Thelist of shipwrecks in 1988 includesships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during1988.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | |||
| May | Jun | Jul | Aug | |||
| Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||
| Unknown date | ||||||
| References | ||||||
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Madre |  United States | The 58-foot (17.7 m)fishing vessel sank offCape Decision (56°00′10″N134°08′00″W / 56.00278°N 134.13333°W /56.00278; -134.13333 (Cape Decision)) onKuiu Island in theAlexander Archipelago inSoutheast Alaska. The fishing vesselRachael Pauline (United States) rescued all three people on board.[1] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Karluk |  United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m)fishing vessel was destroyed by a storm inGeese Island Channel (56°45′N153°53′W / 56.750°N 153.883°W /56.750; -153.883 (Geese Island Channel)) at the southern end ofAlaska′sKodiak Island with the loss of all three men on board.[2] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Icy Queen | United States | The 55-foot (16.8 m)fishing vesselcapsized inMeares Passage and washed ashore on the west coast ofSuemez Island in theAlexander Archipelago inSoutheast Alaska. Her crew of six survived. She later wassalvaged.[3] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Exodus | United States | The 86-foot (26.2 m)crab-fishing vessel was destroyed by fire in theBering Sea approximately 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) north ofDutch Harbor,Alaska.[4] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wayward Wind | United States | The 86-foot (26.2 m)crabfishing vessel flooded and sank in theGulf of Alaska 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) south ofTugidak Island in theKodiak Archipelago, probably due to an improperly dogged hatch on a crab pumping tank. Four of her six crewmen died.[5] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| La Dieppoise |  French Navy | The decommissionedBay-classminesweeper was sunk as anartificial reef in the lagoon atNouméa.[6] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rolandia |  Cyprus | The cargo ship sank in theAtlantic Ocean 820 nautical miles (1,520 km) south west ofLand's End,Cornwall, United Kingdom with the loss of all twelve crew.[7] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ITL Anna B |  United Kingdom | Theanchor handling tug supply vessel foundered in heavy seas in a position 53.01.45N 01.32.06E, 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) fromHaisboro’ light vessel, off the coast of Norfolk, England, on a voyage from Great Yarmouth to Norway. All 13 aboard were taken off liferafts by helicopter.[8] |
| Simone Marguerite |  Belgium | The trawler ran ashore on the Cressars Rock,Penzance,Cornwall in a SW gale after steering the wrong side of the pole. Refloated by thePenlee Lifeboat.[9] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Car Float No. 52 | United States | The retired 270-foot (82.3 m)car float wasscuttled as anartificial reef in theNorth Atlantic Ocean 3.6 nautical miles (6.7 km; 4.1 mi) offSea Girt,New Jersey, at40°07.135′N073°56.919′W / 40.118917°N 73.948650°W /40.118917; -73.948650 (Car Float No. 52).[10] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USS Yorktown | United States Navy | Theguided missile cruiser was deliberately rammed by thefrigateBezzavetnyy ( Soviet Navy) in theBlack Sea. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sol Phryne |  Greece | Sunk by alimpet mine atLimassol,Cyprus. Later raised and taken toBijela,Yugoslavia. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Billy | United States | The 83-foot (25.3 m)fishing trawler was wrecked on rocks on the southeast coast ofYunaska Island in theAleutian Islands during agale. All six members of her crew reached the beach, from which theUnited States Coast Guard rescued them.[2] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Star | United States | The 153-foot (46.6 m)processing vessel was wrecked during ablizzard on a rock inNikolski Bay (52°57′30″N168°54′00″W / 52.95833°N 168.90000°W /52.95833; -168.90000 (Nikolski Bay)) 100 yards (91 m) off the coast ofUmnak Island in theAleutian Islands. Thefishing vesselNeahkahnie (United States) rescued her entire crew of 15.Alaska Star rolled over and sank on 29 February.[11] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Vinca Gorthon |  Sweden | The cargo ship capsized in theNorth Sea 12 nautical miles (22 km) off the coast of the Netherlands. All seventeen crew were rescued.[12] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| HQ-505 |  Vietnam People's Navy | Sino-Vietnamese War:Johnson South Reef Skirmish: Thetank landing ship was shelled and damaged byYingtan ( People's Liberation Army Navy), later sinking.[13] |
