Mysteries of the Sea

Ships found empty or never found at all: the Mary Celeste, the Joyita, the Carroll A. Deering, the Waratah, the København and the USS Cyclops, and three legends with no record that the ship ever existed.

This chapter of Lost at Sea holds 27 ships. For each one we give what she was, when and where she was lost, why she is remembered and where she lies today. See all 646 ships on one page.

Marea can build any of these ships as she was on the day she sailed, with the maximum detail the records permit. Many of these wrecks are war graves or the resting place of those lost with them, and we build them with that in mind.

This database was put together by Ai Refloat™, Marea’s own artificial intelligence, from museums, heritage registers, archaeological reports, official inquiries, newspapers and encyclopaedias. Ai Refloat is still young & like any teenager, it can be a little volatile and unpredictable at times, but above all, it is learning fast. So this list may well contain mistakes and we welcome the input of everyone who knows these ships better than we do.

Have you spotted a mistake, or is a wreck missing? Tell us which ship and what to correct, and we will amend it accordingly. Tell us here

The ships

Mysteries of the Sea · Great Britain (alleged)
Lady Lovibond Legend
allegedly 13 February 1748 · allegedly the Goodwin Sands, off Kent, England
The ship Alleged schooner, Great Britain (alleged)
Lives lost allegedly all aboard
According to the tale, Captain Simon Reed took his bride aboard and a jealous mate, John Rivers, struck the helmsman and steered the ship onto the Goodwin Sands. Her ghost is said to reappear every fifty years, with claimed sightings in 1798, 1848 and 1948.
Why she is remembered A well known English ghost ship tale. It is a legend: researchers George Behe and Michael Goss found no reliable primary source mentioning the ship before a 1924 Daily Chronicle article and suggest it may be a journalist's invention.
The wreck today No evidence the ship existed.
Sources differ The captain's name is given as Simon Reed or Simon Peel.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea
Octavius Legend
allegedly found 11 October 1775, last log entry allegedly 11 November 1762 · allegedly west of Greenland
The ship Alleged three-masted schooner
Aboard allegedly 28 crew plus a woman and a boy
Lives lost allegedly all
According to the story, a boarding party from the whaler Herald found the ship drifting with her crew dead and frozen, the captain at his log, which ended 13 years earlier after an attempt on the Northwest Passage.
Why she is remembered A famous ghost ship tale, but it is a legend: no authentic evidence of the ship exists, similar stories appeared earlier in newspapers, and historians cannot trace its origin or vouch for it.
The wreck today No evidence the ship existed.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (Inman Line)
SS City of Glasgow Missing
sailed from Liverpool 1 March 1854; never arrived · North Atlantic, on passage Liverpool to Philadelphia
The ship Single-screw iron-hulled passenger steamship, United Kingdom (Inman Line)
Built Tod and Macgregor, Partick, Glasgow, launched 28 February 1850
Size 227.5 ft long, 32.7 ft beam, 24.7 ft depth; 1,610 tons burthen
Aboard 480 (111 cabin passengers, 293 steerage, 76 crew)
Lives lost all 480 presumed lost
She left Liverpool for Philadelphia, due on 25 March 1854, and nothing more was heard; by May she was accepted as lost. Ships that month reported more ice than for many years, and an iceberg collision is the likely explanation.
Why she is remembered One of the largest losses of life in the early steam era, with no survivor or confirmed wreckage.
The wreck today Never found; reports of bow sections ashore near Campbeltown in October 1854 are unconfirmed.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Edward Duncan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · United States (originally Canadian)
Mary Celeste Other causes
Also known as Amazon (1861 to 1868)
found derelict 4 December 1872; deliberately wrecked 3 January 1885 · found at 38°20′N 17°15′W between the Azores and Portugal; wrecked on the Rochelois Bank reef near Haiti
The ship Brigantine, United States (originally Canadian)
Built Joshua Dewis, Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia, 1861
Size 99.3 ft; 198.42 gross tons as built, 282.28 gross tons after 1872 rebuild
Aboard 10 (Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife Sarah, daughter Sophia and seven crew)
Lives lost all 10 missing
The Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia found her abandoned, with her lifeboat gone and cargo and belongings untouched; the last log entry was 25 November. Her people were never found. In 1885 Captain Parker ran her onto a Haitian reef in an insurance fraud.
Why she is remembered The most famous ghost ship mystery, popularised by Arthur Conan Doyle's story “J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement” (1884), which called her Marie Celeste.
