The supercarrier Chandragupta sank in a January storm in the Pacific Ocean. 68 crewmembers died with the ship, which left an enormous trail of wreckage in the water, scattered over a 36-mile (58 km) area.[1] Researchers ascribed the cause of an incident to an encounter with a rogue wave.[2] This is one of the 22 supercarriers believed to have been sunk by rogue waves from 1968 to 1995, and the incident associated with the greatest loss of life.
7 January
List of shipwrecks: 7 January 1978
Ship
State
Description
Bolero
Honduras
Sank in the Black Sea off Kilyos, Turkey.[3]
12 January
List of shipwrecks: 12 January 1978
Ship
State
Description
Function
United Kingdom
The vessel grounded on the quayside at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk due to surge tide.[4] The ship was cut up for scrap later that month.[5]
Gloriosa
Cyprus
The cargo ship foundered off the coast of Norfolk, United Kingdom. Five crew were killed.[4]
Holmar
Netherlands
The coaster capsized and sank 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) north east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire with the loss of five crew.[4]
Sea Diamond
Greece
The cargo ship foundered off Lowestoft, Suffolk with the loss of seven crew.[4]
The destroyer was driven ashore on the coast of Brittany, France. A total of 233 crew were removed by a French coast guard helicopter. A French tug refloated the ship.[6]
The oil rig, being towed on a barge, ran aground at Guernsey, Channel Islands, when the tow broke in a storm. Her crew were rescued by the St. Peter Port Lifeboat and Royal Navy helicopters.[7]
The tanker ran aground on Portsall Rocks, three nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) off the coast of Brittany, and was wrecked. She was loaded with 255,000 tonnes of crude oil.
Under tow by the fishing vesselPacific Sea (United States) after drifting for three days after her engine failed, the double-ended fishing vessel capsized and sank on the west side of Cape Suckling (59°59′30″N143°53′00″W / 59.99167°N 143.88333°W / 59.99167; -143.88333 (Cape Suckling)) on the south-central coast of Alaska after a huge wave struck her broadside. Pacific Sea rescued her crew of two.[21]
The tanker collided with the bulk carrier Roseline (France) off the Norfolk coast and capsized, remaining afloat for a number of days afterwards.[22] The bow section was blown up and sunk on 1 June.[23] About 5,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil were spilt.[24]
The bowpicker was destroyed by fire and abandoned in the Copper River Flats near Pete Dahl Slough (60°23′N145°27′W / 60.383°N 145.450°W / 60.383; -145.450 (Pete Dahl Slough)) on the south-central coast of Alaska.[27]
The 21-foot (6.4 m) vessel was destroyed by fire on the east coast of Crooked Island (57°46′30″N152°23′30″W / 57.77500°N 152.39167°W / 57.77500; -152.39167 (Crooked Island)) in the Kodiak Archipelago near Kodiak, Alaska. A Kodiak Western Airlines Grumman Gooseflying boat rescued her entire crew of three.[28]
The troller sank in heavy seas off Cape Lynch (55°47′N133°42′W / 55.783°N 133.700°W / 55.783; -133.700 (Cape Lynch)) on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska.[29]
The gillnetter sank off of “The Castle” (60°20′N145°12′W / 60.333°N 145.200°W / 60.333; -145.200 (The Castle)) on the Copper River Flats on the south-central coast of Alaska.[29]
The 70-foot (21.3 m) vessel sank off the Aleutian Islands 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) from Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The vessels Cape Lynch and Crystal (both United States) rescued her crew.[30]
The collier capsized off Cowes, Isle of Wight (52°42′N1°28′W / 52.700°N 1.467°W / 52.700; -1.467) and was towed to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. She sank the next day.[32][33]
The 30-foot (9.1 m) fishing vessel burned and sank in Whale Pass (57°56′N152°50′W / 57.933°N 152.833°W / 57.933; -152.833 (Whale Pass)) in the Kodiak Archipelago between Kodiak Island and Whale Island.[21]
The Bayliner Sport Cruiser ran aground in Strawberry Channel 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) from Point Bentinck (60°24′N146°00′W / 60.400°N 146.000°W / 60.400; -146.000 (Point Bentinck)) off the south-central coast of Alaska and capsized in the surf. The only person on board died.[30]
The 75-foot (22.9 m) vessel sank with the loss of one life southwest of Puale Bay (57°41′N155°29′W / 57.683°N 155.483°W / 57.683; -155.483 (Puale Bay)) on the coast of the Alaska Peninsula in Alaska. The vessel Cape Fairwell (United States) rescued her three survivors. Jeffery Allen was salvaged in October 1979.[36]
