The ore carrier broke in two and sank 170 nautical miles (310 km) off , Japan with the loss of 31 of her 33 crew.[1]
6 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 6 January 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Panama
The Liberty ship ran aground off Constanţa, Romania. She was declared a constructive total loss.[2]
12 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 12 January 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Carmania
United Kingdom
The ocean liner ran aground off the Bahamas.[3] The passengers were transferred to Flavia (Italy) and landed at Miami, Florida. Carmania was refloated on 17 January.[4]
The decommissioned Balao-classsubmarine was sunk as a target by the submarine USS Sargo (United States Navy).
February[]
1 February[]
List of shipwrecks: 1 February 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Kukuyoshi Maru No. 15
Japan
The fishing vessel was wrecked on the coast of Rat Island in the Aleutian Islands. A United States Coast Guard helicopter rescued her crew.[7]
6 February[]
List of shipwrecks: 6 February 1969
Ship
Country
Description
United States Navy
The armoured troop carrier capsized off Vietnam. Salvaged by (United States Navy) and floating craneYD-220 and refloated the next day.[5]
USS Redfish
United States Navy
The decommissioned Balao-class auxiliary submarine was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California, by the auxiliary submarine USS Medregal (United States Navy).
The decommissioned Benson-classdestroyer was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia.
28 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 28 March 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Nyleve
Panama
The former fisheries research ship Albatross III was wrecked on Roman Key, Cuba.[17][18]
29 March[]
List of shipwrecks: 29 March 1969
Ship
Country
Description
United Kingdom
The trawler ran aground on on 27 March. She drifted off on 29 March and was taken under tow but sank in , Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands. Most brass items have been salvaged.[19][20]
Unknown date[]
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Irene
Liberia
The cargo ship ran aground off South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom.[21]
War of Attrition: The tanker, blocked in the Suez Canal, Egypt, was shelled by Israeli Army artillery, and later sank about 11 April.[24][25][26]
6 April[]
List of shipwrecks: 6 April 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Union Faith
Republic of China
The freighter was in collision with oil barges on the Mississippi. The ship was engulfed in flames and sank, with the loss of 25 persons, including all on the bridge[27]
11 April[]
List of shipwrecks: 11 April 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Spain
The coaster sank 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north of the Noordhinder Lightship, off the Netherlands following a collision with (Sweden) in foggy weather. All crew were rescued by Brasilia.[28][29]
18 April[]
List of shipwrecks: 18 April 1969
Ship
Country
Description
United Kingdom
The supply vessel sank in the North Sea. All three crew were rescued by a Dutch trawler and landed in the Netherlands.[30]
29 April[]
List of shipwrecks: 29 April 1969
Ship
Country
Description
USS ASPB 132-1
United States Navy
The assault support patrol boat struck a mine in the , Vietnam and sank. Salvaged on 1 May.[5][31]
Unknown date[]
List of shipwrecks: Unknown April 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Patrice Lumumba
PAIGC
Guinea-Bissau War of Independence: The transport boat was sunk by Portuguese action sometime in April.[32]
May[]
1 May[]
List of shipwrecks: 1 May 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Manana II
United States
The charter vessel sank near Sitka, Alaska, after striking a snag. All seven people on board survived.[11]
7 May[]
List of shipwrecks: 7 May 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Panama
The cargo ship ran aground in the Black Sea at Kilyos, Turkey. Refloated on 22 May and beached at Büyükdere. Refloated on 9 August, subsequently sold for scrapping.[13]
The stern section, which had been beached off Eastbourne, Sussex, refloated itself, drifted past Eastbourne Pier and ran aground to the east of the town.[38]
The decommissioned Fletcher-classdestroyer was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean 250 nautical miles (463 km) east of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
War of Attrition: The cargo ship, blocked in the Suez Canal, Egypt, was shelled by Israeli Army artillery, set on fire, and then sank and was abandoned. She was scrapped in March 1976.[13][40]
Liberia
The Liberty ship suffered a fractured hull in the Indian Ocean. She was declared a constructive total loss.[2]
War of Attrition: The cargo ship, blocked in the Suez Canal, Egypt, was shelled by Israeli Army artillery, set on fire, and sank.[24][41]
Panama
War of Attrition: The cargo ship, blocked in the Suez Canal, Egypt, was shelled by Israeli Army artillery, set on fire, and then sank and was abandoned; then further damaged in an aircraft bomb on 1 July.[24][42][43]
The historic sternwheel texas-deck paddle steamer, operating as a stationary showboat theater, broke her moorings on the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri, during a severe storm with high winds and drifted several miles downstream with about a hundred restaurant patrons aboard before crashing into a dock on the Illinois side of the river. The restaurant patrons were taken off safely by the towboatLarrayne Andress (United States). Becky Thatcher was repaired and eventually reopened for business in 1977 on the Muskingum River at Marietta, Georgia.[44]
The decommissioned Balao-classsubmarine was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean off Norfolk, Virginia.
