The cargo ship sank in the North Pacific Ocean ten days after she was abandoned after her cargo of bombs and other munitions broke loose and started to explode during a voyage from Bremerton, Washington, to Da Nang, South Vietnam. Fourteen members of her crew of 40 survived.[4]
United States
The bulk carrier was wrecked off the coast of Honduras. She was on a voyage from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Saigon, South Vietnam.[5]
6 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 6 January 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Liberia
The tanker split in two and sank in the Pacific Ocean with the loss of seven crew.[6]
10 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 10 January 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Elda
Greece
Grounded near Mehidia, Morocco after developing engine trouble and a leak. Declared a total loss.
Sank off Sardinia with the loss of eighteen of her nineteen crew.[7]
22 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 22 January 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Two unidentified motor torpedo boats
United Arab Republic Navy
War of Attrition: The motor torpedo boats were sunk by Israeli Air ForceA-4 Skyhawk aircraft in the Red Sea while sailing to Shadwan Island that was under attack by Israeli commandos.[8][9]
27 January[]
List of shipwrecks: 27 January 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Yugoslavia
The Liberty ship ran aground in the Black Sea off Tuapse, Soviet Union, a total loss.[10]
The tanker ran aground on Cerberus Rock in Chedabucto Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada[13] and broke in two, resulting in the spill of 3.5 million litres of her cargo of crude oil.[14]
The cargo ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of eight of her 33 crew.[23]
19 February[]
List of shipwrecks: 19 February 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Intrepid
United States
While towing the bargeCordova (United States), the tugcapsized and sank with the loss of three lives in the Gulf of Alaska 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) south of Yakutat, Alaska, during a gale. Her five survivors were rescued from a life raft 60 hours later by the buoy tenderUSCGC Clover (United States Coast Guard).[24]
Unknown date[]
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Agami
France
The trawler foundered in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of all nine crew. Officially declared lost on 17 February.[23]
LT-1969
United States Army
The vessel sank in the Qui Nhon area, Vietnam. Salvaged by , USS BD 6062 and USS BD 6662 (all United States Navy) between 7 and 17 February.[25]
Vietnam War: The armoured troop carrier struck a mine and sank. Salvage operations by Republic of Vietnam Navy and United States Navy personnel completed on 25 April with the vessel towed to .[25]
Vietnam War: The monitor struck a mine and sank. Salvage operations by the Republic of Vietnam Navy and United States Navy were completed on 15 April.[25]
9 April[]
List of shipwrecks: 9 April 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Liberia
The Liberty ship was driven ashore at "Chaina". She was later refloated and scrapped at Hong Kong.[31]
The cargo ship ran aground off Rhodes, constructive total loss.
Spain
The coaster sank after a collision with (Liberia) in the English Channel. Four of her thirteen crew were killed.[33]
13 April[]
List of shipwrecks: 13 April 1970
Ship
Country
Description
La Jenelle
United States
Anchored outside the harbor at Port Hueneme, California, with a skeleton crew of two and no passengers aboard, the cruise ship was driven aground and wrecked during a storm. Her wreck later was gutted by fire, cut down to water level, and filled with rocks to form part of a breakwater.
19 April[]
List of shipwrecks: 19 April 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Enterprise
Canada
The fishing vessel foundered in the Cabot Strait during a storm.[34]
The fishing boat was captured and scuttled by a Cuban exile group "Alpha 66"-operated boat. She later was raised, repaired, and returned to service.[39]
Cuba
The fishing boat was captured and scuttled by a Cuban exile group "Alpha 66"-operated boat. She later was raised, repaired, and returned to service.[39]
13 May[]
List of shipwrecks: 13 May 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Israel
War of Attrition: The fishing vessel was sunk off the northern Sinai Peninsula by missiles launched from an Egyptian missile boat. Two crewmen were killed and two swam to shore.[20]
War of Attrition: The beached landing craft was further damaged by demolition charges placed on the harbor bottom under the ship by Egyptian frogmen at Eilat. She would eventually be refloated, towed to sea and scuttled.[15]
The cargo ship collided with (Italy) in the Paraná River and caught fire. She was abandoned and later refloated and laid up. A proposed sale fell through and she was scrapped in 1977.[12]
9 June[]
List of shipwrecks: 9 June 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Panama
The cargo ship suffered a catastrophic explosion in the Indian Ocean 400 miles off Mombasa, Kenya in which nine men were killed. She was towed to Mombasa but refused entry and later en route to South Africa the bow half broke away and sank off Mozambique. The stern was beached at Porto Amelia. Declared a constructive total loss she was later acquired by Greek interests and towed to Japan where she was joined to the bow half of Wafra and renamed Achillet.
The cargo ship sprang a leak in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Palmas, Liberia. She was beached 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) west of Cape Garraway but declared a constructive total loss.[12]
The motor vessel sank in "Dry Bay" on the coast of Alaska. The wreck report does not specify in which of many bays of the name the sinking took place.[42]
USS Tunny
United States Navy
The decommissioned Gato-class amphibious transport submarine was sunk as a target.
