List of shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean

This is a list of shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean.

Map of the Indian Ocean

Arabian Sea[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
	9 June 1897	A P&O steamship that was wrecked on Socotra island, off the coast of Yemen.
SS Berwyn	6 September 1920	A cargo ship that was wrecked near the Khuriya Muriya Islands.
HMS Cadiz	4 December 1971	A Battle-class destroyer that was sunk by INS Nirghat south of Karachi.
MOL Comfort	2013	A container ship that broke apart in bad weather on 17 June 2013. The stern section took on water and sank on 26 June; the bow was taken under tow, but caught fire and sank on 11 July.	14°26′N 66°26′E / 14.433°N 66.433°E / 14.433; 66.433 (MOL Comfort (stern)), 19°56′N 65°25′E / 19.933°N 65.417°E / 19.933; 65.417 (MOL Comfort (bow))
MS Georges Philippar	19 May 1932	An ocean liner that caught fire and sank near Mukalla, Yemen.	14°20′N 50°25′E / 14.333°N 50.417°E / 14.333; 50.417 (MS Georges Philippar)
SS John Barry	28 August 1944	A Liberty ship that was torpedoed by U-859 off the coast of Oman.	15°06′N 55°11′E / 15.10°N 55.18°E / 15.10; 55.18 (SS John Barry)
INS Khukri	9 December 1971	A Blackwood-class frigate that was torpedoed by PNS Hangor off Diu, India.	20°16′38″N 70°59′37″E / 20.27722°N 70.99361°E / 20.27722; 70.99361 (INS Khukri)
SS Santa Paula	3 June 1943	A freighter that was torpedoed by I-27 150 miles (240 km) south of Masirah Island, Oman.	17°05′04″N 58°05′00″E / 17.08444°N 58.08333°E / 17.08444; 58.08333 (SS Santa Paula (1916))

Bay of Bengal[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
SS Automedon	11 November 1940	A passenger and cargo steamer that was sunk by the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis northwest of Sumatra.
HMS Hermes	9 April 1942	The world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier, which sunk after receiving 40 direct hits 70 Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter/bombers off the coast of Sri Lanka.	7°35′N 82°5′E / 7.583°N 82.083°E / 7.583; 82.083 (HMS Hermes)
SS Indus	10 September 1914	A steamship that was captured and scuttled by SMS Emden.	11°00′N 83°45′E / 11.000°N 83.750°E / 11.000; 83.750 (SS Indus (1904))
SS Selma City	7 April 1942	Attacked by Japanese bombers in the Bay of Bengal, about 25 miles (40 km) offshore from Vizagapatam (now Vishakhapatnam), India.	17°11′N 83°20′E / 17.183°N 83.333°E / 17.183; 83.333 (SS Selma City)
HMAS Vampire	9 April 1942	A V-class destroyer that was sunk by Japanese aircraft off the coast of Sri Lanka.	7°35′N 82°5′E / 7.583°N 82.083°E / 7.583; 82.083 (HMAS Vampire (D68))