19 July[]
List of shipwrecks: 19 July 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Soviet Union
The fishing boat capsized and sank between Aegna and Prangli islands in Northern Estonia with the loss of 12 passengers of her 36 passengers and 2 crew.[45]
War of Attrition: Operation Escort: The Hazir submersible exploded from accidental causes returning from the operation, killing three frogmen and wounding one.[58][better source needed]
16 September[]
List of shipwrecks: 16 September 1969
Ship
Country
Description
USS Trepang
United States Navy
The decommissioned Balao-class auxiliary submarine was sunk as a gunnery target by the destroyersUSS Fechteler and USS Henderson (both United States Navy).
The dredger sank at Đồng Tâm, Vietnam after dredging up a piece of unexploded ordnance, which exploded on board. Salvage operations involving and (both United States Navy) abandoned on 30 December.[5]
Unidentified ship
United Kingdom
The ship ran aground near Göteborg, Sweden, with the loss of at least 15 of her crew.[59]
23 September[]
List of shipwrecks: 23 September 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Greece
The tanker ran aground near Marsaskala, Malta in a storm. One person was killed of the 50 on board.[61]
The heavy liftcargo ship ran aground off Vung Tau, South Vietnam. She was refloated that day by the salvage lift craft (United States Navy) and five tugs.[5]
4 October[]
List of shipwrecks: 4 October 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Panama
The Liberty ship ran aground in the Scheldt. She was declared a constructive total loss and scrapped.[2]
Vietnam War: The monitor struck a mine and sank south of Kien An, Vietnam. Salvaged by the United States Navy on 11 October and towed to for repairs.[5]
The assault support patrol boat was sunk at Dong Hung, South Vietnam. She was salvaged between 9 and 16 November in a joint Republic of Vietnam Navy and United States Navy operation and towed to , South Vietnam, for repairs.[5]
The was sunk at Dong Hung, South Vietnam. She was salvaged between 9 and 16 November in a joint Republic of Vietnam Navy and United States Navy operation and towed to , South Vietnam, for repairs.[5]
The landing ship tank ran aground in the , Vietnam. Salvage operation involving USS Chowanoc, USS Current and USS Reclaimer (United States Navy) resulted in the ship being refloated on 25 December.[5]
The tanker suffered an explosion of her tanks whilst cleaning her tanks off the coast of Mozambique. One of her crew was injured.[74][75]
30 December[]
List of shipwrecks: 30 December 1969
Ship
Country
Description
West Germany
The coaster capsized and sank 20 nautical miles (37 km) north of Kiel.[76]
Unknown date[]
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1969
Ship
Country
Description
Bandim
PAIGC
Guinea-Bissau War of Independence: The motorboat was damaged by Portuguese rockets and machine gun fire from two inflatables and beached sometime in 1969. The beached vessel was burned by the Portuguese.[32]
United Kingdom
The tanker was wrecked at Winecove Point, Cornwall.[77]
War of Attrition: The passenger-cargo ship, blocked in the Suez Canal, Egypt, was shelled by Israeli Army artillery, set on fire, and then sank and was abandoned. [79][80]
Egypt
War of Attrition: The passenger/cargo ship, blocked in the Suez Canal, Egypt, was shelled by Israeli Army artillery, set on fire, and then sank and was abandoned. [81][82]
References[]
^Scott Stokes, Henry (7 January 1969). "Japan inquiry into sinking". The Times (47542). London. col D-F, p. 20.
^ abcdefMitchell, 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.
^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. 316.
^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. 303.