Category: Ship Disasters
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The Thomson Cruises Lifeboat Accident in the Canary Islands
Five people died and another three were injured today when a lifeboat fell from the Thomson Majesty, the newest cruise ship in the Thomson Cruises fleet that was docked in La Palma, Canary Islands, which are part of Spain. All of the eight people affected by the lifeboat accident were crew members of Thomson, which is owned by the German company TUI. The lifeboat fell off the vessel during an emergency drill, plummeting nearly 100 feet (30 meters) and then crashing into the water below. Although there were about 2,000 passengers on board the Thomson Majesty, none of them were involved in the emergency drill. Read more […] -
Whether Francesco Schettino, Disgraced Captain of the Costa Concordia, is Responsible for the Shipwreck
Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concodia that crashed off Isola del Giglio, Italy in January 2012, attended a hearing in Italian court yesterday in connection to his role in the disaster. The hearing likely marks the beginning of a high-profile (and potentially lengthy) court saga that will have Francesco Schettino at its center, as the Costa Concordia captain is expected to be charged with causing the shipwreck, abandoning ship, and numerous counts of manslaughter. Eight others, including three people who worked for Costa Crociere’s crisis center, are also facing possible charges. Read more […] -
Captain of Costa Concordia Attends Hearing
The captain of the Costa Concordia, the large cruise ship that crashed in January 2012 off Isola del Giglio, Italy, causing the deaths of 32 people, attended a hearing today about the disaster in an Italian court. Francesco Schettino is facing a slew of charges, including multiple counts of manslaughter. He is also charged with abandoning ship while passengers were still on board and causing a disaster. If Schettino is successfully convicted of these charges, he could face over 2,500 years in prison. Read more […] -
The Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior (the largest of the Great Lakes) on November 10, 1975. The entire crew of 29 died as of result of the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck. While the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald is not nearly as catastrophic (in terms of loss of human live) as some of the deadliest shipwrecks that have occurred at sea, it is noteworthy because the Edmund Fitzgerald for a time was the largest ship on the Great Lakes, and it remains the largest ship to have ever sunk in these waters. Below you will find an overview of the Edmund Fitzgerald disaster, as well as some information about the vessel itself. Read more […] -
The Sinking of the Junyo Maru
Everything about the sinking of the Junyo Maru (also written as “Jun’yo Maru” and sometimes even “Shinyo Maru”) is depressing. It was a Japanese Prisoner-of-War ship, one of the so-called “hell ships” of the Imperial Japanese Navy (more on this below), that carried thousands of miserable captured soldiers. When it was struck by a British submarine during World War II (WWII), over 5,000 people died, making it the deadliest ship disaster ever at the time of the attack. Although two other ship disasters have since happened that resulted in greater losses of life, both of which also occurred during WWII, the sinking of the Junyo Maru remains one the deadliest ship disasters of WWII and, indeed, of all time. Below you will find some basic information about the attack against the Junyo Maru and its role as a “hell ship.” Read more […] -
The Sinking of the MV Goya
The sinking of the MV Goya was one of the worst ship disasters of all time. By “worst ship disaster,” we mean deadliest ship disaster, and deadly it was. When the Goya sank, nearly all of the approximately 7,000 passengers and crew members on board the ship died. With a death toll near 7,000, it is the second deadliest disaster in recorded maritime history. The most deadly ship disaster involved the MV Wilhelm Gustloff, and the sinking of this vessel shares many similarities with the sinking of the Goya. Both were German ships that participated in World War II (WWII), both were taken down by Soviet submarines, and both were catastrophic in terms of loss of human life. Below is an overview of the Goya disaster, as well as the Goya’s role in WWII. Read more […]
