7 biggest shipwrecks of the 20th century comparable to the sinking of the Titanic (7 photos)

Among all maritime disasters, the most famous is the wreck "Titanic". But in addition to it, dozens of major accidents occurred in the 20th century.





They did not become the plot for Hollywood films, the skeletons of these ships are still lurking on the seabed, and the fate of their passengers been forgotten by society.

General Slocum, 1904



"General Slocum" - American excursion steamer, which cruised along the coast of New York. On the fateful day of June 15 1904 the steamer was ordered by the German Evangelical Lutheran church of st. Brand. 1358 people decided to take a ride on the ship, of which 745 children and 500 women.

At 9.30 the ship moved away from the shore, and by 10 in the morning unexpectedly the cabin where the fuel was stored caught fire. Wooden case covered flammable paints, caused the rapid spread fire.

A surprise for everyone was the complete unsuitability life jackets that turned out to be props, as well as dilapidated boats and perforated fire hoses. Unable to influence the situation, the crew of the ship became an unwitting witness to the death of 1021 passengers. The disaster is recognized largest shipwreck in US history.

Mont Blanc, 1917





The Mont Blanc is a Canadian cargo ship carrying 2,500 tons of explosives. On December 6, he collided with the passenger ship "Imo" in port of the Canadian city of Halifax.

As a result of the collision, "Mont Blanc" caught fire, and after 20 minutes exploded. The energy of the explosion turned out to be equivalent to an explosion of 2.9 kiloton of TNT. The blast wave destroyed half the city. victims disasters became 1963 people, more than 2000 were missing, 9000 were injured, 300 of them later died.

The explosion on the "Mont Blanc" is recognized by scientists as the strongest explosion arranged by man in the pre-nuclear era.

"Indigirka", 1939



A Soviet steamship used in the Gulag system to transport goods and released prisoners.

On December 12, the ship carried out another voyage near the island Hokkaido is caught in a severe storm. The captain of the ship made a mistake in navigation and crashed into the rocks. The ship toppled on its side and ran aground in semi-submerged state.

745 people, most of whom closed in the holds, choked on water. Later, the Western press called the maritime tragedy "Soviet Titanic". To sit on the "Indigirka" by a lucky chance is not managed by the famous engineer Sergei Korolev, who was repressed in 1938.

Oria, 1944



German steamer. In 1943, the Wehrmacht defeated allies in the Dodecanese archipelago. More than 4,000 Italians were taken prisoner, who had gone over to the side of the British.

The Oria ship was carrying captives to Greece, got off the island Patroklos in a storm and ran into the rocks. Of the 4,000 prisoners of war, 21 survived. Human. Of the 161 crew members, only seven survived the disaster.

"Toya Maru" 1954

Japanese ferry that operated between the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu. In September 1954, he got into a storm, dropped anchor, but ended up overwhelmed by the elements and lost control. The ship capsized and pulled off a bottom of about 1500 people. The exact number of passengers is still unknown. clarified.



Hsuan Huai, 1948

A Chinese steamship that tried to rescue refugees supporters of the Republican Kuomintang Party, who were losing Civil War to the Communists.

In November 1948, the ship sailed past the port of the city Yingkou. The soldiers smoked and accidentally threw their cigarette butts into a barrel of gasoline, mistaking the liquid for water.

The miracle didn't happen. A fire started, killing more than 6 thousand people, including 2 thousand soldiers. Rating is recognized approximate, since the details of the disaster, the Chinese authorities do not reveal. By the number of victims, this is the largest maritime disaster.

Doña Paz 1987



Another passenger ferry that sailed in the Philippines. IN December 1987, the ship collided with an oil tanker. Oil spilled over the water and caught fire, transferring the flames to both ships.

Both ships sank. It so happened that the crew of the Doña Paz transported manynumber of free riders, and therefore the exact number of victims unknown. According to rough estimates, the water absorbed about 4300 passengers, and this accident was the largest disaster that occurred in Peaceful time.

Unfortunately, shipwrecks have not stopped in our time. One can only hope that in the future, thanks to the development of technology and the crew will stop making mistakes, and there will be no accidents.