The list of shipwrecks in 1948 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1948 .
January
2 January
List of shipwrecks: 2 January 1948
Ship
State
Description
Silvia Onorato
Italy
The cargo ship ran aground on the Goodwin Sands and broke her back.
3 January
6 January
List of shipwrecks: 6 January 1948
Ship
State
Description
City of London
United Kingdom
The cargo ship ran aground 20 nautical miles (37 km) north west of Margate , Kent . Refloated the next day.[ 3]
7 January
9 January
List of shipwrecks: 9 January 1948
Ship
State
Description
Podolsk
Soviet Union
The cargo ship ran aground on the Amherst Rocks in the Yangtze Estuary 60 nautical miles (110 km) from Wusong , China. She sank two days later.
11 January
12 January
16 January
List of shipwrecks: 16 January 1948
Ship
State
Description
Svein Jarl
Norway
The cargo ship struck a mine and sank off Patras , Greece. Nine crew were killed.[ 5]
18 January
19 January
21 January
List of shipwrecks: 21 January 1948
Ship
State
Description
Argo
Norway
The cargo ship struck a mine and sank whilst on a voyage from Venice , Italy to Rijeka , Yugoslavia . Eleven crew were killed.[ 5]
30 January
List of shipwrecks: 30 January 1948
Ship
State
Description
Toxteth
United Kingdom
The tug collided with Basis ( Norway ) in the River Mersey . She capsized and sank with the loss of all four crew.[ 9]
31 January
February
3 February
6 February
10 February
12 February
16 February
18 February
List of shipwrecks: 18 February 1948
Ship
State
Description
Amoy
Tunisia
The Tunis -registered cargo ship, converted from HMS Sandwich of 1928, foundered outside Port La Nouvelle , on a voyage from Oran to Sète with a cargo of oranges.[ 13] [ 14]
23 February
24 February
List of shipwrecks: 24 February 1948
Ship
State
Description
Baltic Queen
United Kingdom
The cargo ship collided with Hembury ( Brazil ) in the River Mersey and sank. All 25 crew were rescued.[ 16]
27 February
List of shipwrecks: 27 February 1948
Ship
State
Description
Virtu
United Kingdom
The cargo ship was driven ashore between Bardia and Tobruk , Libya. She was later refloated and towed to Tobruk, where she was scrapped.
28 February
29 February
List of shipwrecks: 29 February 1948
Ship
State
Description
Cecil G. Sellers
United States
The Liberty ship caught fire south west of the Cocos Islands and was abandoned. She was declared a total loss and was consequently scrapped in 1950.[ 19]
Unknown date
March
1 March
8 March
9 March
10 March
14 March
16 March
22 March
25 March
28 March
List of shipwrecks: 28 March 1948
Ship
State
Description
Atlantic Ocean
Panama
The Liberty ship ran aground off Alexandria , Egypt. She was on a voyage from Iquique , Peru, to Alexandria. She was refloated on 1 April. Although declared a constructive total loss , she was repaired and returned to service.
