Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea
The Endurance, the Erebus and the Terror, and the ships found empty or never found at all: the Mary Celeste, the København and the Waratah.
This chapter of Lost at Sea holds 48 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 489 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
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Great Britain
HMS Erebus Ice
Abandoned 22 April 1848 · Wilmot and Crampton Bay, off King William Island, Nunavut, Canada
The ship Hecla class bomb vessel, Great Britain
Built Pembroke Dock, launched 7 June 1826
Size 105 ft long, 372 tons burthen, two mortars and 10 guns
Aboard About 130 men in Franklin's expedition
Lives lost All
After the Ross Antarctic expedition, Erebus was Sir John Franklin's flagship in the 1845 search for the Northwest Passage. Trapped in ice off King William Island, she and Terror were abandoned in April 1848 and every man died of cold, scurvy and starvation.
Why she is remembered Mount Erebus in Antarctica is named after her; the lost Franklin expedition became an enduring mystery, dramatised in the TV series The Terror (2018). SHIPS OF DISCOVERY overlap.
The wreck today Found on 2 September 2014 by Parks Canada; National Historic Site of Canada since 2019 and jointly owned with the Inuit since 2017. Deteriorating in shallow water.
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Great Britain
HMS Terror Ice
Abandoned 22 April 1848 · Terror Bay, King William Island, Nunavut, Canada, 21 to 24 m deep
The ship Vesuvius class bomb vessel, Great Britain
Built Robert Davy yard, Topsham, Devon, launched 29 June 1813
Size 102 ft long, 325 tons burthen, two mortars and 10 guns
Aboard Part of Franklin's 1845 expedition
Lives lost All
Terror shelled Fort McHenry in 1814, survived ice on Back's 1836 expedition and sailed on Ross's Antarctic expedition. With Erebus she was beset in ice and abandoned in 1848, and the whole Franklin expedition perished.
Why she is remembered Her bombardment of Fort McHenry inspired The Star Spangled Banner; Mount Terror is named after her; the TV series The Terror. SHIPS OF DISCOVERY overlap.
The wreck today Found on 3 September 2016 by the Arctic Research Foundation in Terror Bay, about 92 km from where she was abandoned, in excellent condition; National Historic Site of Canada, access restricted.
Sources differ The wreck lies about 92 km (57 mi) south of the reported abandonment site, which challenges the historical account of her fate.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: After George Back, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom
Breadalbane Ice
21 August 1853 · half a mile south of Beechey Island, Barrow Strait, Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, 74°41′N 91°50′W
The ship Three-masted merchant barque (Royal Navy supply ship in Franklin search), United Kingdom
Built Hedderwich and Rowan, River Clyde, Scotland, 1843
Size 428 tons; 38.1 m (125 ft) long, 7.3 m (24 ft) beam, 5.5 m (18 ft) depth of hold
Aboard 21
Lives lost none; the crew were rescued by HMS Phoenix
Called into Royal Navy service in 1853 to carry supplies for the search for Franklin, Breadalbane was moored to an ice floe when a slab of ice pierced her starboard bow. She sank within fifteen minutes; all 21 crew escaped to her companion HMS Phoenix.
Why she is remembered Considered one of the northernmost known shipwrecks and a time capsule of the Franklin search; designated a Canadian national historic site in 1983.
The wreck today Found in August 1980 by Joseph B. MacInnis's team using side-scan sonar, about 100 m (330 ft) deep, intact with two masts standing. Her wheel was recovered in 1983 and passed to Parks Canada.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Edward Augustus Inglefield, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (Royal Navy)
HMS Investigator Ice
abandoned 3 June 1853 · Mercy Bay, Banks Island, Northwest Territories, about 150 m off the north shore
The ship Survey vessel (Arctic search ship), United Kingdom (Royal Navy)
Built Scotts, Greenock; acquired February 1848
Size 422 to 480 tons burthen
Lives lost none documented in source
Sent to search for Franklin, Investigator under Commander Robert McClure became trapped in the pack ice at Mercy Bay and remained frozen in for about three years before being formally abandoned on 3 June 1853. McClure gave the official account of the voyage and surgeon Alexander Armstrong published an unofficial one in 1857.
Why she is remembered A ship of the Franklin search and the Northwest Passage story; Inuit harvested metal from the abandoned ship for tools for decades.
