List of shipwrecks in 1914
Encyclopedia
The list of shipwrecks in 1914 includes some ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1914. The website http://www.wrecksite.eu/Wrecksite.aspx records 460 ships lost in 1914.
10 January
- Karluk : Crushed by ice and sank off Herald IslandHerald Island (Arctic)Herald Island or Gerald Island is a small, isolated Russian island in the Chukchi Sea, to the east of Wrangel Island. It rises in sheer cliffs, making it quite inaccessible, either by ship or by plane. The only sliver of shoreline is at its northwestern point, where the cliffs have crumbled into...
during the Canadian Arctic ExpeditionCanadian Arctic Expedition 1913-1916The Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913–1916 was organized and led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson. The expedition was divided into a Northern Party led by Stefansson, and a Southern Party led by R M. Anderson. The objective of the Northern Party was to explore for new land north and west of the known lands...
.
18 January
- : Sank in Whitesand BayWhitesand BayWhitesand Bay is a wide sandy beach in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It stretches for one mile north from Sennen Cove.Whitesand Bay beach is popular with surfers...
, CornwallCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
with the loss of 11 lives.
17 February
- (
Belgium): Captured and sunk by 30 nautical miles (55.6 km) west of Belle IsleBelle Isle- Places :In Canada* Belle Isle , an island and strait In England, UK* Belle Isle, an area of Leeds, West Yorkshire* Belle Isle , an island in Lake District, Cumbria...
.
15 March
- Barque Trifolium (
Sweden) at Whitesand BayWhitesand BayWhitesand Bay is a wide sandy beach in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It stretches for one mile north from Sennen Cove.Whitesand Bay beach is popular with surfers...
, Sennen, Cornwall, United Kingdom; six crewmen saved, five were drowned
19 March
- Africa ( Belgium) wrecked at Zaccarossa, SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Refloated on 2 February 1915 then scrapped.
31 March
- (
Canada): Sank off the east coast of Canada with the loss of 173 lives.
28 April
- (
German Empire): collided with ( German Empire) and sank in the River ElbeElbeThe Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, GlückstadtGlückstadtGlückstadt is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona...
.
1 May
- ( German Empire): Struck wreck of ( German Empire) and sank in the River ElbeElbeThe Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
at GlückstadtGlückstadtGlückstadt is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona...
with the loss of two crew. Later raised, repaired and returned to service.
28 May
29 May
- : TorpedoTorpedoThe modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sunk by U-27 off BorkumBorkumBorkum is an island and a municipality in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany.-Geography:Borkum is bordered to the west by the Westerems strait , to the east by the Osterems strait, to the north by the North Sea, and to the south by the Wadden Sea...
with the loss of 28 lives.
21 June
- : Scuttled at Novorossisk to prevent capture by Germany.
5 August
- : Scuttled in the Heligoland BightHeligoland BightThe Heligoland Bight, also known as Helgoland Bight, is a bay which forms the southern part of the German Bight, itself a bay of the North Sea, located at the mouth of the Elbe river...
.
6 August
- : Struck a mineNaval mineA naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
and sank with the loss of about 170 lives.
9 August
- U-15 : Rammed by and sunk off Fair IsleFair IsleFair Isle is an island in northern Scotland, lying around halfway between mainland Shetland and the Orkney islands. It is famous for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting.-Geography:...
with the loss of 23 lives.
26 August
- (
Germany): Scuttled during the Battle of Rio de OroBattle of Rio de OroThe Battle of Río de Oro was a single-ship action fought in August of 1914 during the First World War. The British protected cruiser HMS Highflyer attacked the German auxiliary cruiser SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse off the small Spanish Saharan territory of Río de Oro.-Background:Under the command...
, Western SaharaWestern SaharaWestern Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
. - : Ran aground and sank off Odensholm, EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
with the loss of 15 lives.
28 August
- : Sunk in the Battle of Heligoland Bight.
- : Sunk in the Battle of Heligoland Bight with the loss of 484 lives.
- : Sunk in the Battle of Heligoland Bight with the loss of 89 lives.
Unknown date
- ( Canada): Wrecked on Butterworth Rocks, South Dundas Island, British Colombia. Later salvaged, repaired and converted to tug J R Morgan.
8 September
- Ran aground off FoulaFoulaFoula in the Shetland Islands of Scotland is one of Great Britain’s most remote permanently inhabited islands. Owned since the turn of the 20th century by the Holbourn family, the island was the location for the film The Edge of the World...
, Shetland IslandsShetland IslandsShetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
, a total loss.
10 September
- (
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): Captured at sea by and scuttled after all crew had been taken onboard.
13 September
- : Torpedoed and sunk by southwest of HeligolandHeligolandHeligoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea.Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands are located in the Heligoland Bight in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea...
with the loss of two lives.
14 September
- : Sunk in a battle with with the loss of 51 lives.
17 September
- : Sank in a storm off Portland BillPortland BillPortland Bill is a narrow promontory of Portland stone, which forms the most southerly part of Isle of Portland, and therefore also the county of Dorset, England....
with the loss of 21 lives.
