Loud shipwreck. Where is the line between truth and fiction? The largest shipwrecks in history Famous shipwrecks

Ship disasters: 7 largest tragedies (photos, videos) © wikimedia.org

The most famous shipwrecks: the sinking of the Titanic

The story associated with the Titanic became famous among a wide range of the public after the release of the film of the same name. It is noteworthy that the plot of the film was based on real events. It is not known whether the love story discussed in the film was true, but the fact that the ship sank, taking with it a huge number of human lives, is the pure truth.

The Titanic was launched in 1911, on May 31st. At that time, the ship was considered the largest liner in history, and therefore its first voyage took place in a festive atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the Titanic went on open voyage only once. The voyage he was on had been taken by other ships thousands of times before, but in 1912 the ship unexpectedly sank.

The bulky airliner did not survive the collision with the iceberg on April 14. No one could pinpoint the exact reason: either it was an oversight by the workers, or a lack of equipment. One way or another, it took very little time to be completely immersed in water - 160 minutes. This was a shock to the designers, since they had great hopes for the ship, and the size of the liner itself delighted everyone.

There were more than two thousand people on the ship, of whom only 711 survived. The lucky ones told many amazing stories about what they experienced at the moment when they were told about the shipwreck. Unfortunately, there was a catastrophic lack of rescue equipment, which caused mass deaths of passengers.

The story of the Titanic became a sensation, but the most famous shipwrecks do not end there, since many similar events happened in just 100 years.

The worst shipwrecks of the twentieth century

There are other cases in the history of navigation that are striking in their enormity. A grandiose movie was not made about their death, like about the Titanic, but their sinking was just as unexpected for the model developers and the families of the victims.

Remained forever at the bottom of the oceans and seas:

"Yamato";
"Salzburg";
"Bismarck";
"Cap Arcona";
"Junio Maaru."

Great Shipwrecks of History

And several more ships that are well known in world history. One of them is the Wilhelm Gustloff passenger liner, which had only fifty flights.

What is surprising is the cost of tickets. Allow yourself to travel on " Wilhelm Gustloff“even representatives of the poor working class could.

This liner belonged travel company Third Reich. Since the liner was first launched in 1937, it has survived a lot. It saw World War II, during which the Wilhelm Gustloff served as a hospital and later took part in naval battles. On January 30, 1945, this liner was sunk by a Soviet Union torpedo.

Historians believe that there were about 9,000 people on board the liner at the time of the crash, although the official death toll was 5,000.

But the worst shipwrecks did not end with the Wilhelm Gustloff. The Second World War also took another great ship - “ Armenia».

"Armenia" was a passenger and cargo ship that was created in 1928 in the Soviet Union. This ship really had large dimensions and potential. Historians find it difficult to answer how many voyages the ship made, but they know exactly when it sank.

This happened in 1941 near Crimea. "Armenia" was sunk by German aircraft.

Amazing and scary at the same time is the fact that the ship sank under water in just 4 minutes, taking with it 5,000 human lives.

Only eight passengers survived.

Finally

Historical experience has made us realize how important it is to comply with safety conditions when drawing up a plan for the construction and launching of a ship. Nowadays, sea vessels are equipped with a huge number of life-saving devices, which, even in cases of disaster, enable people to survive. Let's hope that necessary measures accepted, and not a single modern ship will be included in the historical record under the name “shipwreck”.

Shipwrecks... Such an incident is always shrouded in an aura of secrets, myths and legends. Famous shipwrecks are black pages of history, which can only be read by looking into depths of the sea. Sadly, majestic giant liners very often become victims of the raging waters of the seas and oceans.

The most famous shipwrecks became public knowledge. Today, there are many unspoken lists that name the most impressive ship disasters in the history of mankind. Below are just a few of those that have gone down in world history.

Wrecked ships

For many, the first thing that comes to mind is a story that shocked the whole world with its tragedy. It dwarfed any other shipwreck. This is the story of the Titanic... Although this story has become overgrown with many guesses and conjectures over time, everyone is still interested in knowing what really happened. The crew was so blinded by the greatness of their ship and its superiority over other ships that for a time everyone became overconfident.

