List of shipwrecks in 1971

The list of shipwrecks in 1971 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1971.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

table of contents

1971
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr
May	Jun	Jul	Aug
Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Unknown date
References

January

7 January

List of shipwrecks: 7 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Kolno	Poland	The cargo ship ran aground off Falsterbo, Sweden, withdrawn from service as a result and converted to a floating boilerhouse.
West Shore	Norway	The supply vessel foundered in the North Sea one nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) off the oil rig Ocean Viking. All thirteen crew rescued.[1]

8 January

List of shipwrecks: 8 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Antilles	France	The ocean liner ran aground off Mustique, St Vincent and the Grenadines and caught fire when her fuel tanks ruptured. All passengers and crew took to the lifeboats and were rescued by Queen Elizabeth 2 ( United Kingdom).

11 January

List of shipwrecks: 11 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Texaco Caribbean	Peru	It was struck by the 12,000-tonne Paracas ( Panama) at 4:10 in thick fog. Paracas had ignored the shipping lanes so that it could take a quicker route down the channel. Texaco Caribbean exploded from the bunker oil fumes in its hold.[2] It split in two, the bow section sinking immediately, the stern section drifting for several hours before sinking too, resulting in 600 tonnes of bunker fuel being spilled.[3] The incident occurred in the English Channel 13 km (8.1 mi) off Folkestone with the loss of at least eight lives. The explosion was so great that property was damaged in Folkestone.[4][5] 20 survivors were rescued by Bravagos ( Norway) and the fishing vessel Viking Warrior ( United Kingdom). The survivors were taken to Dover. Paracas was towed to Hamburg.[6]

12 January

List of shipwrecks: 12 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Brandenburg	West Germany	Despite the British coastal authorities placing three vertical green lights on site to warn other ships of the presence of the wreck, the 2,695-ton Brandenburg struck the wreck of Texaco Caribbean ( Peru) at 07:30 and sank within minutes with the loss of 21 lives. Lifeboats did not have time to respond and only 11 survivors were picked out from the water by fishermen.[4][5][2][3]

14 January

List of shipwrecks: 14 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Pasteur	Panama	Sank at 00°56′N 107°53′E when on a voyage from Sibu, Sarawak to Singapore. Was well off the normal route at the time.

18 January

List of shipwrecks: 18 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Arctic Sea	United States	The crab-fishing vessel was reported aground on Fairmount Island (60.8722°N 147.4353°W / 60.8722; -147.4353 (Fairmount Island)) on the south-central coast of Alaska.[7]

27 January

List of shipwrecks: 27 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Norland	United States	The fishing vessel ran aground and broke up on Barlow Island (58°23′30″N 134°54′00″W) in Southeast Alaska approximately 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi) northwest of Juneau, Alaska. Her entire crew of three survived and was rescued by the buoy tender USCGC Clover ( United States Coast Guard).[8]

28 January

List of shipwrecks: 28 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Hoveringham II	United Kingdom	The dredger sprang a leak, capsized and sank off Puffin Island, Anglesey. Her four crew were rescued by the Holyhead Lifeboat.[9]

31 January

List of shipwrecks: 31 January 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Princess Margarethe	Denmark	The ferry ran aground off the Kullen Lighthouse, Sweden. All on board rescued by Kärmen ( Denmark).[10]

February

3 February

List of shipwrecks: 3 February 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Decora	United States	The fishing vessel sank after striking Colorado Reef (56°38′20″N 132°56′10″W) in Wrangell Narrows in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. The cutter USCGC Cape Henlopen ( United States Coast Guard) rescued her entire crew of five.[11]

6 February

List of shipwrecks: 6 February 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Byzantium	Cyprus	The ship caught fire at Gibraltar, with its bridge deck and accommodation gutted. Repairs were deemed uneconomic and the ship was scrapped later in the year.