Central Indian Ocean[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Arnhem	12 February 1662	An East Indiaman that ran aground on the Saint Brandon Rocks.
SS Chivalry	22 February 1944	A cargo ship that was sunk by a Japanese submarine.	0°50′S 68°0′E / 0.833°S 68.000°E / -0.833; 68.000 (SS Chivalry)
SS City of Johannesburg	23 October 1942	A merchant steamer that was torpedoed by U-504 off East London, South Africa.	33°20′S 29°30′E / 33.333°S 29.500°E / -33.333; 29.500 (SS City of Johannesburg)
SS Clan Macarthur	12 August 1943	A Cameron-class cargo steamship that was torpedoed by U-181 off Madagascar.	23°00′S 53°07′E / 23°S 53.11°E / -23; 53.11 (SS Clan Macarthur)
SS Commissaire Ramel	9 September 1940	A passenger ship that was sunk by the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis.	28°25′S 74°23′E / 28.417°S 74.383°E / -28.417; 74.383 (SS Commissaire Ramel)
HMS Cornwall	5 April 1942	A County-class heavy cruiser that was sunk by Japanese dive bombers in the Easter Sunday Raid.	1°54′N 77°54′E / 1.900°N 77.900°E / 1.900; 77.900 (HMS Cornwall (56))
HMS Dorsetshire	5 April 1942	A County-class heavy cruiser that was sunk by Japanese dive bombers in the Easter Sunday Raid.	1°54′N 77°45′E / 1.900°N 77.750°E / 1.900; 77.750 (HMS Cornwall (56))
SS Empire Chaucer	17 October 1942	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-504 about 450 nautical miles (830 km; 520 mi) south of Cape Town, South Africa.	38°12′S 20°04′E / 38.200°S 20.067°E / -38.200; 20.067 (SS Empire Chaucer)
MV Empire Day	7 August 1944	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-198 about 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) east of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.	7°06′S 42°00′E / 7.100°S 42.000°E / -7.100; 42.000 (MV Empire Day)
SS Fort Lee	2 November 1944	A T2 tanker that was torpedoed by U-181.	27°35′S 83°11′E / 27.583°S 83.183°E / -27.583; 83.183 (SS Fort Lee)
SS Frontier	27 September 1957	A cargo ship that ran aground east of East London, Eastern Cape, Africa.
I-27	12 February 1944	A Japanese submarine that was sunk by HMS Paladin and HMS Petard.	01°25′N 72°22′E / 1.417°N 72.367°E / 1.417; 72.367 (Japanese submarine I-27)
SS James B. Stephens	8 March 1943	A Liberty ship that was torpedoed by U-160 about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Durban, South Africa.	28°53′S 33°18′E / 28.883°S 33.300°E / -28.883; 33.300 (SS James B. Stephens)
SS Khedive Ismail	12 February 1944	A steamship that was torpedoed by I-27, with 1,297 deaths.	01°25′N 72°22′E / 1.417°N 72.367°E / 1.417; 72.367 (SS Khedive Ismail)
SS Koning der Nederlanden	5 October 1881	An ocean liner that sprang a leak and sank east of the Seychelles.	5°14′S 64°7′E / 5.233°S 64.117°E / -5.233; 64.117 (SS Koning der Nederlanden)
Magicienne	24 August 1810	A Magicienne-class frigate that ran aground off Mauritius in the Battle of Grand Port.
SS Marietta E	4 March 1943	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-160.	31°29′S 31°07′E / 31.49°S 31.11°E / -31.49; 31.11 (SS Marietta E)
USS Pecos	1 March 1942	A tanker that was sunk by Japanese aircraft.	14°27′S 106°11′E / 14.450°S 106.183°E / -14.450; 106.183 (USS Pecos (AO-6))
Pinguin	8 May 1941	An auxiliary cruiser that was sunk by HMS Cornwall.	3°30′0″N 57°48′0″E / 3.50000°N 57.80000°E / 3.50000; 57.80000 (German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin)
Ramb I	27 February 1941	An auxiliary cruiser that was sunk by HMNZS Leander in the action of 27 February 1941.	1°0′N 68°30′E / 1.000°N 68.500°E / 1.000; 68.500 (Italian ship Ramb I)
HMS Sirius	23 August 1810	A frigate that ran aground off Mauritius in the Battle of Grand Port.
Texanita	21 August 1972	An oil tanker that collided with Oswego-Guardian off Stilbaai, South Africa.	34°48′S 21°24′E / 34.80°S 21.40°E / -34.80; 21.40 (Oswego-Guardian/Texanita collision)
SS Tjisalak	26 March 1944	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by I-8.	2°30′S 78°40′E / 2.500°S 78.667°E / -2.500; 78.667 (SS Tjisalak)
RIMS Warren Hastings	14 January 1897	A troop ship that hit a rock and was wrecked off the coast of Réunion.