The wreck today Clive Cussler's 2001 expedition claimed to have found her off Haiti, but tree-ring dating disputed the find.
Sources differ Theories include alcohol vapour, a waterspout or a false sounding; none is proven. The 2001 wreck identification is disputed: the first wood samples matched 1872 materials, but tree-ring dating points to wood from about 1894.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unconfirmed, possibly Honore Pellegrin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (Royal Navy)
HMS Atalanta Missing
Also known as HMS Juno (1844); briefly HMS Mariner (January 1878)
sailed from Bermuda 31 January 1880; never arrived · North Atlantic, between the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda and Falmouth
The ship Spartan-class 26-gun sixth-rate frigate (training ship), United Kingdom (Royal Navy)
Built Pembroke Dock, 1844
Size 131 ft overall, 107 ft keel
Aboard about 300, mostly inexperienced trainees
Lives lost 281 (per the memorial in St Ann's Church, Portsmouth)
Serving as a training ship, Atalanta left Bermuda for Falmouth and disappeared. She was presumed to have foundered in a powerful storm that crossed her route a couple of weeks after she sailed; she was said to be crank and had few trained seamen.
Why she is remembered Her loss has been cited as a Bermuda Triangle case since the 1960s, a claim debunked by research in 1997.
The wreck today Never confirmed; wreckage was reported near the Azores and a German brig sighted a possible wreck in September 1880.
Sources differ About 300 were aboard; the memorial in St Ann's Church, Portsmouth, lists 281 lost.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Edward Atkins, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea
Resolven Missing
found abandoned 29 August 1884; wrecked 1887 · found between Baccalieu Island and Catalina, Newfoundland
The ship Merchant brig
Aboard 11 (7 crew, 4 passengers)
Lives lost all 11 never seen again
HMS Mallard found the brig abandoned but intact, her galley fire still burning and lamps lit, about six hours after the last log entry, with a large iceberg nearby. It is thought the crew panicked when ice damaged the ship and their boat capsized, but no bodies were found. Refitted, she was wrecked in 1887 carrying lumber from Nova Scotia.
Why she is remembered A documented case of a ship found intact with her crew and passengers gone, listed among real ghost ships.
The wreck today Wrecked in 1887; no wreck site recorded in source.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · Japan (Imperial Japanese Navy)
Unebi Missing
December 1886 (left Singapore 3 December, due in Tokyo Bay 12 to 13 December) · South China Sea, exact place unknown
The ship Protected cruiser, Japan (Imperial Japanese Navy)
Built Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, Le Havre, France; completed 1886
Size 3,615 long tons; 98 m long, 13.1 m beam
Aboard 174 (Japanese officers under Captain Iimure Toshikazu and a French delivery crew under Lieutenant Fouèvre)
Lives lost all 174
Newly built in France, Unebi was on her delivery voyage to Japan. After leaving Singapore she was never seen again. The favoured theory is that, top-heavy with her heavy armament, she capsized in a typhoon in the north-east South China Sea.
Why she is remembered One of the great naval disappearances; a memorial stands at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo, and the insurance money paid for the cruiser Chiyoda.
The wreck today Never found. Around 1897 wreckage with wooden strips and two cabin doors lettered Unebi was reported washed up on the Pescadores (Penghu), the only trace ever found.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (registered Glasgow)
Marlborough Missing
last seen 13 January 1890 · Southern Ocean, on passage from Lyttelton, New Zealand to London via Cape Horn
The ship Iron full-rigged ship (emigrant and refrigerated cargo ship), United Kingdom (registered Glasgow)
Built Robert Duncan and Co, Port Glasgow, launched June 1876
Size 228 ft long, 35 ft beam, 21 ft 7 in draught; 1,191 gross, 1,124 net tons
Aboard 30 (29 crew and one female passenger)
Lives lost all 30 presumed lost
After 14 voyages carrying emigrants, wool and, from 1882, frozen meat between London and New Zealand, she left Lyttelton on 11 January 1890 and was spoken by the Falkland Hill two days later. Nothing more was heard; collision with Antarctic ice is the likely explanation.
Why she is remembered A 1913 newspaper story claimed she was found near Cape Horn with skeletons aboard. That story is a legend: it is considered fictional and contradicted by many facts, including that the ship had no bridge.
The wreck today Never found.