| HQ-604 | Vietnam People's Navy | Sino-Vietnamese War:Johnson South Reef Skirmish: Thetank landing ship was shelled and sunk byNanchang (People's Liberation Army Navy).[13] |
| HQ-605 | Vietnam People's Navy | Sino-Vietnamese War:Johnson South Reef Skirmish: Thetank landing ship was shelled and sunk byXiantan (People's Liberation Army Navy).[13] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| George W | United States | The 58-foot (17.7 m)fishing trawler was sighted for the last time inUyak Bay (57°48′N154°04′W / 57.800°N 154.067°W /57.800; -154.067 (Uyak Bay)) on the coast ofKodiak Island inAlaska′sKodiak Archipelago. She subsequently disappeared with the loss of all three men on board. Thefishing vesselNomad (United States) found the bodies of two of them in alife raft nearSutwik Island 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) east ofChignik, Alaska, on 19 March.[14] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Haven | Cyprus | Iran–Iraq War: The supertanker was hit by an Iranian missile in theStrait of Hormuz and set on fire.[15] Subsequently repaired and returned to service. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Hope | United States | The 35-foot (10.7 m)fishing vessel′s crew of two abandoned her in theGulf of Alaska off theAlaska Peninsula 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) north ofSutwik Island after she lost power and flooded. AUnited States Coast Guard helicopter rescued both crewmen.New Hope disappeared and was presumed to have sunk.[16] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Cleare | United States | The 51-foot (15.5 m)longlinefishing vessel sank in theGulf of Alaska approximately 35 nautical miles (65 km; 40 mi) south ofKodiak,Alaska. Her entire crew of six survived, five of them abandoning ship in alife raft and the sixth being rescued from the water by aUnited States Coast Guard helicopter.[2] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Emerald Sea | United States | Thehull of the 47-gross register ton, 48.5-foot (14.8 m)troller andlongliner was found washed up on the beach inIcy Bay on thesouth-central coast ofAlaska. She had not been heard from since she departedYakutat, Alaska, on 7 April. Her entire crew of five men was lost.[4] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Linda’s Draw | United States | The 47-foot (14.3 m)longlinefishing vesselcapsized and sank inIcy Bay on thesouth-central coast ofAlaska during a storm. A nearby vessel filmed the event and rescued her crew.[17] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USS Samuel B. Roberts | United States Navy |  |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Unimak | United States | The 56-foot (17 m)longlinefishing vessel capsized and sank inIcy Bay inAlaska. All four people aboard escaped in alife raft and were rescued.[18] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown speed boat |  Eritrean Liberation Front | Eritrean War of Independence: The speed boat was sunk by theEthiopian Navy during an attack atAssab,Ethiopia.[19] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sahand |  Islamic Republic of Iran Navy |  United States Navy) 10 nautical miles (19 km) in thePersian Gulf offLarak Island. Her crew abandoned ship and she burned for several hours before an explosion sank her in 660 feet (200 m) of water. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USS Bonefish | United States Navy | Thesubmarine had an on-board fire while submerged 160 nautical miles (300 km) off the coast ofFlorida. She surfaced and her crew abandoned with the loss of three crew members. She wastowed toCharleston,South Carolina, where she was declared aconstructive total loss. She was scrapped in August 1989. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Reijin |  Panama |  The car transporter capsized in shallow water offPorto, Portugal.[20] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USS Sam Houston | United States Navy | Theballistic missile submarine ran aground onFox Island inWashington. She later was refloated and returned to service. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Seawise Giant |  Liberia | Iran–Iraq War: The tanker was struck by air-launched IraqiExocet missiles in theStrait of Hormuz and sank offLarak Island, Iran. Raised and repaired post-war. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Korean Star | Panama | Thebulk carrier dragged her anchors offCape Cuvier,Western Australia, during atropical cyclone and was wrecked. She broke in two shortly after grounding. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sandra J | United States | Thehalibut-fishing vessel sank nearCape Junken (59°55′N148°38′W / 59.917°N 148.633°W /59.917; -148.633 (Cape Junken)) off south-centralAlaska. Another fishing vessel rescued her crew.[1] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Anna Broere |  Netherlands | The chemical carrier transporting toxicAcrylonitrile was in collision withAtlantic Compass (Sweden) in theNorth Sea and sank with the loss of one of her twelve crew.[21] |