10 February

List of shipwrecks: 10 February 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Aguedal	Italy	The cargo ship ran aground 15 nautical miles (28 km) off the coast of Libya.[12]

22 February

List of shipwrecks: 22 February 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Endeavour II	New Zealand	The three-masted auxiliary barque was driven ashore in Parengarenga Harbour, a few miles south of North Cape. She was en route to New Zealand from Australia, and after being becalmed encountered a gale on rounding North Cape and failed to make Houhora Harbour. The crew of 13 men and one woman landed safely, there were no fatalities. She was the first square-rigged sailing vessel wrecked on the New Zealand coast for more than 50 years. Endeavour II had taken part in the 1970 bi-centenary re-enactment of James Cook's landing at Botany Bay, Sydney on 29 April 1970.[13]
Ocean Castle	United States	The fishing vessel sank in the Gulf of Alaska near the Barren Islands (58°57′N 152°15′W) off the south-central coast of Alaska after colliding with the tanker Hawaiian Standard (flag unknown). Hawaiian Standard rescued her crew of four.[14]

26 February

List of shipwrecks: 26 February 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Wafra	Liberia	The tanker ran aground at Cape Agulhas, Libya.[15]

27 February

List of shipwrecks: 27 February 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Niki	Greece	A light ship and five light buoys were added above the site of the wreck of Texaco Caribbean ( Peru) by Trinity House. However, the ship Niki, sailing out of Dunkirk, ignored these and additional warnings of the nearby tanker Hebris. As observed by Hebris, Niki hit the submerged wreck(s) at approximately 8.16 pm and sank with the loss of all 21 crew and 1 passenger (the chief engineer's wife) before Hebris could perform a rescue of the men that had been observed in the water. Ten bodies were subsequently recovered.[16][2][4]
Esso Antwerp	Belgium	The ship collided with Panachaikon ( Liberia) and sank in the River Scheldt. Later raised, repaired and returned to service.[17]

28 February

List of shipwrecks: 28 February 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Maureen Greer	United States	The crab-fishing vessel sank at the entrance to Uganik Bay (57°50′N 153°32′W) on the coast of Kodiak Island in Alaska. Her crew of three survived.[18]

March

1 March

List of shipwrecks: 1 March 1971

Ship	Country	Description
USS Reuben James	United States Navy	The decommissioned Buckley-class destroyer escort was sunk as a target.

2 March

List of shipwrecks: 2 March 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Trinity Navigator	Sweden	The tanker ran aground off Berry Head, Devon, United Kingdom.[19]

3 March

List of shipwrecks: 3 March 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Henna	Panama	The bulk carrier sprang a leak and foundered in the Indian Ocean (34°57′S 72°08′E). Her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Bunbury, Western Australia to Savannah, Georgia, United States.[20]

4 March

List of shipwrecks: 4 March 1971

Ship	Country	Description
USS Gregory	United States Navy	The decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer was deliberately run aground on San Clemente Island off Southern California for use as a target.

12 March

List of shipwrecks: 12 March 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Wafra	Liberia	The tanker was towed out to sea and sunk by bombing from South African Air Force aircraft.[21]

28 March

List of shipwrecks: 28 March 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Texaco Oklahoma	United States	The tanker broke in two on the 27th and foundered on the 28th, 100 miles due east of Sandbridge off Virginia with the loss of 33 of her 44 crew.[22][23]

30 March

List of shipwrecks: 30 March 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Panther	Liberia	The tanker ran aground on the Goodwin Sands, off the coast of Kent, United Kingdom.[24] She was refloated on 4 April.[6]

31 March

List of shipwrecks: 31 March 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Christos	Liberia	The cargo ship ran aground on Kandeliusa Island, Kos, Greece. She was refloated on 1 April but developed leaks and sank later the same day.

April

1 April

List of shipwrecks: 1 April 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Christos	Liberia	Aground on Kandeliusa Island, Kos, Greece, since 31 March, the cargo ship was refloated but developed leaks and sank at 36°32′N 26°57′E.

12 April

List of shipwrecks: 12 April 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Adak	United States	The motor vessel sank near Eliza Harbor (57°09′N 134°17′W) on the coast of Admiralty Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska.[7]

15 April

List of shipwrecks: 15 April 1956

Ship	Country	Description
Lynda K	United States	The fishing vessel was lost in the Gulf of Alaska somewhere between Homer and Seward, Alaska.[25]

20 April

List of shipwrecks: 20 April 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Cohansey	Panama	The T2 tanker collided with Marimunda ( Sweden) off Pladju, Indonesia. Arrested and laid up at Singapore, she was scrapped in 1973.[26]

21 April

List of shipwrecks: 21 April 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Stork	Royal Navy	The Troubles: The survey launch, attached to the survey ship HMS Hecate ( Royal Navy), was towed out to sea, bombed, and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Baltimore, Ireland, by a Provisional Irish Republican Army unit.[27]

26 April

List of shipwrecks: 26 April 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Ostrich	Provisional Government of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini	Bangladesh Liberation War: The ship was sunk by Pakistan Air Force F-86 Sabre aircraft.[28]