Sources differ Some accounts say she was registered in London; she was registered in Glasgow.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: De Maus, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (White Star Line)
SS Naronic Missing
sailed 11 February 1893; never arrived · North Atlantic, on passage Liverpool to New York
The ship Cargo liner (livestock carrier), United Kingdom (White Star Line)
Built Harland and Wolff, Belfast, launched 26 May 1892, completed 11 July 1892
Size 470 ft (143.3 m) long, 53 ft (16.2 m) beam; 6,594 GRT
Aboard 74 (60 crew, 14 passengers)
Lives lost all 74
The largest steam cargo ship of her day at launch, Naronic left Liverpool, called briefly in North Wales and headed into heavy seas. Two empty lifeboats were later found about 500 miles east of Halifax. The inquiry said the cause remained a matter of speculation.
Why she is remembered A White Star Line mystery that predates the Titanic. Four bottle messages claiming she hit an iceberg were rejected by the inquiry as not genuine.
The wreck today Never found.
Sources differ Theories include storm, iceberg and chemical cargo explosion; the route was said to pass over 100 miles south of the ice.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (Blue Anchor Line)
Waratah Missing
Last sighted 27 July 1909 · Off the South African coast near the Mbashe River, between Durban and Cape Town
The ship Passenger and cargo steamship, United Kingdom (Blue Anchor Line)
Built Barclay, Curle and Co, Glasgow; launched 12 September 1908
Size 9,339 GRT; 465 ft
Aboard 211 passengers and crew
Lives lost All 211
On her second voyage she left Durban for Cape Town and vanished in a storm of exceptional violence. The Board of Trade inquiry could not establish a cause, though doubts about her stability had followed her short career.
Why she is remembered Often called 'Australia's Titanic', one of the great unsolved maritime mysteries; it inspired Geoffrey Jenkins's novel Scend of the Sea and Clive Cussler's Ghost Ship.
The wreck today Never found. Emlyn Brown searched from 1983 to 2004; a 1999 sonar target proved in 2001 to be SS Nailsea Meadow.
Sources differ Passengers reported listing and heavy rolling, while builders and owners disputed her instability; the inquiry reached no firm cause.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom
Zebrina Missing
found October 1917; burned 1953 · found ashore at Rozel Point, south of Cherbourg, France; destroyed at Velder Creek, Portsmouth
The ship Three-masted schooner-rigged sailing barge, United Kingdom
Built Whitstable, Kent, 1873
Size 189 tons burthen
Aboard 5 (Captain Martin and crew)
Lives lost all 5 crew disappeared
Sailing from Falmouth with Swansea coal for Saint-Brieuc in October 1917, she was found two days later ashore and undamaged except for her rigging, with no one aboard. A U-boat was suspected at first, but David Masters' 1932 study concluded the crew were washed overboard in a squall.
Why she is remembered A First World War ghost ship; popular versions wrongly say she was found adrift and misspell her destination.
The wreck today Destroyed by fire in 1953 at Velder Creek, Portsmouth.
Sources differ Popular accounts say adrift, the documented account says ashore.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · United States (Navy)
USS Cyclops Missing
after 4 March 1918 · Atlantic, on passage from Barbados towards Baltimore; possible sighting near Virginia on 9 March 1918 is unconfirmed
The ship Collier (naval fuel ship), United States (Navy)
Built William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, launched 7 May 1910
Size capacity 8,000 long tons normal, 10,800 long tons maximum
Aboard 306 crew and passengers
Lives lost all 306
Carrying 10,800 long tons of manganese ore from Brazil, overloaded and with one engine disabled, she left Barbados and never reached Baltimore. The Naval History and Heritage Command considers a storm sinking probable; structural failure, cargo shift, U-boat attack and sabotage have also been suggested.
Why she is remembered One of the best known disappearances at sea, widely linked in novels, TV and documentaries to the Bermuda Triangle legend.
The wreck today Never found.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: New York Navy Yard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · United States
Carroll A. Deering Missing
found aground 31 January 1921; destroyed with dynamite 4 March 1921 · Diamond Shoals, off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
The ship Five-masted cargo schooner, United States
Built G. G. Deering Company, Bath, Maine, launched 4 April 1919
Size 255 ft long, 44 ft beam; 1,879 tons
Aboard 11
Lives lost all 11 crew disappeared
She was found hard aground with all sails set, her log, navigation equipment, personal effects and two lifeboats gone, and her steering damaged. No trace of the crew was found. Investigators considered piracy, rum-running and mutiny; a message in a bottle claiming piracy was proven a forgery.
Why she is remembered No official explanation was ever given, and she is often linked to the Bermuda Triangle legend; her bell and capstan are at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.