Possible causes of the tragedy

At that time, many said that a ship had finally been built that could not be sunk. But reality turned out to be unpredictable. One night, the ship was traveling at full speed along its route, and the sailors were only able to notice the top of a huge block of ice rising above the surface of the water only at the very last moment. Urgent attempts were made to divert the ship, but it was too late: the ship was wrecked. Almost at full speed, the Titanic hit an iceberg on its starboard side.

The ship breaks in half

Gradually, the lower tiers in the bow compartment of the ship begin to flood. Almost half of the vessel is filled with cold water Atlantic Ocean. A counterweight is created on the ship, causing it to be half submerged in the water. The body cannot withstand the monstrous load and breaks in half. Both parts of the broken ship lose electricity and sink. Eyewitnesses of the tragedy remember that terrible day with trembling, but still some facts remain in the shadows. For example, class discrimination against passengers.

Could more have been saved?

Some witnesses claim that individual lifeboats were only half full of passengers. Only a few people sat in them, and they set sail as quickly as possible, in fear that the boat would overfill and sink. As a result, far fewer passengers were saved than could have been the case. However, we should not forget that heroic deeds also took place that night. Many risked their lives to help others escape. Be that as it may, this disaster has become a symbol of arrogance.

complicated story

Another, no less tragic collision occurred with the ship "Admiral Nakhimov". It became a huge sensation of the twentieth century. A warm August day began with the arrival of a cruise ship at the port. The city of Novorossiysk said goodbye to passengers who were soon to go on an exciting trip. Around the same time, a ship called "Peter Vasev" planned to enter the port. The crews of both ships were warned about each other and had to act carefully; no one had any idea that the ships would soon crash.

Who is guilty and is there any point in finding out now?

As a result of short negotiations, it was decided to disperse at the exit from the port on starboard sides. However, something went wrong, namely the automatic heading system failed. The technology is imperfect, we must never forget this. Shipwrecks are clear evidence of this. When it was noticed that the ship was moving at full speed straight towards the Admiral Nakhimov, the situation almost completely got out of control.

The cargo ship "Peter Vasev" crashed into a passenger liner and made a hole measuring eight by ten meters in its side. in eight minutes. Some of the circumstances under which the ship crashed raised questions among many. Why did the passenger ship sink like a stone if, according to the rules, it must have sufficient buoyancy to stay on the surface of the water for at least an hour after the crash? In addition, information was received that the captain followed the order of the port dispatcher and changed the route of the vessel. There will be many gaps and white spots in this story.

However, the most inconsolable fact is the death of almost half a thousand people. Perhaps the scale of the disaster would not have been so terrible if it had been possible to launch lifeboats. But what could be done in just eight minutes? It takes at least half an hour to arrange for people to board one boat. And this is under favorable conditions.

In the case when the Nakhimov ship crashed, there was neither time nor factors allowing people to escape in lifeboats. Over time after the disaster, it becomes increasingly difficult to find out the true circumstances of the crash. Surely the true facts lie in the depths of the water, so there is no point in speculating, because time, like human lives, cannot be returned back.

These are just two stories, but they are not the only ones. The following list of the most famous shipwrecks will show that the wrecks largest airliners- is far from uncommon.

SS America.
"Discoverer of the World"
"Mediterranean sky"
M. B. Captayannis.
BOS 400.
"Fort Shevchenko".
"Gospel".
"SS Maheno".
"Santa Maria".
"Dimitrios."
"Olympia".

The ships took years to build, solemnly left their native ports into the wind and eventually sank, ran aground, leaving only fragments and piles of iron in their memory.

Such as a fire, water ingress, deterioration of visibility or the situation in general. Well-coordinated crews, guided by experienced captains, cope with problems quickly. Otherwise, marine disasters occur, which take human lives with them and leave their black mark on history.

There are quite a lot of similar disasters and tragedies. However, some of them deserve special attention.

Torpedoing of the mysterious motor ship "Armenia"

The most major disasters Marine incidents happened in the 20th century, mainly during the war years. The most large-scale tragedy of all is the loss of the motor ship "Armenia". The ship was used to transport wounded from the Crimea during the offensive German soldiers. After thousands of wounded were loaded on board the ship in Sevastopol, the ship arrived in Yalta. It was believed that this city was doomed, so the NKVD officers placed several heavy boxes on the ship. There were rumors that they contained gold. This attracted many adventurers subsequently.