| Rhino | United States | The retired 50-foot (15.2 m)crew boat wasscuttled as anartificial reef in theNorth Atlantic Ocean 5.1 nautical miles (9.4 km; 5.9 mi) offSpray Beach,New Jersey, in 65 feet (20 m) of water at39°33.693′N074°06.123′W / 39.561550°N 74.102050°W /39.561550; -74.102050 (Rhino).[22] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Venture | United States | The 85-foot (25.9 m)fishing trawlercapsized and sank in theBering Sea 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) north ofYunaska Island in theAleutian Islands while making a turn with hertrawl gear out. Hercaptain perished. Thefishing vesselHazel Lorain (United States) rescued her other three crew members from alife raft.[14] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown speed boat | Eritrean Liberation Front | Eritrean War of Independence: The speed boat was sunk by anEthiopian Navy frigate.[23] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 4th of February |  Angolan Navy | Angolan Civil War: The Project 205 (NATO reporting nameOsa-class)missile boat was lost due either tosabotage orUNITA action.[24] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Morania 180 | United States | The retired 230-foot (70.1 m)barge wasscuttled as anartificial reef in theNorth Atlantic Ocean 3.6 nautical miles (6.7 km; 4.1 mi) offSea Girt,New Jersey, in 75 feet (23 m) of water at40°06.301′N073°57.424′W / 40.105017°N 73.957067°W /40.105017; -73.957067 (Morania 180).[25] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Swiftsure | United States | The 133-foot (40.5 m) former USCGlightship sank while being towed fromNewport, Oregon toKetchikan,Alaska in 590 feet (180 m) of water.[26] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Trish | United States | After taking a largewave over herstern, the 40-foot (12.2 m)troller-gillnetter-longliner capsized offTolstoi Point (55°40′10″N132°23′10″W / 55.66944°N 132.38611°W /55.66944; -132.38611 (Tolstoi Point)) inClarence Strait in theAlexander Archipelago inSoutheast Alaska. All three crew members abandoned ship in alife raft and were rescued by the fishing vesselHarvey-O (United States). ThecutterUSCGC Cape Hatteras ( United States Coast Guard) attempted to towTrish to shallower water, but the towline parted andTrish sank in deeper water.[27] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Vagrant |  United States | The 70-foot (21.3 m)longlinefishing vessel was destroyed by anengine room fire and sank in theNorth Pacific Ocean about 90nautical miles (170 km) west ofSitka,Alaska.[28] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian Princess | United States | Thecatcher processor was abandoned in theBering Sea approximately 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) northwest ofDutch Harbor,Alaska. Thefishing vesselBering Sea (United States) rescued her crew of seven from alife raft. AUnited States Coast Guard vessel sankHawaiian Princess′s burned-out hulk with 800 rounds ofmachine gun fire.[29] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dalriada |  United Kingdom | TheArmy Sail Training Associationyacht sank after a collision with the nuclear submarineHMSConqueror ( Royal Navy) 11 miles south of theMull of Kintyre. Her four crewmembers were rescued by thefrigateHMSBattleaxe ( Royal Navy).[30] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kitti Wake | United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m)gillnetfishing vessel was destroyed by fire inCook Inlet on thesouth-central coast ofAlaska.[31] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Maid | United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m)gillnetfishing vessel sank inCook Inlet offNinilchik,Alaska.[32] |
| Singa Sea |  Philippines | Thebulk carrier broke in two and sank in theIndian Ocean, position approximately35°00′S106°00′E / 35.000°S 106.000°E /-35.000; 106.000, with the loss of 19 crew. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| City of Poros | Greece | Thecruise ship was attacked byAbu Nidal Organisation terrorists in theSaronic Gulf betweenAegina andFaliro,Greece. Nine passengers were killed and 98 injured. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fujimaru |  Japan | The fishing vessel was in collision with the submarineNadashio ( Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force) and sank inTokyo Bay with the loss of 29 of the 48 people on board.[33][34] |