27 April

List of shipwrecks: 27 April 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Kiejak	United States	The fishing vessel flooded, ran aground, and was lost in Dry Bay (59°08′N 138°25′W) on the south-central coast of Alaska. Her crew of four survived.[29]

30 April

List of shipwrecks: 30 April 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Pacific	United States	Carrying a cargo of heavy construction equipment, the motor vessel sank in Portage Bay on the coast of Alaska. Reports of the sinking do not indicate in which of several Alaskan bodies of water named "Portage Bay" the sinking took place.[14]

May

2 May

List of shipwrecks: 2 May 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Tongass	United States	The fishing vessel ran aground and sank at the south end of Baranof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. Another fishing vessel rescued all six members of her crew.[30]

15 May

List of shipwrecks: 15 May 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Herulv	Norway	The tanker was involved in a collision off the coast of Kent, United Kingdom and was holed.[31]

17 May

List of shipwrecks: 17 May 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Ellinis	Greece	The ocean liner ran aground off Calshot, Hampshire, United Kingdom. She was refloated undamaged after two hours.[31]

20 May

List of shipwrecks: 20 May 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Marjorie H	United States	The 40-gross register ton, 50-foot (15.2 m) halibut-fishing vessel struck a snag and sank off the Kenai Peninsula on the south-central coast of Alaska, 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) west of Resurrection Bay. Her crew of five abandoned ship in a life raft and were rescued by another fishing vessel on 22 May.[18]

31 May

List of shipwrecks: 31 May 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Gyro Jumbo	United States	The fishing vessel sank during a storm with the loss of one life in the Copper River Delta on the south-central coast of Alaska.[32]

Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: unknown

Ship	Country	Description
Viking L&R	Cayman Islands	The converted yacht foundered in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
ROKS PB 7	Republic of Korea Navy	The PB 3-class patrol craft was wrecked.[33][34][35]

June

1 June

List of shipwrecks: 1 June 1971

Ship	Country	Description
USS Bugara	United States Navy	The Balao-class submarine sank in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Flattery, Washington while under tow.

2 June

List of shipwrecks: 2 June 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Agulleit	United States	The 23-ton, 54-foot (16.5 m) motor vessel was destroyed by ice at Emmonak, Alaska.[7]

28 June

List of shipwrecks: 28 June 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Husky II	United States	The pilot boat was destroyed by fire approximately 1,000 yards (910 m) off Bethel, Alaska.[36]

Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date June 1971

Ship	Country	Description
RPS Batanes	Philippine Navy	The LSM-1-class medium landing ship ran aground. She was decommissioned in 1971 as a result and was scrapped in 1972.[37]

July

1 July

List of shipwrecks: 1 July 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Clyde Venture	United Kingdom	The coastal tanker sank in the Rothesay Dock, Clydebank due to the actions of vandals.[38]
HMS Artemis	Royal Navy	The Amphion-class submarine foundered at her moorings at Gosport, Hampshire. Subsequently raised and sold for scrap.

3 July

List of shipwrecks: 3 July 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Harlequin	United States	The motor vessel sank at Seward, Alaska.[36]

4 July

List of shipwrecks: 4 July 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Naniward Abone	Indonesia	The cargo ship collided with Ocean Prime ( Liberia) and sank off Waikayama, Japan.[39]
Rakusui Maru	Japan	The coaster collided with another ship and sank off Waikayama with the loss of eight of her nine crew.[39]
Koyo Maru	Japan	The coaster collided with another ship and sank off Japan.[39]

5 July

List of shipwrecks: 5 July 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Ocean Glory	Liberia	The cargo ship sprang a leak and foundered in the Bay of Bengal. All crew rescued by Chilka ( United Kingdom).[39]

13 July

List of shipwrecks: 13 July 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Iron Mule	United States	The fishing vessel sank in bad weather in Cook Inlet near Kalgin Island on the south-central coast of Alaska. Two skiffs from a United States Air Force helicopter squadron from Elmendorf Air Force Base rescued all eight people and a spaniel who had been aboard Iron Mule.[40]

17 July

List of shipwrecks: 17 July 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Selamat	Singapore	The vessel ran aground at Kalampunian Island, Borneo. The ship was abandoned as a total loss.