On November 7, 1941, the Heinkel He-111 torpedo bomber attacked the ship, after which the ship quickly sank. It is still unknown how many people it carried. Only a rough estimate of the number of victims is given (7-10 thousand people).

It should also be noted that the ship has not yet been found. Since it sailed from the shores of Yalta at a time when the Germans had already entered the city, the captain of the ship did not inform anyone about his further route. Therefore, it is unknown exactly which route “Armenia” moved.

Tragedy on the Baltic Sea

In the Baltic Sea, scuba divers and divers come across sunken ships quite often. But the sinking of the Cap Arcona liner and the Tilbek cargo ship was a tragedy that claimed almost 8,000 lives. It is considered one of the largest maritime disasters.

Both ships were attacked. They were transporting prisoners from concentration camps. Also on board were SS soldiers and a German crew. The latter, by the way, managed to escape. All the rest, mainly those who were dressed in striped uniforms, were shot by German ships.

Thus, British aviation allowed a large-scale disaster that brought absolutely no benefit to the war. In their defense, the British Air Force stated that the bombing occurred by accident, by mistake.

The legendary Titanic

Anyone who studies sunken ships or has heard something about them will invariably associate the story with the Titanic. However, there is nothing mysterious or unique about it. The ship's captain was informed of the threat of icebergs, but decided to ignore the information. Soon he received a message that there was a huge block of ice ahead. There was no time left to change course. Therefore, the captain decided to expose his right side to the attack.

While still in port, the ship received the nickname “unsinkable.” I must say that he corresponded to him a little. Despite the extensive damage received, the ship remained afloat for a long time. During this period, the nearest ship "Carpathia" managed to come to the rescue. That is why more than 700 passengers were saved. There were about 1000 dead.

Thus, if we consider the most “promoted” maritime disasters of the 20th century, the death of the Titanic will be in first place. This is not due to the number of casualties and touching stories of rescue, but to the fact that the nobility traveled on the ship.

Liner "Lusitania"

In 1915, maritime disasters added to their list with the collapse of the British passenger airliner. On May 7, the Lusitania was attacked by a German submarine. The torpedo hit the starboard side, causing a series of explosions. As a result, the ship sank in a matter of moments.

The disaster occurred near Kinsale (Ireland), 13 kilometers away. Probably, such proximity to the mainland allowed a sufficient number of people to escape.

The complete collapse of the airliner occurred in 18 minutes. There were about 2,000 people on board, more than 700 of whom managed to escape. 1,198 passengers and crew members sank along with the wreckage of the former large liner.

By the way, it was with this tragedy that the Anglo-German confrontation on the waters began. Both countries are trying to cause damage, sometimes even “accidentally,” to each other’s maritime fleet.

Nuclear-powered icebreaker "Kursk"

The most recent disaster in the memories of Russians is the death of the Kursk. This tragedy brought misfortune and grief to many families who did not expect to be separated from their loved ones forever. After all, the nuclear-powered icebreaker was only making a training swim.

Sunken submarines have always aroused interest. On August 12, 2000, Kursk was added to their list. On this moment There are 2 reasons for what happened. In the first case, it is believed that a shell exploded in the torpedo compartment. However, no one can say why this happened. In the second case, an attack from the side, more specifically, by the Memphis submarine. As for hiding real reason the death of the Kursk, the government decided to avoid international conflict. One way or another, at the moment there is no exact information as to why the nuclear-powered icebreaker sank.

The tragedy killed 118 people. It turned out to be impossible to help the dying people at the bottom of the Barents Sea. Therefore, no one managed to survive.

The most paradoxical death

The largest maritime disasters are distinguished not only by the large-scale loss of life, but also by their uniqueness. Many of them happen under conditions that at first glance seem completely impossible. A paradoxical disaster is the sinking of the Dona Paz ferry and an oil tanker that occurred at the end of 1987.