| USS Jonas Ingram | United States Navy | The decommissionedForrest Sherman-classdestroyer was sunk as a target by aMark 48 ADCAP torpedo. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USS Rankin | United States Navy | The decommissionedTolland-classattack cargo ship was sunk as anartificial reef in theAtlantic Ocean 6 nautical miles (11 km) offStuart,Florida. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mojo | United States | The 28-foot (8.5 m)fishing vessel sank inCameron Bay (56°43′00″N135°16′30″W / 56.71667°N 135.27500°W /56.71667; -135.27500 (Cameron Bay)) inSoutheast Alaska south ofSitka,Alaska. Her owner and operator died after the fishing vesselSefora (United States) pulled him from the water; aUnited States Coast Guard helicopter rescued two other crew members.[32] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USNS Aeolus | United States Navy | The inactivatedArtemis-classcable repair ship was sunk as anartificial reef in theAtlantic Ocean approximately 22nautical miles (25 mi; 41 km) offBeaufort Inlet,North Carolina.[35] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kathleen Diane | United States | The 56-foot (17.1 m)fishing vesselcapsized off the west coast ofDall Island in theAlexander Archipelago inSoutheast Alaska after transferring her catch to afish processing vessel. Her crew of six abandoned ship in alife raft and was rescued by another fishing vessel.[31] |
| Yermon | United States | The 40-foot (12.2 m)gillnetfishing vessel sank inCook Inlet about 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) west ofNinilchik.Alaska. Both of her crew members lost their lives.[36] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Unidentified ferry |  India | An overcrowdedferry capsized in theGanges River nearManihari,India, killing over 400 people. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Windy Sea | United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m) vessel sank in theGulf of Alaska offSpruce Island in theKodiak Archipelago.[5] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USS Vermilion | United States Navy | The decommissionedattack cargo ship was sunk as anartificial reef in theAtlantic Ocean 40nautical miles (46 mi; 74 km) offGeorgetown,South Carolina.[37] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BAP Pacocha |  Peruvian Navy | The submarine was rammed by the fishing vesselKiowa Maru (Japan) offCallao,Peru, and sank with the loss of five members of her crew. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Loraine | United States | The 45-foot (13.7 m)fishing vessel was wrecked nearYakutat,Alaska. AUnited States Coast Guard helicopter rescued her crew of two.[17] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Freda | United States | Thefishing vesselcapsized and sank inDixon Entrance on the border betweenAlaska,United States, andBritish Columbia,Canada.[38] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Marie L | Belgium | Sank atHowdendyke,England. Refloated on 28 September and beached, later broken upin situ.[39] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| P1558 |  South African Navy | Thedecommissionedair-sea rescuelaunch was sunk as a gunnery target. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean Odyssey | United States | Blowout and fire in theNorth Sea with the loss of a crew member. Subsequently withdrawn from service, converted to a seaborne satellite launch vessel in 1997. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ardlough |  West Germany | The coaster foundered in theIrish Sea 10 nautical miles (19 km) offLlandudno,Clwyd.[40][41] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Abbondanza | United States | The 90-foot (27.4 m)fishing trawler sank without loss of life offCape Chiniak (57°37′N152°10′W / 57.617°N 152.167°W /57.617; -152.167 (Cape Chiniak)) on the coast ofAlaska′sKodiak Island.[11] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Marie | United States | The 42-foot (12.8 m)longlinefishing vessel was wrecked on rocks inBig Branch Bay (56°20′N134°50′W / 56.333°N 134.833°W /56.333; -134.833 (Big Branch Bay)) on the southwest shore ofBaranof Island in theAlexander Archipelago inSoutheast Alaska. Only one crewman managed to put on asurvival suit; he reached shore onBeavertail Island, where aUnited States Coast Guard helicopter rescued him. The other three crew members died.[1] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Skylo | United States | The 42-foot (12.8 m)longlinefishing vessel sank 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) south ofCape Cross (57°55′00″N136°33′30″W / 57.91667°N 136.55833°W /57.91667; -136.55833 (Cape Cross)) offSoutheast Alaska after a set of 42-foot (13 m) waves struck herstern and swamped her. All three members of her crew abandoned ship wearingsurvival suits and were rescued by aUnited States Coast Guard helicopter.