Christmas Island[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
MV Eidsvold	20 January 1942	A motor vessel that was torpedoed by I-159 at Flying Fish Cove.
SIEV-221	15 December 2010	A boat that was carrying asylum seekers from Iraq and Iran when it hit the rocks at Flying Fish Cove.	10°25′1″S 105°40′24″E / 10.41694°S 105.67333°E / -10.41694; 105.67333 (Christmas Island boat disaster)
MV Tycoon	8 January 2012	A cargo ship that was wrecked at Flying Fish Cove.

Cocos (Keeling) Islands[]

Great Australian Bight[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Mahomed Shah	April 1853	A barque that caught fire on 18 April and sank several days later. All on board were rescued.	40°10′00″S 119°10′00″E / 40.16667°S 119.16667°E / -40.16667; 119.16667 (Mohamed Shah)
SS Selje	29 March 1929	A cargo ship that collided with the steamship Kaituna 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Cape Otway.

Mozambique Channel[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Admiral Gambier	20 June 1817	An East Indiaman that was wrecked on a coral reef.
MV Empire City	6 August 1944	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-198 off Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique.	11°33′S 41°25′E / 11.550°S 41.417°E / -11.550; 41.417 (MV Empire City)
SS Express	30 June 1942	A Type C3-E cargo ship that was torpedoed by I-10.	23°30′S 37°30′E / 23.500°S 37.500°E / -23.500; 37.500 (SS Express (1940))

Persian Gulf[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Iran Ajr	26 September 1987	A landing craft that served as a minelayer during the Iran–Iraq War, and was captured and scuttled by American forces.
U-533	16 October 1943	A Type IXC/40 U-boat that was sunk by British aircraft off the coast of Fujairah.	25°28′N 56°50′E / 25.467°N 56.833°E / 25.467; 56.833 (German submarine U-533)

Red Sea[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
	15 September 1957	An Egyptian supply ship, sunk off the coast of Big Brother Island.[citation needed]	26°19′N 34°50′E / 26.317°N 34.833°E / 26.317; 34.833 (SS Aida)
Al-Baraqua II	6 April 2006	Capsized passenger ferry.
MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98	3 February 2006	Capsized passenger ferry.	27°01′59″N 34°52′59″E / 27.033°N 34.883°E / 27.033; 34.883 (MS al-Salam Boccaccio)
SS Carnatic	15 September 1869	Ran aground on a coral reef on 12 September, broke in half and sank three days later. 31 people drowned.[1]	27°34′N 33°55′E / 27.567°N 33.917°E / 27.567; 33.917 (SS Carnatic)
	31 August 1981	Greek freighter that ran aground on a reef.[2]	27°34′53″N 33°55′55″E / 27.58139°N 33.93194°E / 27.58139; 33.93194 (Chrisoula K)
SS Dunraven	25 April 1876	Hit a reef in the Gulf of Suez, close to the Sinai peninsula.[citation needed]	27°25′17″N 34°04′23″E / 27.4215°N 34.0730°E / 27.4215; 34.0730 (SS Dunraven)
	19 April 1983	Sank with its cargo of timber at Sha'ab Abu Nuhas, north of Hurghada.[citation needed]
	12 December 1978	Sank on at Sha'ab Abu Nuhas, north of Hurghada, when she ran into the reef of Abu Nuhas.[3]	27°34′48″N 33°56′00″E / 27.58000°N 33.93333°E / 27.58000; 33.93333 (Kimon M)
	20 July 1901	Sank at Big Brother Island.[citation needed]	26°19′N 34°50′E / 26.317°N 34.833°E / 26.317; 34.833 (Numidia)
	1969	Former Russian navy ship, bombed by the Israelis and sank near Hurghada.[4]	27°13′55″N 33°51′34″E / 27.23194°N 33.85944°E / 27.23194; 33.85944 (El Mina)
	October 1941	Bombed 2 days after the supply ship Thistlegorm – anchored some 20 miles (32 km) away next to the Sinai peninsula – was sunk. She rests north of Hurghada, north of the reefs of Abu Nuhas, in some 50 meters of water.[5]	27°39′03″N 33°46′17″E / 27.65083°N 33.77139°E / 27.65083; 33.77139 (SS Rosalie Moller)
Salem Express	17 December 1991	Ran into a shallow reef and sank 57 miles (about 91 km) south of Hurghada, after the captain took a shortcut on his trip from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Safaga in Egypt.	26°38′22.02″N 34°3′39.9″E / 26.6394500°N 34.061083°E / 26.6394500; 34.061083 (MV Salem Express)
SS Thistlegorm	6 October 1941	Sunk by German bombers near Sharm el-Sheikh.[6]	27°48′51″N 33°55′12″E / 27.81417°N 33.92000°E / 27.81417; 33.92000 (SS Thistlegorm)
SS Umbria	9 June 1940	Scuttled by Italian crew near Port Sudan	19°38′19″N 37°19′38″E / 19.63861°N 37.32722°E / 19.63861; 37.32722 (SS Umbria)
Zingara	22 August 1984	Commonly referred to as the Kormoran, sailed from Aqaba with a cargo of Phosphate Rock and hit the Laguna Reef in the Strait of Tiran.