The fact is that the captain of the ferry was sitting in his cabin and watching TV, while the ship was controlled by an inexperienced sailor. An oil tanker was sailing towards him, with which a collision occurred a few minutes later. As a result, almost all the passengers were burned alive as a global fire began. It was impossible to escape from the resulting fire trap. More than 80 tons of oil spilled into the sea, after which it immediately ignited. Who would have thought that on water you could die from fire?

Both ships were completely submerged in less than half an hour. There were no survivors; the disaster took 4,375 people.

Conclusion

All marine disasters are tragedies that plunge people into grief and cut short the destinies of people. Physical damage is caused to the fleet, especially if a warship is lost. But there is also moral damage, because no one wants to lose colleagues and brothers in their specialty.

But any one is also a kind of experiment, only unplanned. After the incident, the fleet needs to analyze the situation from all sides, identify the circumstances and causes. Next, measures must be developed to help eliminate the possibility of a recurrence of a specific disaster.

No matter how far scientific and technological progress goes, disasters have happened, are happening and will probably continue to happen for a long time. Some of them could have been avoided, but most of the worst events in the world were inevitable because they happened at the behest of Mother Nature.

The worst plane crash

Collision of two Boeing 747s

Humanity does not know of a more terrible plane crash than the one that occurred on March 27, 1977 on the island of Tenerife, which belongs to the Canary group. On this day, at Los Rodeo airport, a collision occurred between two Boeing 747s, one of which belonged to KLM, the other to Pan American. This terrible tragedy claimed 583 lives. The reasons that led to this disaster are a fatal and paradoxical combination of circumstances.

Los Rodeos airport was seriously overloaded on this ill-fated Sunday. The dispatcher spoke with a strong Spanish accent, and the radio communications suffered from serious interference. Because of this, the Boeing commander, KLM, misinterpreted the command to abort the flight, which became the fatal cause of the collision of two maneuvering aircraft.

Only a few passengers managed to escape through the holes created in the Pan American plane. The wings and tail of another Boeing fell off, which led to a fall one hundred and fifty meters from the accident site, after which it was dragged for another three hundred meters. Both flying cars caught fire.

There were 248 passengers on board the Boeing KLM, none of whom survived. The Pan American plane became the site of the death of 335 people, including the entire crew, as well as the famous model and actress Eve Meyer.

The worst man-made disaster

On July 6, 1988, the worst of all disasters occurred in the North Sea, famous history oil production. It happened on the Piper Alpha oil platform, which was built in 1976. The number of victims was 167 people, the company suffered a loss of about three and a half billion dollars.

The most offensive thing is that the number of victims could have been much lower if not for ordinary human stupidity. There was a large gas leak, followed by an explosion. But instead of stopping the oil supply immediately after the accident began, the maintenance personnel waited for management's command.

The countdown went on for minutes, and soon the entire platform of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation was engulfed in fire, even the living quarters caught fire. Those who could have survived the blast were burned alive. Only those who managed to jump into the water survived.

Worst water accident ever

When the topic of tragedies on the water is raised, one involuntarily recalls the film “Titanic”. Moreover, such a catastrophe really happened. But this shipwreck is not the worst in the history of mankind.

Wilhelm Gustloff

The sinking of the German ship Wilhelm Gustloff is rightfully considered the biggest disaster that occurred on the water. The tragedy occurred on January 30, 1945. Its culprit was a submarine of the Soviet Union, which hit a ship that could accommodate almost 9,000 passengers.

This, at that time, a perfect product of shipbuilding, was made in 1938. It seemed unsinkable and housed 9 decks, restaurants, a winter garden, climate control, gyms, theaters, dance floors, swimming pools, a church and even Hitler’s rooms.

Its length was more than two hundred meters, it could sail half the planet without refueling. The ingenious creation could not sink without outside intervention. And it happened in the person of the crew of the submarine S-13, commanded by A. I. Marinesko. Three torpedoes were fired at the legendary ship. In a matter of minutes he found himself in the depths of the waters Baltic Sea. All crew members were killed, including about 8,000 representatives of the German military elite who were evacuated from Danzig.

Wreck of the Wilhelm Gustloff (video)

The greatest environmental tragedy

Shrunken Aral Sea

Among all environmental disasters, the leading place is occupied by the drying out of the Aral Sea. In their better times it was the fourth largest among all the lakes in the world.