[1] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| P1552 | South African Navy | Theair-sea rescuelaunch was lost when she struck areef inSaldanha Bay offDanger Point,South Africa. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| HMAS Buccaneer |  Royal Australian Navy | The decommissionedAttack-classpatrol boat was sunk as a gunnery target. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pukeko |  Egypt | Thecoaster caught fire offMokha and was abandoned. Presumed foundered.[42] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| C. Liun | United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m) vessel was destroyed by fire atLarsen Bay onAlaska′sKodiak Island.[2] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jupiter | Greece | The cruise ship collided withAdige ( Italy) in theMediterranean Sea offPiraeus and sank with the loss of two of the 591 passengers on board.[43] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Doña Marilyn | Philippines | Typhoon Ruby: The ferry sank in thePhilippine Sea 300 nautical miles (560 km) south ofManila during a typhoon with the loss of 254 lives. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fatuk | Japan | After theUnited States Customs Service confiscated her for attempting to smuggle 2,000 pounds (907 kg) ofmarijuana into theUnited States, the 90-foot (27.4 m)longlinefishing vessel wasscuttled as anartificial reef in theNorth Atlantic Ocean 6.5 nautical miles (12.0 km; 7.5 mi) offHarvey Cedars,New Jersey, in 80 feet (24 m) of water at39°37.609′N074°01.037′W / 39.626817°N 74.017283°W /39.626817; -74.017283 (Fatuk).[44] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| City of Seattle | United States | The 92-foot (28.0 m)crab-fishing vessel ran aground without loss of life on the north side of the western tip ofAtka Island in theAleutian Islands after her helmsman fell asleep at her wheel.[2] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Constructor | United States | The 113-foot (34.4 m) supplybarge was destroyed by fire offTrading Bay (60°55′N151°35′W / 60.917°N 151.583°W /60.917; -151.583 (Trading Bay)) in upperCook Inlet on thesouth-central coast ofAlaska after atank truck containing 3,000 US gallons (11,000 L; 2,500 imp gal) ofgasoline on her deck caught fire and exploded. Hercaptain andengineer and the truck driver were killed; herfirst mate was her sole survivor. Her burned-out hulk later was towed into deeper water andscuttled by a demolition team.[11] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Odyssey | Liberia | Thetanker broke in two, caught fire, and sank in theAtlantic Ocean 700 nautical miles (1,300 km) offNova Scotia,Canada. She was on a voyage fromSullom Voe,Shetland Islands, United Kingdom, toCome by Chance,Newfoundland, Canada.[45] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Boyky |  Soviet Union | Thesubmarine chaser was driven ashore and wrecked onSkogsøya, Norway whilst being towed fromKola Bay toEl Ferrol, Spain for scrapping.[46] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Voyager | United States | The 81-foot (24.7 m)fishing vessel capsized and sank while at anchor inUgak Bay on the coast ofAlaska. Her five-person crew abandoned ship insurvival suits and survived.[28] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean Dynasty | United States | The 124-foot (37.8 m)fishing trawler sank in theBering Sea. Thefish processing shipGolden Alaska (United States) rescued her entire crew of seven.[47] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Valerie G | United States | Thefishing vessel ran aground on the southwest side ofGravina Island at the head ofNehenta Bay (55°09′25″N131°47′45″W / 55.15694°N 131.79583°W /55.15694; -131.79583 (Nehenta Bay)) in theAlexander Archipelago inSoutheast Alaska during a storm in theClarence Strait with 60-knot (110 km/h) winds. She was abandoned without loss of life.[28] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Deep Sea Producer | United States | The 164-foot (50.0 m)fishing trawler sank approximately 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) west ofUnimak Island in theAleutian Islands. Thefishing vesselRoyal Sea (United States) rescued her entire crew of eight from alife raft.[48] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Komoros |  Singapore | Hurricane Joan–Miriam: The cargo ship sank in theBay of Bengal.[49] |
| Miss In Soo | United States | The 85-foot (25.9 m)fishing vessel disappeared after her crew of four abandoned her in theGulf of Alaska approximately 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) south-southwest ofNarrow Cape (57°25′30″N152°20′00″W / 57.42500°N 152.33333°W /57.42500; -152.33333 (Narrow Cape)) on the coast ofKodiak Island,Alaska. She presumably sank. Her crew was rescued by the fishing vesselKristine Alaska (United States).[32] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Boiky | Soviet Navy | The destroyer, under tow fromMurmansk to Spain for scrapping, broke her tow line and ran aground onSkogsøya inØksnes Municipality, Norway. Work on scrapping the wreck only began in 2001,[50] and the breaking of the wreck was then further delayed by the find of live munitions on board.[51] |
