Ran aground at Hope Point, St. Margaret's Bay, Kent. Refloated by tugs and returned to service.[23]
Sweden
The cargo ship exploded and sank when her cargo of calcium carbide reacted with seawater and formed acetylene after the ship was badly damaged in a storm at Genoa, Italy the previous day.[21][24]
22 February[]
List of shipwrecks: 22 February 1955
Ship
Country
Description
United States
The Liberty ship ran aground 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) off Selsey Bill, Sussex, United Kingdom.[25][26] Refloated on 25 February and towed into Southampton, Hampshire.[27]
March[]
2 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 2 March 1955
Ship
Country
Description
Hong Kong
The cargo ship struck an uncharted rock in the Bay of Bengal off , Andaman Islands and was abandoned as a total loss.[28]
The fishing vessel capsized and sank in the Ionian Sea with the loss of eleven of her fifteen crew. Stratheden (United Kingdom) sent one of her lifeboats to the aid of Iason, but it capsized and all eight on board were drowned. Four survivors from Iason were rescued by Stratheden.[30]
The coaster was driven ashore at Aberavon, Glamorganshire in a storm. Refloated after five hours.[32]
Norway
The ocean liner ran aground at Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom.[33]
24 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 24 March 1955
Ship
Country
Description
Spain
The cargo ship collided with (Soviet Union) off Setubal, Portugal and sank. Storaya Pyaltylotka was badly damaged, entering the Tagus still taking on water. All 33 crew from Urola were rescued.[34]
Ran aground off Muros, Spain and subsequently sank. Raised on 17 June, but declared a constructive total loss. Repaired and sold, served a further ten years before being scrapped.
22 April[]
List of shipwrecks: 22 April 1955
Ship
Country
Description
William Burnett
United States
The 28-gross register ton, 48.6-foot (14.8 m) motor vessel was destroyed by fire at in Southeast Alaska.[38]
The cargo ship was in collision with (Norway) in the Scheldt at , Belgium. Belgion capsized and sank with the loss of five of her 27 crew.[40]
Germania
Greece
The cargo ship collided with (Panama) in the English Channel and was beached off Beachy Head, Sussex.[41] Although declared a constructive total loss, she was sold, repaired and returned to service as Auriga.
The coaster ran aground on the Goodwin Sands, Kent, United Kingdom. All ten crew rescued by the Ramsgate lifeboat. They were later returned to the ship which refloated on the next tide. Urmajo was towed into Ramsgate by the tug (United Kingdom).[45]
Turkey
The cargo ship developed a heavy list in the North Sea off Norfolk. Ten crew were rescued by the collier (United Kingdom) and transferred to the Wells lifeboat. Richmond Queen and two other ships stood by as it was not possible to rescue all crew on board.[45]
22 May[]
List of shipwrecks: 22 May 1955
Ship
Country
Description
Turkey
The cargo ship capsized and sank between the Humber and The Wash. She rose to the surface in a capsized state on 23 May.[46]
The Ton-class minesweeper was in collision with (Cyprus) off Newcastle upon Tyne and was holed. Cyprian Prince towed her into Newcastle upon Tyne.[47]
United Kingdom
The collier collided with Firmity (United Kingdom) off Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Both ships were holed. Harfry was beached at Hemsby and Firmity put into Great Yarmouth.[48]
Unknown date[]
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date in May 1955
Ship
Country
Description
Stalingrad
Soviet Union
The incomplete Stalingrad-classbattlecruiser was driven ashore in Sevastopol Bay. She was refloated in 1956.[49]
The flatiron collier collided on the River Thames with the United States Lines freighter American Jurist (United States) off Stoneness Point, West Thurrock, England, and put ashore, sinking. Ferranti was broken up in 1956.[50][51]
The ferry collided with a fishing vessel and ran aground at Fleetwood, Lancashire. The fishing vessel was cut in two and sank with the loss of one of her three crew. Mona's Isle was later refloated.[53]
9 June[]
List of shipwrecks: 9 June 1955
Ship
Country
Description
Sweden
Collided with (Panama) and caught fire. Ship a total loss, cargo of oil largely salvaged.[54]
The S-classsubmarine sank in Portland Harbour, England, following an on-board torpedo explosion. Thirteen lives were lost. Later refloated and sunk in 1957 in deeper water.
The coaster collided with the steamer (Soviet Union) 8 nautical miles (15 km) south west of Dungeness, Kent, England, and sank. All seven crew were rescued by Drochobyz.[62]
The cargo ship ran aground on the Seven Stones reef, off Land's End, Cornwall, United Kingdom. All crew rescued.[64] The ship broke up and sank the following day.[65]
Hurricane Connie: With 23 passengers and a crew of four aboard, the 183-gross register ton, 128-foot (39 m) three-masted sightseeing schooner dragged her anchors in 10-to-15-foot (3.0 to 4.6 m) seas, rolled over twice, breaking her masts, and settled on her starboard side in 21 feet (6.4 m) of water in the Chesapeake Bay off North Beach, Maryland, with the loss of 12 lives.[70][71][72]
The Conte di Cavour-classbattleship was sunk by an explosion while at anchor at Sevastopol in the Soviet Union with the loss of 608 lives.
November[]
9 November[]
List of shipwrecks: 9 November 1955
Ship
Country
Description
Last Chance
United States
The 7-gross register ton, 30.8-foot (9.4 m) fishing vessel was destroyed by fire in in the Territory of Alaska. The wreck report does not identify which of several Anderson Bays the incident occurred in.[55]
The merchant vessel was found awash and adrift in the Pacific Ocean, with no one on board, more than 600 nautical miles (1,100 km) from her scheduled route, partially submerged and listing heavily. She had left Suva, Fiji, on 3 October and was expected to arrive at Funafuti in the Ellice islands on 5 October, but searches in the region after she was overdue had found no trace of her. Joyita was later salvaged and repaired.
The coaster sank 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) off the Lizard Lighthouse, Cornwall, United Kingdom. All seventeen crew rescued by the Cadgwith lifeboat.[87]
Greece
The Liberty ship ran aground at Kunsan, Korea and broke her back. Although declared a constructive total loss, she was rebuilt, lengthened and returned to service.[88]
16 November[]
List of shipwrecks: 16 November 1955
Ship
Country
Description
United Kingdom
The dredger was in collision off Fleetwood, Lancashire with the trawler Teroma (United Kingdom), which sank. Foulney was beached and refloated the next day.[89]
^"News In Brief". The Times. No. 53176. London. 26 February 1955. col E, p. 4.
^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. ISBN1-85044-275-4.
^"A collision on the Thames". The Sphere. No. Vol.CCXXI, No.2888. London. 18 June 1955. p. 32. Retrieved 11 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Japanese Typhoon Toll". The Times. No. 53414. London. 29 December 1955. col B, p. 5.
^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, ISBN0-87021-919-7, p. 328.