20 September
- : Sunk by in ZanzibarZanzibarZanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
harbour with the loss of 38 lives. - : Driven ashore between MargateMargate-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
and Westgate-on-SeaWestgate-on-SeaWestgate-on-Sea is a seaside town in northeast Kent, England, with a population of 6,600. It is within the Thanet local government district and borders the larger seaside resort of Margate...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
22 September
- AboukirHMS Aboukir (1900)HMS Aboukir was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Govan, Scotland in 1902.-First World War:...
: Torpedoed and sunk by U-9 off the Dutch coast. 527 lives lost. - CressyHMS Cressy (1899)HMS Cressy was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser in the Royal Navy. Cressy was sunk by the German U-boat U-9 in September 1914.-Service history:...
: Torpedoed and sunk by U-9 off the Dutch coast. - HogueHMS Hogue (1900)HMS Hogue was a Cressy-class armoured cruiser in the Royal Navy. Hogue was sunk by the German U-boat U-9 on 22 September 1914.-Service history:...
: Torpedoed and sunk by U-9 off the Dutch coast.
8 October
- ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) captured by at 0°40′S 29°40′W and scuttled.
10 October
- SchoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Alma A. E. HolmesAlma A. E. Holmes (ship)The Alma A. E. Holmes was a four masted schooner that was used to transport coal. She sank on October 10, 1914 following a collision with the steamer Belfast.-The ship:...
(
United States): Sank after collision with SS Belfast.
11 October
- Pallada : Torpedoed and sunk by U-26SM U-26SM U-26 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-26 was engaged in the Naval warfare of World War I in the Baltic Sea...
with the loss of 597 lives.
15 October
- : Torpedoed and sunk by U-9 .
20 October
- ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): Stopped by U-17, searched and sunk under prize rules, crew allowed to take to lifeboats.
27 October
- AudaciousHMS Audacious (1912)HMS Audacious was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy. The vessel did not see any combat in the First World War, being sunk by a German naval mine off the northern coast of Donegal, Ireland in 1914.- Design :...
(: Sunk near Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
by a mine laid by .
28 October
- ZhemchugRussian cruiser ZhemchugZhemchug was the second vessel in a two-vessel protected cruisers built for the Imperial Russian Navy. Her name can be translated to mean “Pearl”.-Background:...
: Torpedoed and sunk by during the Battle of PenangBattle of PenangThe Battle of Penang occurred on 28 October 1914, during World War I. It was a naval action in the Strait of Malacca, in which the German cruiser sank two Allied warships.-Background:...
, Straits Settlement with the loss of 89 lives.
30 October
- Rohilla (
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): Struck Whitby Rock, off Saltwick and sank with the loss of 85 lives.
31 October
- : Torpedoed and sunk by U-27 with the loss of 22 lives.
1 November
- : Sank at the Battle of CoronelBattle of CoronelThe First World War naval Battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. German Kaiserliche Marine forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee met and defeated a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher...
off the coast of Chile. - : Sank at the Battle of CoronelBattle of CoronelThe First World War naval Battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. German Kaiserliche Marine forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee met and defeated a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher...
off the coast of Chile. Combined loss of 1570 with no survivors from either ship.
3 November
- : Hit a mine and sank off Great YarmouthGreat YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
with the loss of 20 lives.
4 November
- : Suffered and internal explosion and sank.
- : Struck a mine and sank with the loss of 336 lives.
17 November
- : Hit a mine and sank of MemelKlaipedaKlaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County....
, LithuaniaLithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
with the loss of eight lives.
25 November
- : Rammed and sunk by a German patrol boat off BorkumBorkumBorkum is an island and a municipality in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany.-Geography:Borkum is bordered to the west by the Westerems strait , to the east by the Osterems strait, to the north by the North Sea, and to the south by the Wadden Sea...
with the loss of 25 lives.
26 November
- : Sunk by an internal explosion off SheernessSheernessSheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
with the loss of 738 lives.
8 December
- : Sunk during the Battle of the Falkland IslandsBattle of the Falkland IslandsThe Battle of the Falkland Islands was a British naval victory over the Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 during the First World War in the South Atlantic...
with the loss of 588 lives. - : Sunk during the Battle of the Falkland Islands with the loss of 268 lives.
- : Sunk during the Battle of the Falkland Islands.
- : Sunk during the Battle of the Falkland Islands with the loss of 860 lives.
13 December
- Mesudiye : Torpedoed and sunk by with the loss of 37 lives.
18 December
- U-5 : Sank off BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
with the loss of 29 lives.
20 December
- ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): Wrecked on the Goodwin SandsGoodwin SandsThe Goodwin Sands is a 10-mile-long sand bank in the English Channel, lying six miles east off Deal in Kent, England. The Brake Bank lying shorewards is part of the same geological unit. As the shoals lie close to major shipping channels, more than 2,000 ships are believed to have been wrecked...
, off the coast of KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Unknown date
- ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): Sunk as a blockshipBlockshipA blockship is a ship deliberately sunk to prevent a river, channel, or canal from being used.It may either be sunk by a navy defending the waterway to prevent the ingress of attacking enemy forces, as in the case of HMS Hood at Portland Harbour; or it may be brought by enemy raiders and used to...
, Scapa FlowScapa Flowright|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, Orkney IslandsOrkney IslandsOrkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
. Raised and scrapped in 1919.