MARITIME DISASTERS

A maritime disaster is an event which usually involves a ship or ships and can involve military action. Although sea travel is very safe, it is almost impossible to save every life. This list covers notable maritime disasters of the 21st century. Many maritime disasters happen outside the realms of war. All ships, including those of the military, are vulnerable to problems from weather conditions, faulty design or human error. Some of the disasters below occurred in periods of conflict, although their losses were unrelated to any military action. The table listings are in descending order of the magnitude of casualties suffered.

EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL

 The oil spill that took place as a result of tanker ship Exxon Valdez in the region of Alaska in March 1989 is supposed to be one of the worst oil spills ever in the history of maritime industry. Out of the total capacity of 58 million gallons, 10.9 million gallons was spilled into Alaskan Coast lineOn March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez had just entered Alaska's Prince William Sound, after departing the Valdez Marine Terminal full of crude oil. At 12:04 am, the ship struck a reef, tearing open the hull and releasing 11 million gallons of oil into the environment. Initial responses by Exxon and the Alyeska Pipeline Company were insufficient to contain much of the spill, and a storm blew in soon after, spreading the oil widely. Eventually, more than 1,000 miles of coastline were fouled, and hundreds of thousands of animals perished. Exxon ended up paying billions in cleanup costs and fines, and remains tied up in court cases to this day. The captain, Joseph Hazelwood, was acquitted of being intoxicated while at the helm, but convicted on a misdemeanor charge of negligent discharge of oil, fined $50,000, and sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service. Though the oil has mostly disappeared from view, many Alaskan beaches remain polluted to this day, crude oil buried just inches below the surface.

MV WILHELM GUSTLOFF

 In January of 1945, this German ship was hit by three torpedoes in the Baltic Sea while participating in the evacuation of civilians, military personnel, and Nazi officials who were surrounded by the Red Army in East Prussia. After being hit in the starboard (right) side, the vessel sank in less than 45 minutes. An estimated 9,400 people were killed in the disaster, making it the largest known loss of life occurring during a single ship sinking in recorded maritime history.

RMS TITANIC

 Perhaps the best-known maritime tragedy of all time, the RMS Titanic was a passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, US. The sinking of Titanic caused the deaths of 1,514 people in the third deadliest non-military maritime disaster in history.On April 14, 1912, four days into the crossing and about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, she hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm. The collision opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea. Over the next two and a half hours, the ship gradually filled with water and sank. Passengers and some crew members were evacuated in lifeboats, many of which were launched only partly filled. Just before 2:20 am, the Titanic broke up and sank bow-first with over a thousand people still on board. Those in the water died within minutes from hypothermia caused by immersion in the freezing ocean. The 710 survivors were taken aboard from the lifeboats by the RMS Carpathia a few hours later.

SS MONT-BLANC

This French freighter exploded while carrying ammunition in Halifax Harbour on December 6, 1917, causing the Halifax Explosion, and killing 2000 people in and around the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The explosion was caused by a collision with the Norwegian ship SS Imo.Entering Halifax Harbour on the morning of December 6, the SS Mont-Blanc struck the outbound SS Imo in the Halifax Narrows. A fire caused by the collision detonated her cargo twenty minutes later, causing a massive explosion that devastated the city and harbor.