 somewhere south of Greenland U-420 1943 U-529 1943 U-553 1943 U-1226 1944 Africa 1883 somewhere between New York City and Leith America 1882 somewhere between New York City and Hamburg Apollo 1894 somewhere between New York City and Antwerp HMS Atalanta 1800 somewhere between Bermuda and England City of Boston 1870 somewhere between New York City and Liverpool SS City of Glasgow 1854 somewhere between Liverpool and Philadelphia City of Limerick 1882 somewhere between New York City and London City of London 1881 somewhere between London and New York City Colombo 1876 somewhere between Hull and New York City USS Epervier 1815 Erin 1889 somewhere between New York City and London Henry Edye 1881 somewhere between Antwerp and New York City Hermann Ludwig 1878 somewhere between New York City and Antwerp Humber 1885 somewhere between New York City and London Huronian 1902 somewhere between Glasgow and St. John, New Brunswick Ismailia 1873 somewhere between New York City and Glasgow Ludwig 1883 somewhere between Antwerp and Montreal Madagascar 1853 somewhere between Port Phillip and London (also listed under Indian Ocean) Mercator 1880 somewhere between Antwerp and New York City Merrimac 1899 somewhere between Quebec City and Belfast Moy 1905 somewhere between British Guiana and Liverpool MS München 1978 somewhere around (missing wreck) SS Naronic 1893 somewhere between Point Lynas, Wales and New York City Neustria 1908 somewhere between New York City and Marseille Neva 1887 somewhere between Banyuwangi and Lisbon (also listed under Indian Ocean) Pacific 1856 somewhere between Liverpool and New York City Pauillac 1900 somewhere between Glasgow and St. John, New Brunswick President 1841 somewhere between New York City and Liverpool De Ruyter 1894 somewhere between Antwerp and New York City Shannon 1872 somewhere between Montreal and Liverpool Shannon 1885 somewhere between London and Calcutta (also listed under Indian Ocean) Spray 1909 somewhere between Vineyard Haven, USA and Venezuela Tempest 1857 somewhere between New York City and Glasgow Titania 1882 somewhere between New York City and Newcastle Trojan 1874 somewhere between Glasgow and Halifax United Kingdom 1869 somewhere between New York City and Glasgow Vorsetzen 1885 somewhere between Halifax and Antwerp

Indian Ocean
Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Madagascar 1853 somewhere between Port Phillip and London (also listed under Atlantic Ocean) Neva 1887 somewhere between Banyuwangi and Lisbon (also listed under Atlantic Ocean) Shannon 1885 somewhere between London and Calcutta (also listed under Atlantic Ocean) HMS Stonehenge 1944 somewhere in Bay of Bengal or Andaman Sea

Pacific Ocean

Prefix Ship Year Possible or Last Known Location Amelia 1816 somewhere between Sydney and Java SY Aurora 1918 somewhere between Newcastle, Australia and Iquique, Chile USS Conestoga 1921 somewhere between Mare Island, California and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Endeavour 1914 somewhere between Macquarie Island and Hobart Integrity 1805 somewhere between Sydney, Australia and Valparaíso, Chile Kakanui 1891 somewhere between Macquarie Island and New Zealand USS Kete 1945 somewhere between Colnett Strait and Midway Island

References

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