The coaster collided with Macasse (Ivory Coast) and sank in the Seine 16 nautical miles (30 km) downstream of Rouen, France with the loss of four of her five crew.[37][38]
The tanker collided with the bulk carrier Maroudio (Greece) and sank off Ouessant, France. The bulk carrier August Pacific (United Kingdom) washed out her tanks in the area where the accident occurred. She was forced to stop by L'Alerte (Marine Nationale) after ignoring demands from the dredger Baccarat (France) to stop. Her captain was fined ₣50,000 (then £5,800) for illegally discharging the oil.[41]
The cargo ship collided with Dignity (Greece) 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) off Oporto, Portugal and sank with the loss of eleven of her 24 crew.[44]
The 42-foot (12.8 m) vessel was stranded and sank in Danger Bay, also known as Kazakof Bay (58°06′N152°55′W / 58.100°N 152.917°W / 58.100; -152.917 (Kazakof Bay)) on the coast of Afognak in the Kodiak Archipelago off the coast of Alaska. The United States Coast Guard rescued her two-man crew.[30]
The 37-gross register ton, 39-foot (11.9 m) crab-fishing vessel capsized and sank with the loss of two lives in Geese Channel (56°45′N153°53′W / 56.750°N 153.883°W / 56.750; -153.883 (Geese Channel)) off Aiaktalik Island (56°42′27″N154°03′24″W / 56.7075°N 154.0568°W / 56.7075; -154.0568 (Aiaktalik Island)) in the Kodiak Archipelago off Alaska. The lone survivor was rescued from the island on 13 October by the fishing vessel Moonsong (United States).[21]
While under tow, the 27-foot (8.2 m) vessel sank without loss of life off Spruce Island in the Kodiak Archipelago near Monashka Bay on Kodiak Island.[30]
The wreck of Cuyahoga when she was refloated on 29 October 1978.The cutter sank with the loss of 11 lives after colliding with the tanker Santa Cruz II (Argentina) in the Chesapeake Bay. There were 18 survivors. She was refloated on 29 October 1978 and scuttled on 29 March 1979 to form an artificial reef.
The tug sank without loss of life in Herring Bay (57°07′N134°22′W / 57.117°N 134.367°W / 57.117; -134.367 (Herring Bay)) on Frederick Sound in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska after logs she was towing broke loose in heavy weather and tore her stern open. Another tug rescued her crew.[50][52]
After she struck a rock and flooded, the charter boat was towed to Bass Harbor (60°37′30″N147°24′30″W / 60.62500°N 147.40833°W / 60.62500; -147.40833 (Bass Harbor)) on the coast of Naked Island (60°39′10″N147°24′47″W / 60.6528°N 147.4130°W / 60.6528; -147.4130 (Naked Island)) in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska, where she was stripped and burned.[58]
While carrying a cargo of construction materials to a cannery, the 117-foot (35.7 m) former landing craft sank 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) off of Wide Bay (57°22′N156°11′W / 57.367°N 156.183°W / 57.367; -156.183 (Wide Bay)) on the south-central coast of Alaska. The United States Coast Guard rescued her crew of six from a life raft.[58]
The yacht was seized by the Kampuchean Navy for drug smuggling. She reportedly was scuttled and her two crewmen were executed by being burned alive.[63]
The 58-foot (17.7 m) vessel sank in 120 feet (37 m) of water in Alaska′s Kodiak Archipelago near Two Headed Island (56°54′N153°35′W / 56.900°N 153.583°W / 56.900; -153.583 (Two Headed Island)). Two survivors were rescued on 14 December.[27]
The cargo ship was wrecked on Shab Abu Reef near the Straits of Gubal. The vessel Interusja (flag unknown) rescued her cew. Kimon M. slid off the reef and sank some days later.[66]
The troller dragged her anchor during a storm, struck a rock, and sank off the west coast of Chichagof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska near White Sulfur Hot Springs (57°48′25″N136°20′45″W / 57.80694°N 136.34583°W / 57.80694; -136.34583 (White Sulfur Hot Springs)). The only person aboard reached shore in a skiff; the fishing vesselMidnight Charger (United States) rescued him five weeks later.[69]
The 197-gross register ton, 106-foot (32.3 m) tug sank in Katlian Bay (57°09′N135°23′W / 57.150°N 135.383°W / 57.150; -135.383 (Katlian Bay)) in Southeast Alaska sometime prior to 1979, i.e, in 1978 or earlier.[21]
^"No Trace Found of 74 Who Abandoned Vessel". The Los Angeles Times. 7 January 1978. p. I-3. Retrieved 17 April 2024. The last report Thursday night was that the No. 1 hatch was gone, the ship was taking on water and they were abandoning it...
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