31 March
April
3 April
4 April
8 April
List of shipwrecks: 8 April 1948
Ship
State
Description
Strong
Norway
The cargo ship sank off Egersund , Norway, with the loss of all nine crew.[ 5]
10 April
11 April
18 April
19 April
23 April
List of shipwrecks: 23 April 1948
Ship
State
Description
Jalisco
United States
The 366-foot (112 m), concrete-hulled cargo ship ran aground in Yaquina Bay on 12 April. The vessel floated off with the tide and became stranded on Yaquina Bay North Reef, one-half-mile (0.80 km) offshore. She slid off the reef and sank on 23 April in 40 feet (12 m) of water.[ 33]
24 April
Unknown date
May
6 May
8 May
11 May
12 May
14 May
16 May
25 May
31 May
June
9 June
11 June
List of shipwrecks: 11 June 1948
Ship
State
Description
Kjøbenhavn
Denmark
The passenger ship struck a mine and sank 15 nautical miles (28 km) off the east coast of Jutland with the loss of 48 lives.[ 43]
16 June
24 June
List of shipwrecks: 24 June 1948
Ship
State
Description
Fenris
Norway
The tanker suffered a fire in her engine room whilst on a voyage from Puerto La Cruz , Venezuela to Le Havre , France. Declared a constructive total loss.[ 5]
Unknown date
July
2 July
4 July
5 July
8 July
17 July
List of shipwrecks: 17 July 1948
Ship
State
Description
Amstelstroom
Netherlands
The coaster ran aground on Lundy Island , Devon , United Kingdom. All eleven crew scrambled ashore.[ 46]
18 July
List of shipwrecks: 18 July 1948
Ship
State
Description
Marie
Belgium
The cargo ship collided with Bharatkhand ( United Kingdom ) 8 nautical miles (15 km) north east of Ushant and sank.[ 46]
Marlene
United Kingdom
The cargo ship struck a submerged object at Falmouth, Cornwall and was holed. She was beached in Great Molunan Cove to prevent her sinking.[ 46]
20 July
List of shipwrecks: 20 July 1948
Ship
State
Description
Cronenburgh
Netherlands
Ran aground between Stockholm and Mäntyluoto , Finland. The vessel was refloated but still leaking. The ship was repaired and returned to service.
21 July
24 July
25 July
27 July
List of shipwrecks: 27 July 1948
Ship
State
Description
Philip Heineken
Germany
The cargo ship was scuttled in the Skagerrak with a cargo of poison gas munitions.[ 47]
28 July
29 July
31 July
Unknown date
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date in July 1948
Ship
State
Description
Bert Williams
Italy
The Liberty ship broke in two whilst under tow from Port Said , Egypt to an Italian port. The vessel's bow section was salvaged and subsequently joined to the stern section of Nathaniel Bacon ( United States ).[ 27]
August
1 August
3 August
4 August
11 August
17 August
19 August
List of shipwrecks: 19 August 1948
Ship
State
Description
Arleux
Canada
The fishing vessel Arleux foundered off White Head Bay, Nova Scotia.
22 August
25 August
29 August
30 August
Unknown date
September
5 September
6 September
List of shipwrecks: 6 September 1948
Ship
State
Description
Caledonia
United States
The 164-gross register ton , 82.2-foot (25.1 m) fishing vessel sank in a storm off a location identified in the wreck report as "Icy Point" in Southeast Alaska . It is not clear to which of at least two locations of the name the wreck report refers.[ 52]
11 September
13 September
16 September
List of shipwrecks: 16 September 1948
Ship
State
Description
Leicester
United Kingdom
The cargo ship was abandoned in the North Atlantic with the loss of six of her 45 crew. Located on 26 September by Foundation Lillian and towed to Bermuda By Foundation Josephine , arriving 3 October. Beached by a hurricane on 7 October, re-floated 19 October, and towed to Newport News, Virginia , arriving 31 October. Repaired and recommissioned 14 December.[ 65]
USS YOG-83
United States Navy
The 375 foot 5,410 ton YOG-40 class oil barge was beached in the Pacific Ocean at Kwajalein Atoll , Marshall Islands after use as a target in the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests of 1946 in September, 1946. She was refloated and scuttled.[ 66]
19 September
20 September
21 September
24 September
27 September
List of shipwrecks: 27 September 1948
Ship
State
Description
Mui Lee
Norway
The cargo ship was driven ashore at Hoihow , China in a typhoon . Refloated in 1949 and sold.[ 5]
28 September
October
2 October
List of shipwrecks: 2 October 1948
Ship
State
Description
Borgøy
Norway
The cargo ship sprang a leak and sank off Lista , Norway, whilst on a voyage from Ålesund to Stockholm , Sweden.[ 5]
5 October
6 October
15 October
16 October
17 October
22 October
25 October
26 October
30 October
31 October
List of shipwrecks: 31 October 1948
Ship
State
Description
Tendringen
Norway
The cargo ship ran aground and sank in the Namsenfjord , Norway, whilst on a voyage from Slemmestad to Namsos .[ 5]
November
1 November
List of shipwrecks: 1 November 1948
Ship
State
Description
St Guenole
France
The tanker ran aground at Gribba Head, Cornwall , United Kingdom with the loss of eleven of her twelve crew.[ 81]
5 November
8 November
10 November
11 November
List of shipwrecks: 11 November 1948
Ship
State
Description
Grom
Norway
The cargo ship sprang a leak and sank 8 nautical miles (15 km) south west of Kvistøy, Norway, whilst on a voyage from Rekefjord to Møre .[ 5]
13 November
14 November
17 November
22 November
23 November
30 November
December
4 December
List of shipwrecks: 4 December 1948
Ship
State
Description
Kiangya
China
The wreck of Kiangya . The passenger steamship exploded and sank at the mouth of the Huangpu River in China with the loss of at least 2,750 lives.