August

5 August

List of shipwrecks: 5 August 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Mania	Liberia	Caught fire off Bari, Italy and abandoned. Beached at Split, Yugoslavia on 8 August. Scrapped in November 1971.[41]

7 August

List of shipwrecks: 7 August 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Stag	United States	The crab-fishing vessel sank in bad weather off Land's End (59°37′N 151°27′W) on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. A pleasure craft rescued her entire crew of three.[42]

16 August

List of shipwrecks: 16 August 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Al-Abbas	Pakistan	Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines at Chittagong.[28]
Hormux	Pakistan	Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines at Chittagong.[28]
No. 6	Pakistan	Bangladesh Liberation War: The barge was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with Limpet Mines at Chittagong.[28]

17 August

List of shipwrecks: 17 August 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Red Sea	Hong Kong	Typhoon Rose: The cargo ship was driven ashore at Lanatu Island, Hong Kong. Refloated but scrapped the following month.[43]
USS Regulus	United States Navy	USS Regulus. Typhoon Rose: The Denebola-class stores ship was driven ashore at Kau-i-chau, Hong Kong. Subsequently declared a constructive total loss.

19 August

List of shipwrecks: 19 August 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Billy	Liberia	Typhoon Rose: The cargo ship was driven aground at Hong Kong. Declared a constructive total loss and sold for scrap.[41]
HAM 308[44]	Netherlands	The dredger collided with Polycastle ( Norway) and sank in Jade Bight off Wilhelmshaven, West Germany with the loss of five crew and two other persons.[45][46]

30 August

List of shipwrecks: 30 August 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Bertha Denz	West Germany	The trawler was in collision with Achatina ( United Kingdom) and sank 25 nautical miles (46 km) west of Heligoland. Two crew rescued by Achatina.[47]

September

3 September

List of shipwrecks: 3 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Viking King	United States	The 87-foot (27 m) crab fishing vessel sank with the loss of two lives when she was swamped off Akun Island near Unalaska, Alaska. Her two survivors reached shore by clinging to an overturned life raft.[48]

4 September

List of shipwrecks: 4 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Ricardo Manuel	Panama	Cut in two by Zagora ( Morocco) and sunk at entrance to Casablanca harbour.

5 September

List of shipwrecks: 5 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Eleni	Greece	The cargo ship collided with Princess Ragnhild ( Norway). Declared uneconomic to repair, scrapped in April 1972 at Santander, Spain.

18 September

List of shipwrecks: 18 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Chubby	United States	The fishing vessel was found adrift near Eldred Rock in Lynn Canal in Southeast Alaska. The only person who had been aboard disappeared without trace.[49]

21 September

List of shipwrecks: 21 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Precious Pearl	Hong Kong	The ship caught fire and sank in the South China Sea.[50][51]

22 September

List of shipwrecks: 22 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Shapta Dinga	Pakistan	Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines at Chalna.[52]

24 September

List of shipwrecks: 24 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Teviotbank	United Kingdom	The Bank Line cargo ship was damaged by East Bengal guerrillas at Chalna, East Pakistan.[53]

25 September

List of shipwrecks: 25 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Clara J	United States	The motor vessel was destroyed by fire in Hoodoo Bay (60°03′30″N 148°00′30″W) in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska.[49]

29 September

List of shipwrecks: 29 September 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Apollo	Cyprus	Stranded four nautical miles (7.4 km) off Skije.[54]

October

14 October

List of shipwrecks: 14 October 1971

Ship	Country	Description
London Valour	United Kingdom	The bulk carrier had run aground and broken her back at Genoa in April 1970, but Smit Tak International had refloated the after portion on 12 October 1971 and was towing it to be scuttled on the Balearic Abyssal Plain. About 90 miles (78 nmi; 140 km) out from Genoa the hulk sank in the early hours of 14 October.[55]

15 October

List of shipwrecks: 15 October 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Ben Jon	United States	The 25-ton motor vessel sank in Kamishak Bay on the south-central coast of Alaska.[56]

16 October

List of shipwrecks: 16 October 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Softuk	United States	The motor vessel was found abandoned in Orca Inlet in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska. One person aboard her was lost.[42]

22 October

List of shipwrecks: 22 October 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Loch Seaforth	United Kingdom	The mailboat ran aground off Skye. All 26 passengers rescued, ship later refloated.[57]

30 October

List of shipwrecks: 30 October 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Nam Sanh	South Vietnam	The coaster was stranded at Chu Lai, South Vietnam, during a typhoon.

