List of shipwrecks of South America
This is a list of shipwrecks located in or around South America.
Argentina
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
ARA Comodoro Py | ![]() | 15 June 1987 | A Gearing-class destroyer that was sunk as a target in Samborombón Bay. | 36°15′00″S 57°00′00″W / 36.250°S 57.000°W |
Crown of Italy | ![]() | 23 December 1891 | A British sailing ship that ran aground at Cabo San Diego.[1] Abandoned early the next morning and using the ship's boats, her crew of 33 made landfall on Staten Island on Christmas day. The crew were stranded there for 83 days before being picked up by HMS Cleopatra. All were saved. | 54°38′S 65°07′W / 54.633°S 65.117°W |
Desdemona | 9 September 1985 | A cargo ship that ran aground at Cabo San Pablo.[2] | 54°17′51.34″S 66°41′58.82″W / 54.2975944°S 66.6996722°W | |
Duchess of Albany | 13 July 1893 | A sailing ship that sank off Tierra del Fuego.[3] | 54°38′S 65°31′W / 54.633°S 65.517°W | |
ARA General Belgrano | ![]() | 2 April 1982 | A Brooklyn-class light cruiser that was torpedoed by HMS Conqueror during the Falklands/Malvinas War. The ship was outside the Total Exclusion Zone at the time, leading to controversy over whether the attack was justified. | 55°24′S 61°32′W / 55.400°S 61.533°W |
Potosi | ![]() | 19 October 1925 | A barque that caught fire and was scuttled near Comodoro Rivadavia. | 45°2.5′S 66°2.5′W / 45.0417°S 66.0417°W |
Sarmiento | 2 April 1912 | A passenger and cargo ship that sank in the Beagle Channel.[4] | 54°51′40.49″S 67°51′22.39″W / 54.8612472°S 67.8562194°W | |
St. Christopher | ![]() | 1957 | A salvage tug that was beached and abandoned at Ushuaia. | 54°48′35″S 68°18′29″W / 54.809694°S 68.308117°W |
Usurbil | March 1993 | A fishing trawler that was destroyed by fire while at port at Ingeniero White, Buenos Aires. The wreck was moved to Bahía Blanca in 1999.[5] | 38°49′36″S 62°15′55″W / 38.82667°S 62.26528°W |
Brazil
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aquidabã | ![]() | 21 January 1906 | A Brazilian ironclad warship that sank after exploding near the Jacuacanga strait, in Angra dos Reis bay. | |
Bezerra de Menezes | 1891 | Cargo ship that sank after a collision. | ||
California | 1866 | Rare 1806 "direct acting engine" steamer, with a centered propulsion wheel, carrying personal care articles. Sunk after a pirate raid at Ilha Grande, Angra dos reis. | ||
Campos | 23 October 1943 | Torpedoed by the German submarine U-170. | ||
SMS Cap Trafalgar | ![]() | 14 September 1914 | Sunk by British HMS Carmania off the coast of the Island of Trindade, Brazil, South Atlantic Ocean during World War I. | 20°29′S 29°18′W / 20.483°S 29.300°W} |
Elihu B. Washburne | 1943 | Sunk in Santos Bay. | ||
Kapunda | ![]() | 20 January 1887 | An emigrant ship that was travelling from London to Australia when it collided with the barque Ada Melmore, with 299 lives lost. | |
Kestrel | ![]() | 11 February 1895 | ||
RMS Magdalena | ![]() | 26 April 1949 | A refrigerator ship that ran aground and then split in two in the Guanabara Bay while under tow. | 22°57′05″S 43°7′30″W / 22.95139°S 43.12500°W |
Novo Amapa | 6 January 1981 | Capsized in the Amazon River, at Cajari, Macapá.[6] | ||
Pinguino | 1967 | A grain cargo ship that sunk after a fire aboard. A popular dive site at Ilha Grande. | ||
Príncipe de Asturias | ![]() | 5 March 1916 | An ocean liner that ran aground on a shoal near Ilhabela, São Paulo, resulting in at least 445 deaths. | |
Sir Foxwell Buxton | ![]() | 1853 | An emigrant ship that ran aground off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte. | |
Sobral Santos II | ![]() | 19 September 1981 | Capsized in the Amazon River, at Óbidos, Pará. Around 250 to 300 people were killed, 178 people survived.[7] | |
Stag Hound | ![]() | 2 August 1861 | An extreme clipper that caught fire and sank near Pernambuco. | |