| ARAPiedrabuena |  Argentine Navy | The decommissionedAllen M. Sumner-classdestroyer was sunk as a target by anMM38 Exocet fired by thecorvetteARAEspora ( Argentine Navy). |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Opty | United States | The 139-foot (42.4 m)fishing vessel was wrecked without loss of life in bad weather on the northwest point ofAlcan Harbor (52°43′45″N174°04′30″E / 52.72917°N 174.07500°E /52.72917; 174.07500 (Alcan Harbor)) on the northwest coast ofShemya Island in the westernAleutian Islands.[47] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bowsprite | United Kingdom | Thedredger broke in two and sank in theNorth Sea 15 nautical miles (28 km) north west ofNieuwpoort,West Flanders, Belgium with the loss of four of her ten crew.[52] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aoyagi Maru | Japan | The 288-foot (87.8 m)refrigerated cargo ship lost power and ran aground without loss of life on areef inLost Harbor (54°13′45″N165°36′30″W / 54.22917°N 165.60833°W /54.22917; -165.60833 (Lost Harbor)) on the west coast ofAkun Island in theAleutian Islands. Her wreck was burned in January 1989 to destroy the fuel on board.[11] |
| Arctic II | United States | The 115-foot (35.1 m)fishing trawlercapsized and sank in theBering Sea approximately 55 nautical miles (102 km; 63 mi) north ofUnimak Pass after a large wave struck her. Her crew of five abandoned ship on alife raft, but two of them perished when another large wave struck the raft and swept them overboard. Thefishing vesselAmerican Beauty (United States) rescued her three surviving crew members.[11] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Progress |  Canada | Thelake freighter ran aground on Ballard's Reef while hauling a load of coal. The ship required tugboat assistance to be freed.[53] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SAS Gelderland | South African Navy | ThedecommissionedFord-class seaward defence boat was expended as a demolition target offDuiker Point,South Africa. |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bon Su Mar | United States | The 186-gross ton, 90-foot (27.4 m)fishing trawler sank in theBering Sea offSaint Paul Island. Her crew abandoned ship in alife raft and was rescued by thefishing vesselAmber Dawn (United States).[54] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| In the evening, thefishing trawler ran aground nearSeaford, United Kingdom. The five Belgian sailors were rescued by the British coastguard.[55] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The oil tanker without engine lost its anchor due to a storm. The 34 crew members were saved after five hours. The tanker served as a collection and storage facility for oil. The production of three oil fields on the British part of theNorth Sea came to a standstill for a long time.[55] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Baden |  Honduras | The Norwegian builtcoastal trading vessel, sailing under the flag of Honduras was on voyage fromBergen, Norway toAntwerp, Belgium with a cargo of steel. The ship sank nearTexel, the Netherlands, after the ship tilted due to shifting cargo. All crew members survived by sprinting into the water. Criticism of the rescue operation followed.[56] |
| Rockey | Netherlands | The merchant ship lost its anchors and foundered on a sandbank. All crew members were able to rescue themself.[55] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hasail |  Bangladesh | The ferry collided with a tanker in foggy weather and sank in theDhaleswari River at its confluence with theSitalakhya River with the loss of over 200 of the 350 people on board.[57] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bateau Mouche IV |  Brazil | The tourist boat capsized and sank in the nearCopacabana Beach,Rio de Janeiro with the loss of 55 of over 150 people on board.[58][59] |
| Ship | State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USCGC Unimak |  United States Coast Guard | The decommissionedCasco-class cutter was scuttled as anartificial reef in theAtlantic Ocean offVirginia. |
| Unknown speed boats | Eritrean Liberation Front | Eritrean War of Independence: Beginning in late 1988 through 1989 eight speed boats were sunk by EthiopianMi-35 attack helicopters.[60] |
| A merchant ship ofPanama went missing in theJapanese Sea. After it was missing for eight days, the Japanese Coast gusts started a search operation on 24 December.[55] |