The wreck today Found in July 2010 by Parks Canada about 150 m offshore at about 8 m depth, upright in silt with her masts removed by ice. No plans for recovery; documented by ROV.
Sources differ Tonnage given as 422 to 480 tons burthen; one cited source dates the abandonment to 1854 rather than 3 June 1853.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Samuel Gurney Cresswell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Germany (North German Confederation expedition)
Hansa Ice
22 October 1869 · about 70°32′N 21°W, roughly 10 km off the coast of East Greenland
The ship Schooner reinforced for ice (expedition escort ship), Germany (North German Confederation expedition)
Aboard 13
Lives lost none; all 13 survived
Escort ship of the Second German North Polar Expedition under Paul Hegemann, Hansa became separated from Germania and was trapped and slowly ground up by the pack ice until she sank. The crew built a hut of coal briquettes on the floe and drifted south through the winter, reaching a Moravian mission in 1870 and returning to Germany on 3 September 1870.
Why she is remembered A celebrated ice floe survival story of nineteenth century polar exploration.
Sources differ The separation from Germania on 19 July is attributed to Hegemann misreading a flag signal.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United States
USS Polaris Ice
Also known as Periwinkle (tugboat)
October 1872 (deliberately grounded) · near Etah, Greenland
The ship Screw steamer converted to fore-topsail schooner (Arctic expedition ship), United States
Built converted at the Washington Navy Yard
Size 387 tons
Aboard about 25 officers, crew and scientists, plus Inuit companions and their families
Lives lost expedition leader Charles Francis Hall died aboard on 8 November 1871 (poisoning suspected); no deaths recorded among those on the ice floe or the ship's party in the loss itself
Hall's North Pole expedition ship was damaged and trapped in the ice. On 15 October 1872, during an attempted evacuation, 19 people including George Tyson were separated on an ice floe and drifted over 1,800 miles until rescue on 30 April 1873. The rest grounded the damaged ship near Etah and wintered there.
Why she is remembered The suspected poisoning of Hall and the six-month ice floe drift make the Polaris expedition one of the strangest stories of Arctic exploration.
The wreck today Beached and left heeled over half out of the water; salvaged for materials. No surviving wreck site recorded in the source.
Sources differ Accounts conflict on whether Budington's decision to ground the ship was justified, given differing reports of the propeller, rudder and fuel.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Austria-Hungary
Admiral Tegetthoff Ice
abandoned 20 May 1874 · beset off south-east Franz Josef Land, Arctic Ocean
The ship Three-masted barquentine with steam engine (Arctic expedition ship), Austria-Hungary
Built Tecklenborg and Beurmann, Bremerhaven, built for the expedition
Size 38.34 m long; 220 tons; 100 hp steam engine
Aboard 24
The Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition left Tromso on 13 July 1872 and in late August was locked in pack ice north of Novaya Zemlya. Drifting into unknown waters, the expedition discovered an archipelago on 30 August 1873 and named it Franz Josef Land. Still held fast by the ice, the ship was abandoned in May 1874.
Why she is remembered Her drift led to the discovery of Franz Josef Land; she featured on a 2005 Austrian commemorative coin.
The wreck today Fate after abandonment not documented in source.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom
Eira Ice
21 August 1881 · off Cape Flora, Franz Josef Land, Arctic Ocean
The ship Screw barquentine (ice-strengthened private expedition ship), United Kingdom
Built Stephen and Forbes, Peterhead
Size 39 m; 240 tons
Aboard 24
Lives lost none
Benjamin Leigh Smith's expedition ship was crushed by ice off Cape Flora. The crew saved supplies, wintered in a makeshift hut for ten months, set off in four boats on 21 June 1882 and were rescued by the ship Hope on 3 August 1882.
Why she is remembered Leigh Smith, sometimes called England's forgotten Arctic explorer, is the subject of P. J. Capelotti's book Shipwreck at Cape Flora (2013).
The wreck today Not definitively located; timbers sighted in 2015 and pottery and metalware found by a Russian team in 2017; an AUV search led by Milko Vuille was planned for August 2021.
