The Titanic is probably the most famous shipwreck of all time, but what if I told you there are many shipwrecks that were even more tragic in terms of the loss of life? Over the centuries, countless ships have sunk in both war and peace, some disappearing beneath the waves due to accidents, others as a result of conflict. Many of these tragedies have been overshadowed by the Titanic’s fame, even though their death tolls were significantly higher. Let’s take a look at 13 infamous shipwrecks where the number of lives lost exceeded that of the Titanic.
1. MV Doña Paz (1987)
The sinking of the MV Doña Paz is often called the worst maritime disaster in history. On the night of December 20, 1987, the ferry collided with an oil tanker in the Philippines. Both ships caught fire, and because the ferry was overcrowded with over 4,000 passengers, chaos ensued. Tragically, more than 4,300 people died, far surpassing the Titanic’s death toll.
2. SS Kiangya (1948)
The SS Kiangya was a Chinese steamer packed with refugees escaping the Chinese Civil War. On December 3, 1948, the ship hit a mine left over from World War II and exploded near Shanghai. The exact number of casualties is unclear, but estimates range between 2,750 and 3,920, making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history.
3. MV Joola (2002)
The MV Joola was a Senegalese government ferry that capsized off the coast of Gambia on September 26, 2002. It was only meant to carry around 580 passengers but had over 1,800 people on board. When the ship capsized during a storm, it trapped many people inside, resulting in the loss of nearly 1,863 lives.
4. SS Sultana (1865)
On April 27, 1865, the SS Sultana, a steam-powered riverboat, exploded on the Mississippi River. It was overloaded with recently released Union prisoners of war heading home after the American Civil War. The boiler explosion led to the deaths of an estimated 1,168 people, the deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history.
5. RMS Lancastria (1940)
The RMS Lancastria was a British ocean liner sunk by German bombers during World War II. The ship was evacuating British troops and civilians from France after the fall of Dunkirk. When it was attacked on June 17, 1940, it sank with an estimated 3,000 to 5,800 lives lost, one of the worst disasters in British maritime history.
6. Toyama Maru (1944)
During World War II, the Japanese troop transport ship Toyama Maru was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine in the East China Sea on June 29, 1944. The ship was carrying over 6,000 Japanese soldiers, and about 5,400 people died in the attack, marking it as one of the largest losses of life in a wartime sinking.
7. MV Wilhelm Gustloff (1945)
The MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German military transport ship evacuating civilians and soldiers as the Soviet army advanced on Germany in January 1945. The ship was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, and over 9,000 people died, mostly women and children, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in history.
8. SS General von Steuben (1945)
Similar to the Wilhelm Gustloff, the SS General von Steuben was another German transport ship filled with civilians and wounded soldiers fleeing the Eastern Front. It was also torpedoed by the Soviets in February 1945, leading to the deaths of about 4,500 people.
9. Goya (1945)
Yet another maritime disaster involving fleeing German civilians and soldiers during World War II, the Goya was sunk by a Soviet submarine in April 1945. The death toll was staggering, with an estimated 6,000 people perishing in the frigid waters of the Baltic Sea.
10. SS Cap Arcona (1945)
One of the most tragic and little-known shipwrecks, the SS Cap Arcona was packed with concentration camp prisoners as part of a Nazi attempt to cover up atrocities. On May 3, 1945, British aircraft mistakenly attacked the ship, thinking it was carrying troops. Nearly 5,000 people, mostly prisoners, died in the sinking.
11. SS Mont-Blanc (1917)
While technically not a shipwreck, the SS Mont-Blanc was involved in the Halifax Explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. The ship was carrying munitions when it collided with another vessel in Halifax Harbour, causing an explosion that destroyed much of the city and killed nearly 2,000 people.
12. HMS Birkenhead (1852)
The HMS Birkenhead, a British troopship, sank off the coast of South Africa in 1852 after striking a rock. There were not enough lifeboats, and more than 450 men, women, and children drowned. The tragedy is remembered for the “Birkenhead drill,” where soldiers stood at attention, allowing women and children to escape first—a precursor to the “women and children first” protocol.
13. Tek Sing (1822)
The Tek Sing, often referred to as the “Titanic of the East,” was a Chinese junk ship that sank in 1822 while en route to Indonesia. It struck a reef in the South China Sea, causing the ship to capsize and sink quickly. The Tek Sing was carrying around 1,600 passengers and crew, most of whom perished in the disaster. It’s considered one of the deadliest shipwrecks in history.
Ellen has been obsessed with logic puzzles, jigsaws, and cryptograms since she was a kid. After learning she was taught how to play chess wrong by a family friend (so they could win), she joined her school chess club and the rest is history.
