(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) This British ocean liner was commandeered by the government during World War II. It was sunk on June 17th, 1940, resulting in the loss of over 4,000 lives, possibly many more. This is considered to be the worst loss of life in the sinking of a single British ship, and the bloodiest single engagement for…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The 76 meter long four-deck river passenger ship Eastern Star (Dongfangzhixing) capsized and sank on the Yangtze River in the Wuhan, Damazhou area. The vessel was carrying 405 passengers, 5 travel agents and 48 crew on a holiday cruise up the Yangtze from Nanjing to Chongqing when it was struck by a severe storm. The storm…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) This Canadian ocean liner sank in the Saint Lawrence River following a collision with a Norwegian collier in the early hours of May 29, 1914, due to heavy fog. It took just 14 minutes for the St. Lawrence River to swallow the Canadian Pacific’s RMS Empress of Ireland in the pre-dawn of May 29, 1914.…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On May 7, 1915, the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, which primarily ferried people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Great Britain, was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk. The sinking of the Lusitania enraged Americans and hastened the United States’ entrance into World War I. The Lusitania sunk within 18 minutes. Though…
(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) In 1865, the United States experienced its most significant marine casualty in terms of lives lost. Sultana was a Mississippi River side-wheel steamboat that exploded on April 27, 1865 in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. An estimated 1,800 of her 2,427 passengers died when three of the boat’s four boilers exploded and she…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) Hydra was a Greek destroyer of the Dardo class, which served with the Hellenic Navy during the early stages of the Second World War. It was named after the Saronic Gulf island of Hydra, which played an important role in the Greek War of Independence, and was the fourth ship to bear this name. She was constructed…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On 20 April 2010, the MODU Deepwater Horizon, engaged in drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico, suffered a catastrophic explosion and fire. Eleven workers died. Due primarily to the heroic efforts of the crew of the OSV Damon B. Bankston, the other 115 persons on the MODU were evacuated safely. A…