Tocantins | 1933 | Sunk at the Queimada Grande Island, due to heavy fog. | ||
U-128 | ![]() | 16 May 1943 | Attacked by US Navy aircraft and destroyers off the coast of Recife. After considerable shelling and aerial bombing that rendered her dead in the water, the crew scuttled her the next day. | 11°0′S 35°43′W / 11.000°S 35.717°W |
Chile
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Almirante Latorre | ![]() | 2005 | Sank in the South Pacific while under tow to be broken up. | |
Ambassador | ![]() | 1940s | A clipper that was beached at San Gregorio. | 52°34′03″S 70°04′07″W / 52.567529°S 70.068537°W |
Angamos | ![]() | 1928 | Sank after striking rocks near Lebu. Second biggest single-incident maritime losses of life in the history of Chile. | |
Blanco Encalada | ![]() | 1891 | Destroyed by a torpedo gunboat in the port of Caldera during the 1891 Chilean Civil War. | |
Casma | ![]() | 1916 | Ran aground in Picton Channel. | |
Cazador | ![]() | 1856 | A steamboat that was driven aground off Point Carranza, 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Constitución, resulting in the loss of 300–400 lives. The biggest single-incident maritime losses of life in the history of Chile. | |
HMS Challenger | ![]() | 1835 | Wrecked off Mocha Island. | |
County of Peebles | ![]() | 1960s | A windjammer that was beached as a breakwater at Punta Arenas. | |
HMS Doterel | ![]() | 1881 | A Doterel-class sloop that exploded while anchored at Punta Arenas.[8] | |
SMS Dresden | ![]() | 1915 | A Dresden-class light cruiser that was scuttled near Robinson Crusoe Island. | 33°36′6″S 78°49′30″W / 33.60167°S 78.82500°W |
El Canelo | 1960 | Sank in the mouth of Valdivia River after the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in 1960. | ||
Esmeralda | ![]() | 1879 | Sank during the Battle of Iquique. | |
ARA Fournier | ![]() | 4 October 1949 | Sank in Gabriel Channel at the Dawson Island. 72 men were lost.[9] | |
HMS Good Hope | ![]() | 1914 | A Drake-class armored cruiser that was destroyed in the Battle of Coronel. | 36°59′1″S 73°48′49″W / 36.98361°S 73.81361°W |
![]() | 1958 | Sank off Nueva Island. 38 men lost.[10] | ||
Independencia | ![]() | 1879 | Ran aground and was burnt during the Battle of Punta Gruesa. | |
Janequeo | ![]() | 1965 | Sank with the loss of 65 men.[11]} | |
John Elder | 1892 | Sank near Punta Carranza.[12] | ||
Kate Kellok[13] | 1878 | |||
Logos | 1988 | A missionary ship owned by Operation Mobilisation, that ran aground on rocks in the Beagle Channel. | 54°58′12.84″S 67°7′25.71″W / 54.9702333°S 67.1238083°W | |
BAP Manco Cápac | ![]() | 1880 | Scuttled to prevent her capture by the Chilean military after the Battle of Arica. | |
HMS Monmouth | ![]() | 1914 | A Monmouth-class armored cruiser that was destroyed in the Battle of Coronel. | 36°53′53″S 73°50′45″W / 36.89806°S 73.84583°W |
Monteagudo | ![]() | 1839 | Sank off Valparaíso. | |
O'Higgins | ![]() | 1826 | Sank off Cape Horn. Probably the biggest single-incident maritime loss of life in the history of Chile. | |
Olympian | ![]() | 1906 | A steamboat that was wrecked at Possession Bay while under tow. | 52°14′51.67″S 69°1′55.46″W / 52.2476861°S 69.0320722°W |
Oriflamme | ![]() | 1770 | Sank near the mouth of the Huenchullami River. | |
Sancti Espiritus | ![]() | 1526 | First European ship to run aground in the Strait of Magellan. | |
Santa Leonor | ![]() | 1966 | Ran aground in Smyth Channel. | |
HMS Wager | ![]() | 1741 | Ran aground at Wager Island. | 47°40′43″S 75°02′57″W / 47.67861°S 75.04917°W |
Ecuador
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jesus Maria de la Limpia Concepcion | ![]() | 1654 | Spanish treasure ship also known as the Capitana, lost after striking a reef off Chanduy. | |
Santa Maria de la Consolacion | ![]() | 1681 | Spanish treasure ship laden with gold, silver, and precious gems run against a reef by pursuing pirates. Discovered in 1998. |