Sources wreckwatchmag.com · tandfonline.com
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United States
USS Jeannette Ice
Also known as HMS Pandora
13 June 1881 · Arctic Ocean, 77°15′N 155°0′E, about 300 nautical miles north of the Siberian coast
The ship Philomel-class gunvessel converted for Arctic exploration, United States
Built Pembroke Dockyard, 1860
Size 142 to 146 ft long, 24 to 25 ft beam; 570 tons displacement; 428 tons burthen
Aboard 33
Lives lost 20 (8 drowned when a boat capsized; 12, including Commander George W. De Long, died in the Lena Delta)
The Jeannette expedition sought the North Pole via the Bering Strait but the ship was trapped in the ice for 21 months and finally crushed and sunk. The crew hauled boats and supplies across the ice towards Siberia; one boat was lost in a storm and De Long's party died of cold and starvation in the Lena Delta.
Why she is remembered Wreckage found in Greenland in 1884 proved a transpolar ice drift and inspired Fridtjof Nansen's Fram expedition; told in Edward Ellsberg's Hell on Ice (1938).
The wreck today Not located as of December 2019, despite Russian attempts in 2015.
Sources differ Sources give length as 142 or 146 ft and beam as 24 or 25 ft.
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Sweden
Antarctic Ice
Also known as Cap Nor
12 February 1903 · about 40 km (25 mi) off Paulet Island, Antarctica
The ship Three-masted barque with auxiliary steam engine (sealer, expedition ship), Sweden
Built Holmen, Drammen, Norway, 1871
Size 41.5 m (136 ft) long; 346 gross, 226 net tons; 45 hp auxiliary steam engine
Aboard Crew of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition under Captain Carl Anton Larsen; those rescued included Carl Skottsberg, Johan Gunnar Andersson, Jose Maria Sobral and Frank Wilbert Stokes
Lives lost none recorded in source; all crew were eventually rescued by the Argentine corvette Uruguay
Ship of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition under Captain Carl Anton Larsen, Antarctic was trapped in pack ice on 3 January 1903. She broke free on 3 February but was damaged and leaking, and sank before Larsen could beach her on Paulet Island. All the crew were eventually rescued by the Argentine corvette Uruguay.
Why she is remembered Part of one of the great Antarctic survival stories; geographical features in Greenland, Antarctica, Jan Mayen and South Georgia are named after her.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Otto Kjellström, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Sweden; later British (Ferguson of Dundee)
Vega Other causes
1903 · Melville Bay, west of Greenland
The ship Barque with steam engine (whaler, expedition ship), Sweden; later British (Ferguson of Dundee)
Built Bremerhaven, Germany, 1872
Size 150 ft (45.72 m) long; 357 DWT
Rebuilt for Adolf Erik Nordenskiold's expedition, Vega left Karlskrona on 22 June 1878 and became the first ship to sail through the Northeast Passage and the first to circumnavigate Eurasia. Returned to whaling, she was reported sunk in Melville Bay in 1903.
Why she is remembered Her voyage ranks among the highest achievements of Swedish science; Cape Vega and Vegafonna are named after her.
The wreck today Not confirmed; a search was led by Ola Skinnarmo in 2013.
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom; later Danish owners
Fox Other causes
1912 · coast of Greenland
The ship Auxiliary steam yacht (Franklin search ship), United Kingdom; later Danish owners
Built Alexander Hall and Sons, Aberdeen, 1854
Size 132 ft long, 24 ft 4 in beam; 320 tons burthen
Lady Franklin's private search ship under Francis Leopold McClintock. On 6 May 1859 Lieutenant Hobson found, in cairns on King William Island, the only written messages from the missing Franklin expedition ever found. Fox later surveyed for telegraph cables and ended her days with Danish owners, wrecked on the Greenland coast in 1912.
Why she is remembered The ship whose expedition solved part of the Franklin mystery.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United States (official no. 110087)
Rouse Simmons Storm
23 November 1912 · Lake Michigan, 6 miles off Point Beach, Wisconsin
The ship Three-masted schooner (Great Lakes), United States (official no. 110087)
Built Allen, McClelland and Co, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1868
Size 123.5 ft long, 27.6 ft beam; 205 GRT
Aboard 17
Lives lost all 17
Known as the Christmas Tree Ship, she was carrying 5,500 evergreens from Michigan to Chicago when a storm struck. Two seamen were swept overboard checking the deck lashings, and ice, the heavy cargo and winds over 60 mph overwhelmed her.
Why she is remembered The Christmas Tree Ship is commemorated in songs and stage works, and Great Lakes tree shipping by schooner ended by 1920.