The wreck today Dynamited as a hazard to navigation in March 1921.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea
Governor Parr Storm
abandoned 3 October 1923 · North Atlantic, on passage Ingramport, Nova Scotia to Buenos Aires; later drifted as far as the Canary Islands
The ship Four-masted schooner
Built W. R. Huntley and Sons, launched 30 November 1918
Size 200 ft long, 18.6 ft depth; 912 tons
Aboard Crew, rescued by SS Schodack
Lives lost 2 (Captain Angus Richards and one seaman)
Dismasted in a storm, the schooner stayed afloat after her crew were taken off and drifted around the Atlantic. Salvage attempts, including a Coast Guard tow in January 1924, failed and she was sighted for years as a menace to navigation.
Why she is remembered A documented drifting derelict, listed among real ghost ships.
The wreck today Final fate unknown.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · Denmark (East Asiatic Company)
Kobenhavn Missing
last heard from 22 December 1928; posted missing by Lloyd's 1 January 1930 · South Atlantic, last reported about 900 miles from Tristan da Cunha, on passage Buenos Aires to Melbourne
The ship Five-masted barque (training ship), Denmark (East Asiatic Company)
Built Ramage and Ferguson, Leith, Scotland, completed 24 March 1921
Size 131.9 m long, 14.9 m beam; 3,965 GRT; 4,644.4 square metres of sail
Aboard 75
Lives lost all 75 presumed lost
The Danish training ship left Buenos Aires on 14 December 1928 in ballast for Melbourne and radioed that all was well on 22 December. Nothing more was heard. The most accepted theory is an iceberg collision; another is capsize in heavy wind while in ballast.
Why she is remembered The world's largest sailing ship when completed. Later reported sightings of a five-masted ghost ship, and a cadet's diary said to have been found in a bottle on Bouvet Island in 1934, are unverified stories.
The wreck today Never found.
Sources differ Wikipedia's ghost ship list gives the last contact as 28 December rather than 22 December 1928. The stated 26 crew and 45 cadets total 71, not 75. The total is given as 75, but the breakdown given (26 crew and 45 cadets) does not add up to it.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (Hudson's Bay Company, registered London)
Baychimo Ice
Also known as Ångermanelfven
abandoned October to November 1931 · pack ice off north-west Alaska, between Point Barrow and Icy Cape
The ship Steel cargo steamer, United Kingdom (Hudson's Bay Company, registered London)
Built Lindholmens Mekaniska Verkstad, Gothenburg, Sweden, 1914
Size 230 ft (70 m); 1,322 tons
Aboard crew of the Hudson's Bay Company; 22 flown out, 15 stayed for a time
Lives lost none stated
Trapped in pack ice on 1 October 1931, she was abandoned after a blizzard. She did not sink, and was sighted drifting in the Arctic many times until 1969.
Why she is remembered The ghost ship of the Arctic.
The wreck today Never found; an Alaskan government search began in 2006.
Sources differ Her final fate is unknown.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Aldus Books London, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · Germany (Hamburg); previously Belgium and Finland
Admiral Karpfanger Missing
Also known as L'Avenir (until 1937)
March 1938 (last wireless message 12 March 1938) · Southern Ocean, on passage from Port Germein, South Australia to the UK via Cape Horn; last position reported 1 March at 51°S 172°E
The ship Four-masted barque (cargo and sail training ship), Germany (Hamburg); previously Belgium and Finland
Built R. C. Rickmers, Geestemunde, 1908
Size 285.6 ft long, 45.2 ft beam, 25.2 ft depth; 2,738 GRT
Aboard 60 (27 men and 33 cadets)
Lives lost all 60
Carrying 3,447 tons of wheat, she left Port Germein on 8 February 1938 and was never seen again after her last radio message. The Hamburg maritime court suggested an iceberg or heavy sea damage and recorded force majeure.
Why she is remembered One of the last great sailing ship losses of the grain race era, with a large number of young cadets aboard.
The wreck today Never found; in October 1938 a Chilean ship found door pieces, part of a nameplate and wreckage in Windhound Bay, Navarino Island.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Allan C. Green 1878 - 1954, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · Netherlands (alleged)
SS Ourang Medan Legend
alleged June 1947 or February 1948; an earlier 1940 version also exists · alleged Straits of Malacca; other versions place it near the Solomon or Marshall Islands
The ship Alleged Dutch merchant ship, Netherlands (alleged)
According to the story, a distress call led rescuers to a ship whose crew were all dead, before fire broke out and she sank. The tale traces to Italian radio operator and journalist Silvio Scherli, published in Il Piccolo (Trieste) in October 1940, and changed between later versions.