Falkland Islands
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
HMS Antelope | ![]() | 24 May 1982 | A Type 21 frigate that was sunk by Argentine bombers during the Falklands War. | 51°33′3″S 59°3′30″W / 51.55083°S 59.05833°W |
HMS Ardent | ![]() | 22 May 1982 | A Type 21 frigate that was sunk by Argentine bombers during the Falklands War. | 51°39′38″S 59°8′12″W / 51.66056°S 59.13667°W |
HMS Coventry | ![]() | 25 May 1982 | A Type 42 destroyer that was sunk by Argentine aircraft during the Falklands War. | 51°3′36″S 59°42′12″W / 51.06000°S 59.70333°W |
Imo | ![]() | 30 November 1921 | A whaling supply ship known for her involvement in the Halifax Explosion, after which she was repaired and ran aground three years later off East Falkland. | |
ARA Isla de los Estados | ![]() | 11 May 1982 | A naval supply ship that was sunk by HMS Alacrity during the Falklands War. | 51°42′3″S 59°29′22″W / 51.70083°S 59.48944°W |
Galápagos Islands
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ann Alexander | ![]() | 20 August 1851 | An American whaleship that sank after it was rammed by a sperm whale. | |
Jessica | ![]() | 16 January 2001 | An oil tanker that ran aground off Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, causing an oil spill. |
Peru
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adresito | March 1990 | Capsized in Amazon River, Iquitos, Loreto Maynas, at least 134 people confirmed dead. | ||
Covadonga | ![]() | 13 September 1880 | A Chilean schooner that was sunk by a mine outside Chancay. | |
La Chachita | May 1991 | Capsized by stormy conditions in Marranon River, at least 150 people confirmed dead. | ||
Santa Elena | March 2008 | Capsized in Tepiche River, Loreto, at least fifty people confirmed dead. |
Uruguay
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Admiral Graf Spee | ![]() | 17 December 1939 | A German cruiser scuttled during the Battle of the River Plate. | 34°58′S 56°17′W / 34.967°S 56.283°W |
HMS Agamemnon | ![]() | 20 June 1809 | A Royal Navy warship ran aground and sank north of Gorriti Island in Maldonado Bay. | 34°55′59″S 54°58′52″W / 34.93306°S 54.98111°W |
Venezuela
[edit]Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sesostris | ![]() | 31 March 1941 | A German cargo ship torched by her own crew out of fear of being seized by U.S. or local authorities. | 10°29′21″N 67°56′57″W / 10.48917°N 67.94917°W |
References
[edit]- ^ "SV Crown of Italy (+1891)". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ MV Desdemona (+1985), wrecksite.eu
- ^ SV Duchess of Albany (+1893), wrecksite.eu
- ^ SS Sarmiento (+1912), wrecksite.eu
- ^ FV Usurbil (+1993), wrecksite.eu.
- ^ "Overloaded Boat Sinks in Amazon". The Palm Beach Post. 9 January 1981. p. A18.
- ^ "Naufrágio do Barco Sobral Santos completa 30 anos" (in Portuguese). Acritica.com. 17 September 2011. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ^ Campbell, Duncan. "HMS Doterel, lost 26 April 1881 Memorial Plaque". British Presence in Southern Patagonia. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "El "Fournier" Noche fosca" (in Spanish). 13 April 2002. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016.
- ^ http://www.histarmar.com.ar/InfHistorica/Guarani.htm[dead link]
- ^ "Janequeo (ATF-65) (+1965)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Wrecked on Caranza Rock.; Loss of the John Elder – Predica-ment of Chilean Refugees". The New York Times. 20 January 1892. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ Wreck report[usurped]
Further reading
[edit]- Marx, Robert F. (1987). Shipwrecks in the Americas. New York: Dover. pp. 426–444. ISBN 0-486-25514-X.
External links
[edit]- the wreck of the San José. Royal Geographical Society of South Australia
- WRECKSITE Worldwide database of + 65,000 wrecks with history, maritime charts and GPS positions (subscription required)