15 December
List of shipwrecks: 15 December 1948
Ship
State
Description
Eiholm
Norway
The cargo ship sank off Kragerø , Norway, whilst on a voyage from Brevik to Etnesjøen .[ 5]
18 December
20 December
List of shipwrecks: 20 December 1948
Ship
State
Description
Bosphorus
Norway
The cargo ship ran aground on Haisborough Sand, Norfolk , United Kingdom.[ 89] Refloated on 29 December.[ 90]
24 December
28 December
List of shipwrecks: 28 December 1948
Ship
State
Description
Farne
Norway
The ex-Isles-class trawler sank off Halland , Sweden with the loss of all fourteen crew. She was on a voyage from Stettin , Poland to Larvik , Norway.[ 5]
30 December
Unknown date
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date December 1948
Ship
State
Description
Arthur Newell Talbot
United States
The 366-foot (112 m), concrete-hulled cargo ship was scuttled as a breakwater in Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke, Virginia sometime in December.[ 92]
Edwin Thacher
United States
The 366-foot (112 m), concrete-hulled cargo ship was scuttled as a breakwater in Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke, Virginia sometime in December.[ 93]
John Grant
United States
The 366-foot (112 m), concrete-hulled cargo ship was scuttled as a breakwater in Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke, Virginia sometime in December.[ 94]
Leonard Chase Wason
United States
The 366-foot (112 m), concrete-hulled cargo ship was scuttled as a breakwater in Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke, Virginia sometime in December.[ 95]
Richard Kidder Meade
United States
The 366-foot (112 m), concrete-hulled cargo ship was scuttled as a breakwater in Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke, Virginia sometime in December.[ 96]
Robert Whitman Lesley
United States
The 366-foot (112 m), concrete-hulled cargo ship was scuttled as a breakwater in Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke, Virginia sometime in 1948.[ 97]
William Foster Cowham
United States
The 366-foot (112 m), concrete-hulled cargo ship was scuttled as a breakwater in Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke, Virginia sometime in December.[ 98]
Unknown date
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1948
Ship
State
Description
Akdamar
Soviet Union
The ship foundered in Lake Van , Turkey.[ 99]
Alice L. Pendleton
United States
The 228-foot (69 m), 1,349-gross register ton four-masted lumber schooner was abandoned at the Palmer Shipyard on the west side of the Mystic River in Noank, Connecticut , sometime during the 1940s, gradually rotted away, and settled on the river bottom in 10 feet (3.0 m) of water.[ 100]
HNLMS G-16
Royal Netherlands Navy
The G-13 -class torpedo boat was sunk was a target off Den Helder sometime in 1948.[ 101]
ROKS Ka Won
Republic of Korea Navy
The YMS-1 -class coastal minesweeper was lost.[ 102]
Koolama
Australia
The war-damaged ship was scuttled off Wyndham, Western Australia .[ 103]
Schleswig-Holstein
Kriegsmarine
The captured pre-dreadnought battleship was beached by the Soviet Navy in the Gulf of Finland near Osmussaar Island in the Soviet Union 's Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic for use as a target. The hulk was used as a target until 1966, eventually becoming entirely submerged
Take
Imperial Japanese Navy
The decommissioned training ship , a former destroyer , was scuttled as a breakwater at the Port of Akita , Honshu , Japan.
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See also