Why she is remembered A widely retold ghost ship story. It is a legend: no record of the ship has been found in Lloyd's Register or Dutch registries, and researchers suggest the story may be exaggerated or entirely fictitious.
The wreck today No evidence the ship existed.
Sources differ Dates and locations differ between versions (1940 Solomon Islands; 1947 or 1948 Straits of Malacca; Marshall Islands).
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (British India Steam Navigation Company)
SS Sir Harvey Adamson Missing
18 April 1947 (declared lost 5 May 1947) · Andaman Sea off Burma (Myanmar); last radio position 13°13'N 97°36'E
The ship Coastal passenger steamship, United Kingdom (British India Steam Navigation Company)
Built A. & J. Inglis, Glasgow, yard no. 306; completed 1914
Size 1,030 GRT; 219.7 ft x 35.1 ft; 500 passengers and 64 crew
Aboard 269 (64 crew, 205 passengers)
Lives lost 269, all aboard
She left Rangoon on 17 April 1947 for Tavoy and Mergui. The next day she radioed that a south-easterly gale and heavy rain were delaying her, sent a final position at 18:30, and was never heard from again. No survivor or identifiable wreckage was ever found.
Why she is remembered One of the great unexplained disappearances of the Bay of Bengal. A Court of Inquiry guessed she had sheltered among the Middle Moscos Islands and struck a leftover Second World War mine, but this remains conjecture.
The wreck today Never found.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: A & J Inglis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · France (New Caledonia)
La Monique Missing
31 July 1953 (last contact) · between Maré (Loyalty Islands) and the Canal de la Havannah, New Caledonia
The ship Caboteur (coastal cargo and passenger vessel), France (New Caledonia)
Built built 1946 by the US Navy in New Zealand
Size authorised for 250 tons; carrying 254 tons of freight
Aboard 126 (108 passengers, 18 crew)
Lives lost 126
The coaster left Nouméa on 22 July 1953 to supply the Loyalty Islands. On 31 July the captain radioed from Tadine, Maré, that all was well aboard, then she vanished without a distress call on the way back to Nouméa, heavily loaded with copra, fuel and a pickup truck.
Why she is remembered New Caledonia's worst maritime tragedy and enduring mystery; overloading is the most credible theory, and commemorations are held every year in Maré, Lifou and Nouméa, with a stele unveiled in Nouméa in 2023.
The wreck today Never found: only a buoy, fuel drums, copra sacks and oil traces were recovered. A 2011 sonar and robot search by the Fortunes de mer association near the Canal de la Havannah found nothing conclusive.
Sources outremers360.com · ladepeche.nc
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · United States
Joyita Missing
departed Apia, Samoa, 3 October 1955; found derelict 10 November 1955 · drifting north of Vanua Levu, Fiji, more than 600 miles west of her route
The ship Former luxury yacht used as a merchant and charter vessel, United States
Built Wilmington Boat Works, 1931
Size 69 ft (21 m); 70 GRT
Aboard 25 (16 crew and 9 passengers)
Lives lost all 25 missing
A fractured cooling pipe flooded her engine room and the bilge pumps failed; she listed heavily but her cork-lined hull kept her afloat. Everyone aboard, the dinghy, rafts, logbook and navigation instruments were gone.
Why she is remembered A South Pacific ghost ship mystery, the subject of Robin Maugham's The Joyita Mystery (1962) and David G. Wright's Joyita: Solving the Mystery (2002).
The wreck today Salvaged in 1956, later grounded repeatedly, abandoned and stripped; she had disintegrated by the late 1970s.
Sources differ Theories range from engine failure, flooding and panic to piracy or conflict between the captain and the mate; none is proven.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (registered Bridgwater)
Teignmouth Electron Other causes
found abandoned 10 July 1969 · North Atlantic, 33°11′N 40°28′W; now beached on Cayman Brac
The ship 41 ft trimaran (ocean racing yacht), United Kingdom (registered Bridgwater)
Built Cox Marine Ltd and L. J. Eastwood Ltd, June to October 1968
Size 41 ft
Aboard 1 (Donald Crowhurst)
Lives lost 1
Crowhurst entered the 1968 Golden Globe single-handed round the world race and from 6 December 1968 reported false positions and fabricated mileage. His logs record a breakdown; he is presumed to have gone overboard around 1 July 1969, and the empty boat was found on 10 July by RMS Picardy.