Strait of Malacca[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
MS Empress of Australia	23 August 1992	A cruise ship that sank in a collision with the Taiwanese fishing vessel Terfu 51.
SS Galileo Galilei	21 May 1999	A cruise ship that sank off the coast of Perak following a fire.	4°37′1″N 99°54′6″E / 4.61694°N 99.90167°E / 4.61694; 99.90167 (SS Galileo Galilei)
USS Grenadier	22 April 1943	A Tambor-class submarine that was bombed by Japanese aircraft and scuttled the next day.	6°30′N 97°40′E / 6.500°N 97.667°E / 6.500; 97.667 (USS Grenadier (SS-210))
Haguro	16 May 1945	A Myōkō-class cruiser that was sunk by British forces in the Battle of the Malacca Strait.
I-166	17 July 1944	A KD5 Type submarine that was sunk by HMS Telemachus (P321) off One Fathom Bank.	2°48′N 101°03′E / 2.800°N 101.050°E / 2.800; 101.050 (Japanese submarine I-166)
Kuma	11 January 1944	A Kuma-class cruiser that was sunk by HMS Tally-Ho (P317).	5°26′N 99°52′E / 5.433°N 99.867°E / 5.433; 99.867 (Japanese cruiser Kuma)
Myōkō	8 June 1946	A Myōkō-class cruiser that was scuttled near Port Klang.	3°5′N 100°40′E / 3.083°N 100.667°E / 3.083; 100.667 (Japanese cruiser Myōkō)
Reginaldo Giuliani	14 February 1944	A Liuzzi-class submarine that was seized by Germany and renamed UIT-23, and was torpedoed by HMS Tally-Ho northwest of Pangkor Island.	04°27′N 100°11′E / 4.450°N 100.183°E / 4.450; 100.183 (German submarine UIT-23)
Sovereign of the Seas	6 August 1859	A clipper that was wrecked on the Pyramid Shoal.
Takao	19 October 1946	A Takao-class heavy cruiser that was surrendered to the British and sunk as a target.	03°05′05″N 100°41′00″E / 3.08472°N 100.68333°E / 3.08472; 100.68333 (Japanese cruiser Takao (1930))
U-181	12 February 1946	A Type IXD2 U-boat that was scuttled near Port Klang.	3°05′50″N 100°42′50″E / 3.09722°N 100.71389°E / 3.09722; 100.71389 (German submarine U-181)
U-859	23 September 1944	A Type IXD2 U-boat that was sunk by HMS Trenchant.	5°46′01″N 100°04′01″E / 5.767°N 100.067°E / 5.767; 100.067 (German submarine U-859)
U-862	13 February 1946	A Type IXD2 U-boat that was scuttled near Port Klang.	3°05′N 100°38′E / 3.083°N 100.633°E / 3.083; 100.633 (German submarine U-862)
HMS Vestal	26 July 1945	An Algerine-class minesweeper that suffered a kamikaze attack and was scuttled.	07°05′N 97°50′E / 7.083°N 97.833°E / 7.083; 97.833 (HMS Vestal (J215))

References[]

The wreck of SMS Emden

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