The cargo ship sank in the Saint Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ontario, Canada, after striking an underwater abutment near Crysler Shoal. Nine crew members and members of their families were killed.
The cruise liner sank in the Atlantic Ocean after catching fire the previous day 100 nautical miles (190 km) north of Tenerife, Spain. All 270 crew and 447 passengers were rescued by Ancerville (France).[48]
21 July[]
List of shipwrecks: 21 July 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Seatrain Washington
United States
The Type T2 train ferry ran aground at Vung Tau, Vietnam. Salvage operations involved USS Bolster, USS Deliver and (all United States Navy) and she was refloated on 29 July.[25]
The decommissioned Balao-classsubmarine was sunk as a torpedo target by either the submarine USS Sailfish or the submarine USS Salmon (both United States Navy) (sources differ).
The Daphné-classsubmarine collided underwater with her sister shipMaria van Riebeek (South African Navy) off Toulon, killing six crew and injuring four others. She was beached at Cap Cepet.[57]
The barge, owned by J.D. Irving Ltd., sank off the coast of Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It was refloated in 1996, refitted and renamed ATL 2701 in 2001, and renamed again as Atlantic Sea Lion in 2009.[62][63]
United Kingdom
The coaster foundered 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north of Chicken Rock, Isle of Man after her cargo shifted. Two of her crew were killed.[64]
16 September[]
List of shipwrecks: 16 September 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Cyprus
The cargo ship ran aground in the North Sea 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off Terschelling, Friesland, Netherlands (53°25′N5°00′E / 53.417°N 5.000°E / 53.417; 5.000). Refloated on 18 September. Subsequently towed to Greece and laid up. Scrapped in 1972.[12]
The ship sank in the Waal after collision with (Netherlands). Raised on 7 October, repaired and returned to service.[65]
26 September[]
List of shipwrecks: 26 September 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Valiant
United States
The fishing vessel – a purse-seiner – became disabled in near Ketchikan, Alaska, when a malfunctioning engine cooling line caused her engine room to flood. The fishing vessel My Ann took Valiant in tow, but the tow line parted and Valiant sank.[27]
Unknown date[]
List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1970
Ship
Country
Description
United States
The tanker was abandoned off Muscat, Oman following a collision with a Russian merchant ship.[58]
War of Attrition: The Israeli Navy auxiliary, sunk at dock by Mines at Eilat, Israel by Egyptian frogmen in February, was raised and towed out and scuttled in deep water.[66]
Vietnam War: The Nguyen Van Tru-class landing craft support ship (a.k.a. Le Trong Dam) was sunk by the North Vietnamese 126th Special Naval Commandos.[37][67]
The coaster was in collision with a whale and sank of the Canary Islands, Spain. All four crew rescued.[71]
23 October[]
List of shipwrecks: 23 October 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Liberia
The tanker collided with (Liberia) off the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom and was set on fire. She was beached on a sandbank off the Isle of Wight.[72]
26 October[]
List of shipwrecks: 26 October 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Sea Mill
United States
The 50-foot (15 m) crab-fishing vessel sank in the Gulf of Alaska near Spruce Island in the Kodiak Archipelago after reporting that her radar and depth finder had failed, leaving her two-man crew uncertain of her position during a gale with 30-foot (9.1-meter) seas and 60-mph (97-km/hr) winds. Debris from Sea Mill later was spotted at sea, but the bodies of the two men on board were never found.[3]
29 October[]
List of shipwrecks: 29 October 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Canada
The coaster sank in the Gulf of St Lawrence following a fire.[73]
November[]
6 November[]
List of shipwrecks: 6 November 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Liberia
The tanker ran aground off Syracuse, Sicily, Italy and caught fire. All 36 crew rescued and the fire was extinguished. The ship was refloated a week later.[74]
The cargo ship was run aground at Corunna, Spain,[77] following a collision with (West Germany).[78]
December[]
2 December[]
List of shipwrecks: 2 December 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Andrea
United States
After radioing that her compass was broken, her steering gear was malfunctioning, and that she was experiencing icing, and later that she was going ashore on a beach, the 27-foot (8.2 m) gillnetfishing vessel disappeared in Stephens Passage in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. The bodies of the eight people on board – a married couple, their 17-, 12-, 9-, and 8-year-old and 6+1⁄2-month old sons, and an 8-year-old boy who was a friend of the family – were never found.[42]
3 December[]
List of shipwrecks: 3 December 1970
Ship
Country
Description
USS Bluegill
United States Navy
The decommissioned Gato-classsubmarine was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean about 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) off Lahaina, Hawaii to serve as an underwater rescue training vessel. She was raised in November 1984 and sunk again in deep water.
25 December[]
List of shipwrecks: 25 December 1970
Ship
Country
Description
Rustler
United States
The 24-gross register ton, 43.2-foot (13.2 m) fishing vessel lost control of her rudder, ran onto rocks at Kodiak, Alaska, and was pounded to pieces by the surf. The United States Coast Guard rescued all 10 people aboard.[47]
^"Submarine stuck". The Times. No. 57781. London. 30 January 1970. col E, p. 1.
^ abcdMitchell, 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.