The wreck today Found in 1971 by Milwaukee diver Gordon Kent Bellrichard at 172 ft; listed on the US National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Canada
Karluk Ice
holed 10 January 1914, sank 11 January 1914 · Arctic pack ice of the Chukchi Sea region, after drifting west from the Herschel Island area; survivors reached Wrangel Island
The ship Brigantine with auxiliary steam engine (former whaler, expedition ship), Canada
Built Matthew Turner's shipyard, Benicia, California, 1884
Size 129 ft (39 m) long, 23 ft (7.0 m) beam; 321 GRT, 247 NRT; 150 hp auxiliary compound steam engine
Aboard 25 (crew, expedition staff and Inuit hunters)
Lives lost 11 (four on Herald Island, four who set out independently, three on Wrangel Island)
Flagship of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, Karluk was trapped in the pack ice on 13 August 1913 and drifted west for months before being holed on 10 January 1914; she sank the next day. The survivors reached Wrangel Island and were rescued in September 1914.
Why she is remembered A harrowing Arctic survival story told in Bartlett's The Last Voyage of the Karluk (1916) and Jennifer Niven's The Ice Master (2001).
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (originally Norway)
SS Southern Cross Storm
Also known as Pollux (1886 to 1897)
31 March 1914 · off the coast of Newfoundland; exact position uncertain
The ship Barque-rigged steam sealer (Antarctic expedition ship), United Kingdom (originally Norway)
Built designed by Colin Archer, built by Ole Martin Olsen, Arendal, Norway, launched September 1886
Size 146 ft (45 m) long; 520 GRT
Aboard 174
Lives lost all 174
Carsten Borchgrevink's Southern Cross Expedition ship broke through the pack into the Ross Sea in December 1898. From 1901 she joined the Newfoundland seal hunt and in 1914 vanished returning from the hunt; the inquiry found she sank in a blizzard.
Why she is remembered Part of the 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster with the SS Newfoundland; her loss led to 1916 safety legislation for sealers and a folk song, Southern Cross.
The wreck today Never found; no survivors or records recovered.
Sources differ Inquiry blamed a blizzard; oral tradition says rotten planking gave way and the cargo shifted.
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom
Endurance Ice
21 November 1915 (trapped in the ice from 18 January 1915; crew left the ship on 27 October 1915) · Weddell Sea, Antarctica; position per log 68°39′30″S 52°26′30″W; wreck found at 68°44′21″S 52°19′47″W
The ship Three-masted barquentine with auxiliary steam engine (polar expedition ship), United Kingdom
Built Framnaes shipyard, Sandefjord, Norway, launched 17 December 1912
Size 144 ft (44 m) long, 25 ft (7.6 m) beam, 350 GRT; 350 hp coal-fired steam engine, max 10.2 knots
Aboard 28
Lives lost none; all 28 survived and were rescued in 1916
Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition ship was beset in the Weddell Sea pack ice on 18 January 1915 and drifted with it for months. Ice pressure progressively crushed the hull, the crew left her on 27 October 1915, and on 21 November 1915 the wreck fell through the ice and sank. All 28 men survived and were rescued in 1916.
Why she is remembered One of the great survival stories of polar exploration, recorded in Frank Hurley's photographs and books such as Alfred Lansing's Endurance (1959).
The wreck today Found on 5 March 2022 by the Endurance22 expedition at 3,008 m, in a brilliant state of preservation with her name legible on the stern. Protected historic site under the Antarctic Treaty System; protection perimeter widened from 500 m to 1,500 m.
Sources differ Recorded loss position (68°39′30″S 52°26′30″W) differs from the actual wreck position (68°44′21″S 52°19′47″W).
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (originally Norway)
Scotia Fire
Also known as Hekla (1872 to 1902)
18 January 1916 · Bristol Channel, off Sully Island, Glamorgan, Wales
The ship Barque with auxiliary steam (sealer, Antarctic expedition ship), United Kingdom (originally Norway)
Built Jorgensen and Knudsen, Drammen, Norway, 1872; rebuilt by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, 1902
Size 139 ft 6 in (42.5 m) long, 28 ft 9 in beam, 15 ft 6 in depth; 375 GRT
Aboard Crew; all survived
Lives lost none recorded
Bought by William Speirs Bruce in 1902 for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition and strengthened against ice, Scotia sailed in November 1902, wintered frozen in at Laurie Island and returned in July 1904. She was later lost by fire in the Bristol Channel in 1916.
Why she is remembered The Scotia Sea and the Scotia Plate are named after her; she appears on Falkland Islands and British Antarctic Territory stamps.