November

4 November

List of shipwrecks: 4 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Mahtab Javed II	Pakistan	Bangladesh Liberation War: The tanker was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines near Chittagong.[58][59]

5 November

List of shipwrecks: 5 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Lynda	United States	The fishing vessel was wrecked near Cape Mordvinof (54°56′45″N 164°26′00″W) on the northwest coast of Unimak Island in the Aleutian Islands.[25]

8 November

List of shipwrecks: 8 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Saratoga	United States	The fishing vessel was wrecked on rocks near the mouth of Little Tonki Bay (56°20′N 152°04′W) on Afognak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago in the Gulf of Alaska. All seven men on board reached a rock, where a United States Coast Guard helicopter rescued them.[42]

9 November

List of shipwrecks: 9 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Heythrop	United Kingdom	The OBO carrier exploded and caught fire 150 nautical miles (280 km) East London, South Africa. All on board were rescued by Showa Venture ( Liberia). The captain and five officers later reboarded the ship, which was towed by the tugs Arctic and Statesman to Port Elizabeth.[60] The ship was repaired and returned to service.[61]
Maori	France	The cargo ship sank 250 nautical miles (460 km) off the coast of Spain. There was only one survivor of her 39 crew.[60]

14 November

List of shipwrecks: 14 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
USS Samuel B. Roberts	United States Navy	USS Samuel B. Roberts being sunk. The decommissioned Gearing-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean 195 nautical miles (361 km) north of Puerto Rico at 21°42.8′N 65°55.1′W.

17 November

List of shipwrecks: 17 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Elcano	Spain	The tanker sank off the Cape Verde Islands following an onboard explosion with the loss of four of her 35 crew.[62]
Louise II	United States	The seiner ran aground on rocks and broke up in bad weather on Clam Island (55°58′48″N 133°15′30″W) in Southeast Alaska between Craig and Klawock, Alaska. Her crew of three survived.[25]

22 November

List of shipwrecks: 22 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Astron	United States	After suffering an explosion, the 107-gross register ton, 74.8-foot (22.8 m) fishing vessel was destroyed by fire in the Bering Sea six nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) north of Akutan Island in the Aleutian Islands. Her crew of four abandoned ship in a seven-foot (2.1 m) rubber life raft and was rescued on 25 November by the fishing trawler Chidori Maru No 51 ( Japan) near North Head (54.2333333°N 165.9333333°W / 54.2333333; -165.9333333 (North Head)) on the coast of Akutan Island.[7]
Chrysovalandou	Greece	Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines in the Pussur River.[52]

23 November

List of shipwrecks: 23 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Mastro Stelius	Greece	Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines in the Pussur River.[52]

25 November

List of shipwrecks: 25 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Barataria	United States	The 68-foot (20.7 m) tug sank in 136 feet (41 m) of water during a storm in Long Island Sound north-northeast of Southold, Long Island, New York. Two of her four crew members lost their lives. Her sinking was attributed to improper modifications that had been made to her.[63]

30 November

List of shipwrecks: 30 November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Juliana	Liberia	The tanker ran aground off Niigata, Japan and broke in two.[64]

Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date November 1971

Ship	Country	Description
USS Roberts	United States Navy	The decommissioned Cannon-class destroyer escort was sunk as a target.

December

3 December

List of shipwrecks: 3 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Seven Seas	United States	The fishing vessel disappeared near Kodiak Island off the south-central coast Alaska during a voyage to Wide Bay (57°22′N 156°11′W) with the loss of all four people on board.[42]

4 December

List of shipwrecks: 4 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
PNS Comilla	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Rajshahi-class patrol craft was sunk by Indian Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft in the Bay of Bengal off Chittagong.[65][66]
PNS Ghazi	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Ghazi-class submarine was sunk in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam, India, by Indian surface ships, or loss by accidental explosion while laying mines, with the loss of her entire crew of 92.[67][68]
PNS Khaibar	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Trident: The Badr-class destroyer was sunk in the Arabian Sea south of Karachi, Pakistan, by two SS-N-2 Styx missiles fired by the missile boat INS Nirghat ( Indian Navy). 289 crewmen killed.[67][69]
PNS Muhafiz	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Trident: The Mahmood-class minesweeper was sunk in the Arabian Sea south of Karachi, Pakistan, by two SS-N-2 Styx missiles fired by the missile boat INS Veer ( Indian Navy).[67][70]
Venus Challenger	Liberia	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Trident: The cargo ship was sunk in the Arabian Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi) south of Karachi, Pakistan, by an SS-N-2 Styx missile fired by the missile boat INS Nipat ( Indian Navy).[67]