The disaster occurred due to the unreasonable use of water used to water gardens and fields. The drying out was due to the ill-considered political ambitions and actions of the leaders of those times.

Gradually, the coastline moved far into the sea, which led to the extinction of most species of flora and fauna. In addition, droughts began to become more frequent, the climate changed significantly, shipping became impossible, and more than sixty people were left without work.

Where did the Aral Sea disappear: strange symbols on the dry bottom (VIDEO)

Nuclear disaster

What could be worse than a nuclear disaster? The lifeless kilometers of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl region are the embodiment of these fears. The accident occurred in 1986, when one of the power units of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded early on an April morning.

Chernobyl 1986

This tragedy claimed the lives of several hundred tow truck workers, and thousands died over the next ten years. And only God knows how many people were forced to leave their homes...

The children of these people are still born with developmental anomalies. The atmosphere, land and water around the nuclear power plant are contaminated with radioactive substances.

Radiation levels in this region are still thousands of times higher than normal. No one knows how long it will take for people to settle in these places. The scale of this disaster is still not fully known.

Chernobyl accident 1986: Chernobyl, Pripyat - liquidation (VIDEO)

Disaster over the Black Sea: Tu-154 of the Russian Ministry of Defense crashed

Crash of Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Not long ago there was a crash of a Tu-154 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense en route to Syria. It claimed the lives of 64 talented artists of the Alexandrov ensemble, nine famous leading TV channels, the head of a charitable organization - the famous Doctor Lisa, eight military personnel, two civil servants, and all crew members. Total in this terrible plane crash 92 people died.

On this tragic morning in December 2016, the plane refueled in Adler, but unexpectedly crashed just after takeoff. The investigation took a long time, because it was necessary to know what the cause of the Tu-154 crash was.

The commission that investigated the causes of the accident named overloading of the plane, fatigue of the crew and low professional level of training and organization of the flight among the circumstances leading to the disaster.

Results of the investigation into the Tu-154 crash of the Russian Ministry of Defense (VIDEO)

Submarine "Kursk"

The sinking of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, in which 118 people on board were killed, occurred in 2000 in the Barents Sea. This is the second largest accident in the history of the Russian submarine fleet after the disaster on the B-37.

On August 12, as planned, preparations for training attacks began. The last written confirmed actions on the boat were recorded at 11.15.

A few hours before the tragedy, the crew commander was informed about the cotton, which he did not pay attention to. Then the boat shook violently, which was attributed to the activation of the radar station antenna. After that, the boat captain no longer contacted us. At 23.00 the situation on the submarine was declared as an emergency, which was reported to the leadership of the fleet and the country. The next morning, as a result of search operations, the Kursk was found at the bottom of the sea at a depth of 108 m.

The official version of the cause of the tragedy is the explosion of a training torpedo, which occurred as a result of a fuel leak.

Submarine Kursk: what really happened? (VIDEO)

Wreck of the ship "Admiral Nakhimov"

Crash passenger ship“Admiral Nakhimov” happened in August 1981 near Novorossiysk. There were 1,234 people on board the ship, 423 of whom lost their lives on that fateful day. It is known that Vladimir Vinokur and Lev Leshchenko were late for this flight.

At 23:12, the ship collided with the dry cargo ship "Petr Vasev", as a result of which the electric generator was flooded and the light went out on the "Nakhimov". The ship became uncontrollable and continued to move forward by inertia. As a result of the collision, a hole of up to eighty square meters was formed in the starboard side. Panic began among the passengers; many climbed onto the left side and thus descended into the water.

Almost a thousand people ended up in the water, and they were also dirty with fuel oil and paint. Eight minutes after the collision, the ship sank.

Steamship Admiral Nakhimov: shipwreck - Russian Titanic (VIDEO)

Oil platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico

The worst environmental disasters in the world in 2010 were joined by another one that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, eighty kilometers from Louisiana. This is one of the most dangerous man-made accidents for the environment. It happened on April 20 on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.

As a result of pipe rupture, about five million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

A spot measuring 75,000 square meters formed in the bay. km, which amounted to five percent of its total area. The disaster took the lives of 11 people and injured 17.

Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico (VIDEO)

Concordia crash

On January 14, 2012, the list of the worst incidents in the world was supplemented with one more. Near Italian Tuscany a cruise ship The Costa Concordia ran into a rock ledge, resulting in a hole seventy meters in size. At this time, most of the passengers were in the restaurant.

The right side of the liner began to submerge in the water, then it was thrown onto a sandbank 1 km from the crash site. There were more than 4,000 people on the ship who were evacuated throughout the night, but not everyone was saved: 32 people were still killed and a hundred were injured.

Costa Concordia – the crash through the eyes of eyewitnesses (VIDEO)

Eruption of Krakatoa in 1883

Natural disasters show how insignificant and helpless we are in the face of natural phenomena. But all the most terrible disasters in the world - nothing compared to the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano, which occurred in 1883.

On May 20, a large smoke column could be seen above the Krakatoa volcano. At that moment, even at a distance of 160 kilometers from him, the windows of houses began to tremble. All the nearby islands were covered with a thick layer of dust and pumice.

Eruptions continued until August 27. The final explosion culminated in sound waves that circled the entire planet several times. At that moment, the compasses on the ships sailing in the Sunda Strait stopped showing correctly.

These explosions led to the submersion of the entire northern part of the island. The seabed rose as a result of the eruptions. Much ash from the volcano remained in the atmosphere for another two to three years.

The tsunami, which was thirty meters high, washed away about three hundred settlements and killed 36,000 people.

The most powerful eruption of Krakatoa Volcano (VIDEO)

Earthquake in Spitak in 1988

On December 7, 1988, the list of “Best Disasters in the World” was replenished with another one that occurred in the Armenian Spitak. On this tragic day, tremors literally “wiped” this city from the face of the earth in just half a minute, destroying Leninakan, Stepanavan and Kirovakan beyond recognition. In total, twenty-one cities and three hundred and fifty villages were affected.

In Spitak itself, the earthquake had a force of ten, Leninakan was struck by a force of nine, and Kirovakan was struck by a force of eight, and almost the rest of Armenia was hit by a force of six. Seismologists estimate that this earthquake released the energy equivalent to the force of ten exploding atomic bombs. The wave that this tragedy caused was recorded by scientific laboratories almost all over the world.

This natural disaster deprived 25,000 people of their lives, 140,000 of their health, and 514,000 of their homes. Forty percent of the republic's industry was out of order, schools, hospitals, theaters, museums, cultural centers, roads and railways were destroyed.

Military personnel, doctors, and public figures throughout the country and abroad, both near and far, were called to help. Humanitarian aid was actively collected around the world. Tents, field kitchens and first aid stations were set up throughout the area affected by the tragedy.

The saddest and most instructive thing in this situation is that the scale and victims of this terrible disaster could have been many times smaller if seismic activity of this region was taken into account and all buildings were erected taking these features into account. The lack of preparedness of the rescue services also contributed.

Tragic days: earthquake in Spitak (VIDEO)

2004 Tsunami Indian Ocean - Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka

In December 2004, a devastating tsunami of terrible force caused by an underwater earthquake hit the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and other countries. Huge waves devastated the area and killed 200,000 people. The most annoying thing is that most of the dead are children, since in this region there is a high proportion of children to the population, moreover, children are physically weaker and less able to resist water than an adult.

Aceh province in Indonesia suffered the greatest losses. Almost all buildings there were destroyed, 168,000 people died.

Geographically, this earthquake was simply huge. Up to 1200 kilometers of rock have moved. The shift occurred in two phases with an interval of two to three minutes.

The number of victims turned out to be so high because along the entire coast Indian Ocean there was no general warning system.

There is nothing worse than disasters and tragedies that deprive people of life, shelter, health, destroy industry and everything that a person has worked on for many years. But it often turns out that the number of casualties and destruction in such situations could have been much less if everyone had been conscientious about their professional responsibilities; in some cases, it was necessary to provide for an evacuation plan and a warning system in advance local residents. Let's hope that in the future humanity will find a way to avoid such terrible tragedies or reduce the damage from them.