The wreck today Burnt out off Sully Island; no salvage recorded.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Probably William Speirs Bruce himself, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom
SY Aurora Missing
1917 (posted missing by Lloyd's on 2 January 1918) · en route from Newcastle, New South Wales to Iquique, Chile; lifebelts recovered in the Tasman Sea
The ship Barque-rigged steam yacht (former sealer, polar expedition ship), United Kingdom
Built Alexander Stephen and Sons, Dundee, 1876
Size 165 ft long, 30.5 ft beam; 580 GRT
Lives lost unknown
Aurora served Mawson's and Shackleton's expeditions and in January 1917 rescued seven survivors of the Ross Sea party under Captain John King Davis. Sold, she sailed from Newcastle with coal for Chile in 1917 and vanished. She is believed to have been a war casualty, possibly sunk by a mine laid by the German raider Wolf.
Why she is remembered Shackleton's second Endurance expedition ship, remembered for the rescue of the Ross Sea party.
The wreck today Never found.
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom
Nimrod Storm
January 1919 · Barber Sands off Caister, Norfolk, North Sea
The ship Sealer, Antarctic expedition ship, later collier, United Kingdom
Built launched 1867
Aboard 12
Lives lost 10 (survivors: first mate James Truelsen and boatswain Russell Gregory)
Ernest Shackleton's ship for the 1907 to 1909 Nimrod Expedition towards the South Pole. Carrying 330 tons of coal from Blyth to Calais in a gale, she ran onto the Barber Sands and was holed below the waterline.
Why she is remembered The ship of Ernest Shackleton's 1907 to 1909 Nimrod Expedition, his first Antarctic expedition as leader.
Sources differ The Great Yarmouth Mercury calls her 54 years old in 1919, while Wikipedia gives a launch year of 1867.
Sources Wikipedia · greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk
No free image of this ship has been found yet.
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Norway; later Canada as Baymaud
Maud Ice
Also known as later renamed Baymaud (1925 to 1990)
1930 · Cambridge Bay, Victoria Island, Nunavut, Canada
The ship Oak-hulled polar exploration ship with semi-diesel engine, Norway; later Canada as Baymaud
Built Asker, Norway, launched June 1916 or 17 June 1917
Size 36.5 m long, 12.3 m beam, 4.85 m depth; 292 register tons; 240 hp semi-diesel
Built for Roald Amundsen, Maud completed the Northeast Passage between 1918 and 1924. Sold to the Hudson's Bay Company in 1925 as the supply ship Baymaud, she was frozen in at Cambridge Bay in 1926 and sank at her moorings in 1930, lying just offshore for decades.
Why she is remembered Amundsen's Northeast Passage ship and one of the few polar wrecks to have been raised and brought home.
The wreck today Raised on 31 July 2016 and returned to Norway via the Northwest Passage, arriving at Vollen on 18 August 2018 for a planned museum.
Sources differ Launch date given as June 1916 or 17 June 1917.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Anders Beer Wilse, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Soviet Union
SS Chelyuskin Ice
Also known as Semion Chelyuskin (christened name per source)
13 February 1934 · near Kolyuchin Island, Chukchi Sea, 68.3014°N 172.8278°W, about 50 m deep
The ship Steamship reinforced for ice navigation, Soviet Union
Built Burmeister and Wain, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1933
Size 310.2 ft long, 54.3 ft beam; 7,500 tons; 2,400 hp, 12.5 knots
Aboard 111 at the start; 104 when she sank, including 10 women and 2 children
Lives lost 1 (B. G. Mogilevich, killed by deck cargo during the sinking)
Attempting the Northern Sea Route from Murmansk to Vladivostok, Chelyuskin was beset and crushed by the ice. The survivors built an airstrip on the ice; women and children were flown out on 5 March and the men in April 1934.
Why she is remembered Seven of the rescue pilots were the first people to receive the title Hero of the Soviet Union; the ordeal inspired a documentary, a poem by Marina Tsvetaeva and a 1970 East German TV film.
The wreck today Found in September 2006 at about 50 m in the Chukchi Sea.
Sources differ Source gives 111 aboard initially and 104 at the sinking after 8 were landed at Kolyuchin Island, figures that do not reconcile exactly.