Why she is remembered Told in the documentary Deep Water (2006) and the film The Mercy (2018) with Colin Firth, for which a full-scale replica was built.
The wreck today Decaying on Cayman Brac, well past preservation; owned since 2007 by artist Michael Jones McKean, who commissioned a digital scan in 2017.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Scuppersthesailordog, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mysteries of the Sea · Russia (Maritime State University, Vladivostok)
Admiral Nevelskoi Other causes
Found drifting in 1997 · Off Rodrigues; hull brought ashore on the island
The ship Yacht (expedition vessel), Russia (Maritime State University, Vladivostok)
The hull of the expedition yacht of the Maritime State University in Vladivostok was found drifting off Rodrigues in 1997 and brought ashore.
Why she is remembered An unusual derelict on Rodrigues; in 2010 there were plans to restore it as a private museum.
The wreck today Hull ashore on Rodrigues; museum plans reported in 2010.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · Indonesia (Taiwanese vessel, sailing from Liuchiu, Taiwan)
High Aim 6 Missing
found derelict 8 January 2003 · about 80 nautical miles east of Rowley Shoals, inside Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone, off Western Australia
The ship Longline fishing vessel, Indonesia (Taiwanese vessel, sailing from Liuchiu, Taiwan)
Aboard crew of about 10 (exact number not definitively stated)
Lives lost all crew missing
She left Liuchiu, Taiwan on 31 October 2002 and was found drifting with no sign of distress, crew effects aboard, engine dead and rudder locked. One crew member later arrested said others had killed the captain and engineer on 8 December, but gave no clear motive or details.
Why she is remembered A modern ghost ship case that remains unexplained.
The wreck today Beached at Broome as a tourist attraction for about a year, then broken up in October 2004 and taken to landfill.
Sources differ Motive and circumstances of the alleged mutiny remain unclear.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · unknown; no flag or registration papers found
Jian Seng Scuttled
found adrift March 2006; scuttled 21 April 2006 · Gulf of Carpentaria, about 180 km south-west of Weipa, Queensland, Australia
The ship Tanker, believed to be a bunker and resupply vessel, unknown; no flag or registration papers found
Size 80 m
Aboard no one aboard when found
Lives lost none known
Australian Coastwatch aircraft found the tanker drifting with no crew, identifying marks removed and machinery inoperable. Rice aboard led authorities to believe she had resupplied fishing boats before her tow line broke. She was towed to deep water and scuttled.
Why she is remembered A modern ghost ship that raised questions in the Australian Senate about border surveillance.
The wreck today Scuttled in deep water on 21 April 2006.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea
Kaz II Missing
found derelict 20 April 2007 (spotted drifting on 18 April) · about 88 nautical miles off the north-east coast of Queensland, Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef
The ship Catamaran (yacht)
Size 9.8 m
Aboard 3 (Derek Batten, Peter Tunstead, James Tunstead, all from Perth)
Lives lost all 3, presumed drowned
Kaz II left Airlie Beach on 15 April 2007 for Townsville. When boarded on 20 April her engine was running, food was on the table and a laptop was on, but the three men were gone. The State Coroner found that one probably fell overboard freeing a fishing lure and the others were lost trying to help.
Why she is remembered Dubbed the ghost yacht and compared with the Mary Celeste.
The wreck today Vessel recovered; not a wreck.
Sources differ Relatives questioned the coroner's weather-related explanation given the undisturbed cabin.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Mysteries of the Sea · uncertain: reported as Panama or Tanzania
MV Alta Other causes
abandoned October 2018; ran aground 16 February 2020 · abandoned in the Atlantic; grounded at Ballycotton, County Cork, Ireland
The ship Merchant ship (cargo vessel), uncertain: reported as Panama or Tanzania
Built launched 17 March 1976
Size 77.32 m long; 2,295 tonnes; 1,640 DWT
Aboard Crew, rescued by the US Coast Guard about 2,200 km south-east of Bermuda
Lives lost none recorded
Her engines failed in the Atlantic in 2018 and her crew were taken off by the US Coast Guard. The empty ship then drifted for about 18 months before going ashore near Ballycotton in a storm in February 2020. Her hull had split in two by early 2022.
Why she is remembered A rare modern ghost ship that caught the public imagination; her ownership has never been established.
The wreck today Still on the rocks at Ballycotton; as of 2024 there were no plans to remove her because of the risk to salvors and the environment.
Sources differ Flag reported as Panamanian in some sources and Tanzanian in others.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Colm Ryan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons