The submarine was destroyed at Ekaterininsky by an explosion. The submarine S-350 (Soviet Navy) was damaged by the explosion. A total of 132 people killed.
United Kingdom
The coaster capsized and sank 10 nautical miles (19 km) south east of the Owers Lightvessel, off Selsey Bill, Sussex. All nine crew rescued by (Denmark).[7]
The coaster collided with in Bremen Harbour and sank. All 12 crew rescued.[9]
17 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 17 January 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Soviet Union
The tanker ran aground off the mouth of the Gironde, France and was abandoned.[10]
20 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 20 January 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Italy
The Liberty ship ran aground at the mouth of the Elbe and broke in two. A total loss.[11]
21 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 21 January 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Norway
The cargo ship caught fire in the North Sea 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) northwest of Den Helder, Netherlands. Fire extinguished and ship towed to IJmuiden.[12]
Italy
The cargo ship ran aground in the Elbe at Cuxhaven, West Germany.[12]
23 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 23 January 1962
Ship
Country
Description
United Kingdom
The coaster ran aground off the Hook of Holland, Netherlands.[13]
The fishing boatcapsized and sank without loss of life in the Pacific Ocean 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) off Clipperton Island. Later that day, her crew of 10 reached the island, where they remained for 23 days until the guided-missile destroyerUSS Robison (United States Navy) rescued them on 1 March.[20][21][22][23]
7 February[]
List of shipwrecks: 7 February 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Chickasaw
United States
The Type C2-F cargo ship ran aground on Santa Rosa Island, California.
The decommissioned Fletcher-classdestroyer was sunk as a torpedo target off San Clemente Island, California, by the submarinesUSS Volador and USS Salmon (both United States Navy).
The coaster collided with (United Kingdom) and was beached on a sandbank off Kings Lynn, Norfolk. Later refloated and reached port.[26]
12 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 12 March 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Triton
United States
The 19-gross register ton 42.2-foot (12.9 m) motor vessel was destroyed by fire at Craig, Alaska.[31]
14 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 14 March 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Greece
The cargo ship caught fire at Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. The fire was extinguished two days later but she was declared a constructive total loss. Scrapped in August 1962.[25]
15 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 15 March 1962
Ship
Country
Description
United States
The cargo ship ran aground near Augusta, Sicily, Italy. Refloated on 19 March.[32]
The Owasco-classcutter ran aground on at the entrance to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She was refloated with the assistance of United States Navytugs within a few days.
The cargo ship Palmyra collided with the tankerBritish Mariner 18 nautical miles (33 km) west of Ouessant, Finistère, France and sank. British Mariner was consequently declared a constructive total loss and was scrapped in May 1962.[25][34][35]
On voyage from Alderney to Guernsey with a cargo of gravel, was wrecked on rocks, off Guernsey.[37]
29 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 29 March 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Denmark
The cargo ship collided with (West Germany) and sank in the English Channel off Dover, Kent. All 35 crew saved.[38]
30 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 30 March 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Greece
The bulk carrier ran aground off To-shima, Tokyo and was severely damaged. She was on a voyage from Kobe, Japan to Los Angeles, California, United States. Consequently scrapped.[39]
Unknown date[]
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Australia
The cargo ship ran aground at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Refloated but declared a constructive total loss and consequently scrapped in July.
The ship was attacked and sunk by a Guatemalan Air Force aircraft after firing on the aircraft when ordered to identify herself. Guatemalan President Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes claimed the ship was running arms to Guatemala.[42]
The cargo ship collided with (India) and sank 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south of Beachy Head, Sussex, United Kingdom. All 32 crew rescued by Jalazad.[46]
30 June[]
List of shipwrecks: 30 June 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Nautilus 2
Unknown
Vietnam War: : The junk was shelled, rammed, and sunk by (Vietnam People's Navy) off the navy base at , North Vietnam.[47]
The vessel ran aground on the Minerva Reef. Crew lived in the wreck of a Japanese vessel, wrecked two years earlier, for seven weeks before making a raft and some of them sailed to Fiji. Five crew died before rescue came.
The 4,993-ton freighter struck a steel barge being pushed by a tug and sank under the bridge on the Detroit River the night of 30 July 1962.[49] The collision ripped a hole in the side of the freighter causing water to flood into the front of the ship. All the crew got off safely and The Windsor Star reported about 20,000 spectators in Windsor and Detroit watched "the lumbering ship flop to her side in 30 feet of water". The 440-foot (130 m) vessel was said to be valued at $6 million to $8 million, exclusive of cargo, and was just 18 months old. She was coming from France to the Great Lakes with fine wine and 200 tons of aluminum.
The Liberty ship ran aground on the Serrana Bank, in the Gulf of Mexico. She was later refloated and towed to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she was declared a constructive total loss.[40]
The coaster sprang a leak and sank 25 nautical miles (46 km) off the west coast of Denmark.[68]
Netherlands
The coaster ran aground at Crail, Fife, United Kingdom. Broke in two and sank on 6 November.[69]
10 November[]
List of shipwrecks: 10 November 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Canada
The coaster developed a severe list 130 nautical miles (240 km) of Bermuda and was abandoned. Crew rescued after nine days by (United Kingdom). East Star was taken in tow by (Norway).[70]
Liberia
The cargo ship ran aground at Gladden Spit, British Honduras. Caught fire on 17 November, refloated on 27 November. Declared a constructive total loss but sold, repaired and returned to service.[25]
11 November[]
List of shipwrecks: 11 November 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Jean Gougy
France
The fishing vessel ran aground at Land's End, Cornwall, United Kingdom and capsized. Eight of the twenty crew were rescued by helicopter or breeches buoy. Sergeant Eric Smith of 22 Squadron, Royal Air Force was awarded a George Medal for his actions in the rescue.[71]
The decommissioned Balao-classsubmarine was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California, by the submarine USS Pomodon (United States Navy).
17 November[]
List of shipwrecks: 17 November 1962
Ship
Country
Description
RNLB George Elmy
RNLI
The lifeboat foundered in the 'Seaham Lifeboat Disaster' with the loss of eight men and one boy (all five crew members and four of the five people they were trying to rescue).[72]
The cargo ship collided with (Soviet Union) and sank in the Baltic Sea south east of the Gedser Lightship, off the east coast of Denmark. All crew took to the lifeboats and were rescued by (Poland).[82][83]
The 7,221 GRT freighter sank 600 kilometres (320 nmi) northeast of Funchal, en route from Detroit to Calcutta.
Nautilus
West Germany
The cargo ship sank off the Netherlands with the loss of all but one of her 24 crew.[84]
Brazil
The cargo ship ran aground in the West Scheldt, Belgium.[84]
Belgium
The pirate radio ship was driven ashore in a storm. She had got into difficulties off Zeebrugge and an attempt was made to tow her to Vlissingen, Netherlands but she broke her tow.[84]
18 December[]
List of shipwrecks: 18 December 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Liberia
The Liberty ship ran aground at Grand Cayman Island and broke in two, a total loss.[11]
20 December[]
List of shipwrecks: 20 December 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Greece
The coaster ran aground off Tripoli, Lebanon. All nine crew rescued by a Royal Air Force helicopter. Aghios Nicolaus was later refloated.[85]
23 December[]
List of shipwrecks: 23 December 1962
Ship
Country
Description
Gernik
Netherlands
The cargo ship ran aground off Karpathos, Greece. Her crew were rescued. She was declared a constructive total loss.
The decommissioned Charles Lawrence-classhigh-speed transport sank 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) west of Key West, Florida, while under tow to a scrapyard sometime after her 24 October 1962 sale for scrapping.
Regina
United States
The 7-gross register ton, 30.9-foot (9.4 m) motorpassenger vessel was destroyed by fire at Chignik, Alaska.[56]
^ abcdeMitchell, 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.
^ ab"Two Ships Aground and Two in Crash". The Times (55337). London. 12 March 1962. col D, p. 12.
^"Error Theory on Barge Sinking". The Times (55446). London. 18 July 1962. col C, p. 9.
^"News in Brief". The Times (55331). London. 5 March 1962. col D, p. 7.
^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. 347.
Greece
Yugoslavia
United Kingdom) and sank off the Goodwin Sands, English Channel.[2] Twenty-eight of her 33 crew were killed.[3]
Lebanon
Soviet Navy
Denmark).[7]
Indonesian Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy) off western New Guinea. Three crewmen were killed with the survivors rescued by Evertsen.[8]
Norway
Soviet Union
Italy
France
West Germany
United States
Panama
United States Navy
United States Coast Guard
Australia
Hong Kong
Liberia
United States
Cuba
Honduras
China
Switzerland
India) and sank 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south of Beachy Head, Sussex, United Kingdom. All 32 crew rescued by Jalazad.[46]
Vietnam People's Navy) off the navy base at , North Vietnam.[47]
New Zealand
Saudi Arabia
Japan
Canada
Cuban Revolutionary Navy
Republic of China Navy
People's Liberation Army Navy).[63]
Canada
RNLI
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
South Africa
Republic of Korea Navy
Poland).[82][83]
Brazil
Belgium