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · France
Pourquoi-Pas? IV Storm
16 September 1936 · Alftanes reefs, Myrar, west Iceland
The ship Three-masted polar and oceanographic research ship, France
Built Chantiers Francois Gautier, Saint-Malo, keel laid 1907, launched 1908
Size 40 m long, 9.2 m beam; 445 tons displacement
Aboard about 38 to 39 (34 crew and 4 to 5 scientists)
Lives lost all but one, including Commander Jean-Baptiste Charcot, aged 69
Returning from Greenland, Charcot's ship was caught in a violent cyclonic storm and driven onto the reefs off Iceland. The only survivor was the master helmsman Eugene Gonidec.
Why she is remembered Jean-Baptiste Charcot's famous polar ship, from 1912 the first training ship of the French Navy; the explorer died in her wreck.
Sources differ French Wikipedia gives 23 confirmed dead and 17 missing plus one survivor, which exceeds its own figure of 38 to 39 aboard.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · Norway; Belgium 1896 to 1916; Norway 1916 to 1940
Belgica War
Also known as Patria (1884 to 1896); Isfjord (1916 to 1917)
1940 (out of service 19 May 1940, scuttled June 1940 per source) · Harstad, northern Norway
The ship Barque-rigged steamship (whaler, Antarctic research ship, later factory ship), Norway; Belgium 1896 to 1916; Norway 1916 to 1940
Built Christian Brinch Jorgensen, Svelvik, Norway, 1884
Size 35.97 m (118 ft) long, 7.62 m (25 ft) beam, 4.11 m draught; 263 GRT
Under Adrien de Gerlache, with Roald Amundsen aboard, Belgica became the first ship to winter in Antarctica in 1898 to 1899 during the Belgian Antarctic Expedition. Requisitioned by the British in April 1940, she was scuttled at Harstad when the Franco-British force evacuated, to prevent her capture.
Why she is remembered First ship to overwinter in Antarctica; her anchor is in the Polar Museum, Tromso, Belgica Rupes on Mercury is named after her, and a replica has been planned.
The wreck today Wreck located in 1990 at Harstad; plans exist to raise her for display at a Belgian maritime museum.
Sources differ Source gives both 19 May 1940 and June 1940 for her loss.
Sources Wikipedia
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom (expedition service)
Terra Nova Other causes
13 September 1943 · off south-west Greenland, 60°15′15″N 45°55′45″W
The ship Wooden-hulled barque with steam engine (whaler, sealer, Antarctic expedition ship), United Kingdom (expedition service)
Built Alexander Stephen and Sons, Dundee, 1884
Size 187 ft long, 31.4 ft beam, 19 ft draught; 764 GRT
Aboard All aboard were rescued
Lives lost none in the sinking
Terra Nova carried Captain Robert Falcon Scott's 1910 to 1913 British Antarctic Expedition; Scott and four companions reached the Pole on 17 January 1912, 34 days after Amundsen, and died on the return. Still working in 1943, she was damaged with water over the boilers and the pumps failing, and after her people were taken off she was sunk by gunfire.
Why she is remembered The ship of Scott's last expedition; her figurehead is at the National Museum of Wales and her bell at the Scott Polar Research Institute.
The wreck today Found in July 2012 by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's RV Falkor; visually surveyed in June 2025 by maritime archaeologists aboard MY Legend.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Herbert Ponting, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and Mysteries of the Sea · United Kingdom during the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition; later Norway
Quest Ice
Also known as Foca I (1917 to 1921); HMS Quest (1940 to 1946)
5 May 1962 · Labrador Sea, about 85 km (53 mi) off the east coast of Labrador
The ship Sealer, expedition ship and wartime minesweeper, United Kingdom during the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition; later Norway
Built Erik Lindstols Batbyggeri, Risor, Norway, 1917
Size 111 ft long, 24 ft beam, 12 ft depth of hold; 209 GRT
Lives lost none; the crew was saved
Quest carried the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, and Sir Ernest Shackleton died aboard her in harbour at South Georgia on 5 January 1922. After service as a sealer and in the Second World War, she was holed by ice and sank while sealing in 1962.
Why she is remembered The ship on which Shackleton died; his cabin is at the Athy Heritage Centre, Ireland, and her crow's nest is in All Hallows by the Tower, London.
The wreck today Found on 9 June 2024 by a team led by John Geiger (Royal Canadian Geographical Society) at 390 m, broadly intact apart from a broken main mast.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unidentified photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Polar Ships and 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
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and 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.
Polar Ships and 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
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