5 December

List of shipwrecks: 5 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
PNS Salamat	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The patrol craft was sunk by Breguet Alize aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy) in the Bay of Bengal.[65]
PNS Shahbaz	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The patrol craft was sunk by Breguet Alize aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy) in the Bay of Bengal.[65]

6 December

List of shipwrecks: 6 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Lightning	Ethiopia	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian Air Force aircraft at Chulna.[71][72]
Ondarroa	Spain	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian Air Force aircraft at Chulna.[73][74][75]
Thetic Charley	Greece	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy).[71][76]

8 December

List of shipwrecks: 8 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Unidentified patrol craft	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: Four patrol craft were sunk by gunfire in the Bay of Bengal by INS Brahmaputra ( Indian Navy).[77]

9 December

List of shipwrecks: 9 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
PNS Balaghat	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The patrol craft was sunk by Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy).[71]
Gulf Star	Panama	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Python: The cargo ship was sunk by one SS-N-2 Styx missile fired by the missile boat INS Vinash ( Indian Navy) at Karachi, Pakistan.[78][67]
Harmattan	United Kingdom	Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 - Operation Python: The cargo ship was sunk by one SS-N-2 Styx missile fired by the missile boat INS Vinash ( Indian Navy) at Karachi, Pakistan. Seven crew were killed.[78][67]
INS Khukri	Indian Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Khukri-class frigate was torpedoed and sunk in the Arabian Sea 35 nautical miles (65 km) southwest of Diu by PNS Hangor ( Pakistan Navy) with the loss of 194 of her crew.
Mustali	Pakistan	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft in Chalna, East Pakistan.[79]
Makran	Pakistan	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft in Chalna, East Pakistan.[80]
Two unidentified landing craft tank	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The two landing craft tanks were sunk by Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy).[71][28]
Zoe	Greece	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Python: The tanker was shelled and set on fire at Karachi, Pakistan.[78]

10 December

List of shipwrecks: 10 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Ocean Enterprise	Pakistan	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian aircraft at Chalna-Mongla East Pakistan.[76]
Nordpol/North Pole	Unknown	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian aircraft at Chalna-Mongla East Pakistan.[76]
Padma	Provisional Government of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Ford-class ASW ship was sunk at Kulna on the Pussur River by Indian Air Force Folland Gnat aircraft. 14 survivors of Padma and Palash were rescued by INS Panvel ( Indian Navy).[28][81]
Palash	Provisional Government of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Ford-class ASW ship was sunk at Kulna on the Pussur River by Indian Air Force Folland Gnat aircraft. 14 survivors of Padma and Palash were rescued by INS Panvel ( Indian Navy).[28][81]

12 December

List of shipwrecks: 12 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Al-Abbas	Pakistan	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk at Chittagong by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft.[52]
Anisbaksh	Pakistan	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk at Chittagong by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft.[82][83]
Avlos	Brazil	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The tanker was sunk at Chittagong by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft. Raised and scrapped April, 1972.[84][85]

13 December

List of shipwrecks: 13 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Surma	Pakistan	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was bombed, capsized and sank at Chittagong by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft.[86][83][87]

14 December

List of shipwrecks: 14 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Katata Maru	Japan	The 310-foot (94.5 m) fish processing vessel – which had caught fire 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) west of Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands, been abandoned by her crew (which the United States Coast Guard rescued), and then been towed to Adak, where she was pumped full of water to extinguish the fire – was towed out of the harbor at Adak by a United States Navy tug to a point 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) away in the Bering Sea, where she capsized and sank in deep water.[29]

16 December

List of shipwrecks: 16 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Saint Mark	United States	The 139-gross register ton, 79.6-foot (24.3 m) crab-fishing vessel disappeared in the Gulf of Alaska during a voyage from Kodiak to Seward, Alaska, with the loss of all four people on board. She was last seen off Port William on Shuyak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago, apparently trying to escape rough seas.[42]

19 December

List of shipwrecks: 19 December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Tralee Trader	Panama	The coaster foundered 10 nautical miles (19 km) off Land's End, United Kingdom. All crew rescued by the trawler Petronella ( Netherlands).[88]

Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown December 1971

Ship	Country	Description
PNS Jessore	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Rajshahi-class patrol craft was damaged on 4 or 11 December by Breguet Alize aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy) in the Bay of Bengal and beached. Refloated after the War, repaired and put in Bangladeshi Navy service.[65][66]
PNS Sylhet	Pakistan Navy	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Rajshahi-class patrol craft was sunk on 4 or 6 December by aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy) in the Bay of Bengal.[65][66]

Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1971

Ship	Country	Description
Altair	Italian Navy	The frigate was sunk as a target.[89]
Katmai	United States	The crab-fishing vessel sank in deep water off the Alaska Peninsula. Her crew of four survived.[29]
Hela	United States	The 32-gross register ton 52.1-foot (15.9 m) motor vessel sank in the Lower Yukon River in central Alaska.[36]
Menlo	United States	The 23-gross register ton, 47.4-foot (14.4 m) fishing vessel sank with the loss of three lives after striking an unidentified submerged object in the waters of Alaska. Some reports claim that the incident occurred on 24 April near Portland Bank off the south end of the Kenai Peninsula at 58°25′N 150°15′W, others that it happened on 24 April near Seldovia, and still others that it took place sometime in June in Southeast Alaska 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) southeast of Juneau.[18]
Nissei Maru	Japan	The 90-ton fishing vessel capsized and sank in the Bering Sea north of Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Islands with the loss of ten lives. Other fishing vessels rescued her eight survivors.[8]

References

1. "13 are rescued as vessel founders in North Sea". The Times (58067). London. 8 January 1971. col B-C, p. 3.
2. http://wwz.cedre.fr/en/Resources/Spills/Spills/Texaco-Caribbean
3. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/jan/13/channel-shipping-accidents
4. Lane, Anthony (2009). Shipwrecks of Kent. Stroud: The History Press. pp. 82–84. ISBN 978-0-7524-1720-2.
5. "International dispute on Channel Safety". The Times (58071). London. 13 January 1971. col D, p. 1.
6. Bignell, Alan (2001). Kent Shipwrecks (Second ed.). Newbury: Countryside Books. pp. 106–13. ISBN 1 85306 719 9.
7. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (A)
8. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (N)
9. Wyn-Williams, Gareth. "Anglesey shipwreck captured from the air after half a century on seabed". Daily Post. Trinity Mirror Merseyside. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
10. "Picture Gallery". The Times (58087). London. 1 February 1971. col B-D, p. 4.
11. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (D)
12. "Acid ship in danger of exploding". The Times (58096). London. 11 February 1971. col A, p. 1.
13. New Zealand Shipwrecks 1795-1982 by CWN Ingram, page 437-8 (1984, Reed, Wellington) ISBN 0-589-01510-9
14. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (P)
15. "Grounded tanker towed free". The Times (58117). London. 9 March 1971. col C, p. 6.
17. "Belgian Merchant A-G" (PDF). Belgische Koopvaardij. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
18. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (M)
19. "Navy check ends pollution fear". The Times (58112). London. 3 March 1971. col C, p. 3.
20. "T2 Tankers - N - O - P". Mariners. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
21. "Picture Gallery". The Times (58121). London. 13 March 1971. col D-F, p. 4.
22. "33 lost in tanker broken 'by one wave'". The Times (58134). London. 30 March 1971. col E, p. 7.
23. "Marine Casualty Report:Structural Failure and Sinking of the Texaco Oklahoma off Cape Hatteras on 27 March 1971, with the loss of 31 lives" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 26 July 1972. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
24. "Tanker aground off Kent". The Times (58135). London. 31 March 1971. col F, p. 1.
25. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (L)
26. "T2 Tankers - C". Mariners. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
27. debate, 28 April 1971
28. "India and Bangladesh Naval Battles". Soviet-Empire. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
29. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (K)
30. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (T)
31. "Liner refloated after two hours on shingle bank". The Times (58174). London. 17 May 1971. col D-E, p. 1.
32. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (G)
33. "PB 3 coastal Patrol Craft (1958/1959) (1968-1969), Coastal forces, Republic of Korea Navy". Navypedia. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
34. Gray, Randal, ed., Conway′s All the World′s Fighting Ships 1947–1982, Part II: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1983, ISBN 0-87021-919-7, p. 348.
35. Silverstone, Paul H., The Navy of the Nuclear Age 1947–2007, New York: Routledge, 2009, ISBN 0-415-97899-8, p. 263.
36. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (H)
37. Gray, Randal, ed., Conway′s All the World′s Fighting Ships 1947–1982, Part II: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1983, ISBN 0-87021-919-7, p. 356.
38. "Vandals believed to have sunk ship". The Times (58214). London. 2 July 1971. col E-F, p. 2.
39. "12 feared lost in series of collisions". The Times (58216). London. 5 July 1971. col D, p. 6.
40. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (I)
41. "Belgian Merchant H-O" (PDF). Belgische Koopvaardij. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
42. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (S)
43. Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. not cited. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
44. HAM 308 in the German Wikipedia
45. "Hope abandoned for seamen trapped in wreck". The Times (58255). London. 20 August 1971. col E, p. 5.
46. Hans-Jürgen Schmid; 70 Quadratmeter großes Loch in der Bordwand; in: Wilhelmshavener Zeitung, 17. September 2011, p. 10. (German)
47. "British tanker in North Sea collision". The Times (58264). London. 31 August 1971. col D, p. 5.
48. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (V)
49. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (C)
50. "Chanda". Clydesite. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2016.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
51. "British India Steam Navigation Company". The Ships List. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
52. "War in the Indian Ocean". Googlebooks. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
53. "British ship holed in Pakistan port by East Bengal frogemen". The Times (58282). London. 25 September 1971. col A-B, p. 5.
54. "Belgian Merchant P-Z" (PDF). Belgische Koopvaardij. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
55. Gatti, Carlo (April 2010). "The running aground and the shipwreck of the British cargo ship "London Valour"". Societa' Capitani e Macchinisti Navali – Camogli. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
56. alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (B)
57. "26 are taken off grounded ferry". The Times (58306). London. 23 October 1971. col C, p. 2.
58. Roy, Mihir (1995). War in the Indian Ocean. Lancer Publishers. p. 170. ISBN 978-1897829110.
59. "Mahtab Javed II Tanker 1967-1971". Wrecksite. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
60. "Captain reboards blazing tanker with five officers". The Times (58321). London. 10 November 1971. col C, p. 7.
61. "Trident Tankers". Merchant Navy Officers. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
62. "Four missing as oil tanker sinks". The Times (58327). London. 18 November 1971. col A, p. 8.
63. njscuba.net Barataria
64. "Oil slick nears Japan as tanker splits". The Times (58340). London. 2 December 1971. col G, p. 8.
65. "Indian Naval Battles". Retrieved 2 February 2018.
66. "Rajshahi class Large Patrol craft (1965) , Coastal Forces, Pakistan Navy". Navypedia. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
67. "Indian Naval Battles". Retrieved 1 February 2018.
68. "Ghazi Submarine (1945-1964), Submarines, Pakistan Navy". Navypedia. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
69. "Badr Destroyers, Torpedo Ships, Pakistan Navy". Navypedia. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
70. "Mahmood Coastal Minesewwpers, Mine Warfare Ships, Pakistan Navy". Navypedia. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
71. "Indian Naval Battles". Retrieved 13 November 2018.
72. "War in the Indian Ocean". Googlebooks. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
73. "Indian Naval Battles". Retrieved 12 November 2018.
74. "Transition to triumph, the history of the Indian Navy". Googlebooks. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
75. "Ondarroa Cargo Ship 1964-1970". Wrecksite. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
76. "Transition to triumph, the history of the Indian Navy". Googlebooks. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
77. "Damage assessment-1971 Indo-Pak War" (PDF). indianmilitaryhistory.org. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
78. "British seamen killed in shelling". The Times (58347). London. 10 December 1971. col B-D, p. 1.
79. "Mustali 1971". Wrecksite. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
80. "Makran Cargo Ship 1954-1971". Wrecksite. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
81. "Transition to triumph, the history of the Indian Navy". Googlebooks. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
82. "Indian and Bangladesh Naval Battles". Soviet-Empire. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
83. "Anisbaksh-IMO5017840". shipspotting.com. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
84. "Indian and Bangladesh Naval Battles". Soviet-Empire. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
85. "Avlos Tanker 1952-1971". Wrecksite. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
86. "Surma Cargo Ship 1950-1971". Wrecksite. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
87. "Damage assessment-1971 Indo-Pak War" (PDF). indianmilitaryhistory.org. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
88. "Ship sinks, tree hits bus, as gales sweep Britain". The Times (58355). London. 20 December 1971. col A-D, p. 1.
89. Gardiner, Robert, ed., Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1982 Part I: The Western Powers, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1983, ISBN 0870219189, p. 70.

See also

Ship events in 1971
Ship launches:	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976
Ship commissionings:	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976
Ship decommissionings:	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976
Shipwrecks:	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976