List of shipwrecks in 1978

The list of shipwrecks in 1978 includes all ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1978.

table of contents

1978
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr
May	Jun	Jul	Aug
Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Unknown date

January

7 January

List of shipwrecks: 7 January 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Bolero	Honduras	Sank in the Black Sea off Kilyos, Turkey.[1]

12 January

List of shipwrecks: 12 January 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Function	United Kingdom	Grounded on the quayside at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk due to surge tide.[2] Ship cut up for scrap later that month.[3]
Holmar	Netherlands	The coaster capsized and sank 15 nautical miles (28 km) north east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire with the loss of five crew.[2]
Sea Diamond	Greece	The cargo ship foundered off Lowestoft, Suffolk with the loss of seven crew.[2]
MV Gloriosa	Cyprus	The cargo ship foundered off the coast of Norfolk, United Kingdom. Five crew killed.[2]

13 January

List of shipwrecks: 13 January 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Duperré	Marine Nationale	The destroyer was driven ashore off the coast of Brittany. A total of 233 crew removed by French Coastguard helicopter. Ship refloated by a French tug.[4]

26 January

List of shipwrecks: 26 January 1978

Ship	Country	Description
USS Ross	United States Navy	The Fletcher-class destroyer was sunk as a target off Puerto Rico.

February

2 February

List of shipwrecks: 2 February 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Orion	United Kingdom	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.[5]

3 February

List of shipwrecks: 3 February 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Maria Dormio	Italy	The cargo ship sprang a leak an sank in the Tyrrhenian Sea 56 nautical miles (104 km) south west of Cape Miseno.[6]

23 February

List of shipwrecks: 23 February 1978

Ship	Country	Description
USS Rowe	United States Navy	The Fletcher-class destroyer was sunk as a target off Puerto Rico.

March

16 March

List of shipwrecks: 16 March 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Amoco Cadiz	France	Amoco Cadiz. Ran aground on Portsall Rocks, 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) off the coast of Brittany, loaded with 255,000 tonnes of crude oil.

23 March

List of shipwrecks: 23 March 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Kronos	Greece	struck by MV Romanza whilst berthed at Piraeus. Declared a constructive total loss.

April

1 April

List of shipwrecks: 1 April 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Federal St Laurent	Liberia	Collision with Chimo and grounded at Grondines, Quebec, Canada. Refloated on 4 April and returned to service.[7]

7 April

List of shipwrecks: 7 April 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Astron	Soviet Union	Astron, 2008. The cargo ship ran aground at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and was wrecked.

14 April

List of shipwrecks: 14 April 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Henrietta B	Denmark	The coaster foundered 50 nautical miles (93 km) off The Lizard, Cornwall. All thirteen crew rescued by a French warship.[8]

May

6 May

List of shipwrecks: 6 May 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Eleni V	Greece	The tanker collided with bulk carrier Roseline ( France) off the Norfolk coast and capsized, remaining afloat for a number of days afterwards.[9] Bow section blown up and sunk on 1 June.[10] About 5,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil were spilt.[11]

12 May

List of shipwrecks: 12 May 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Zeehaan	South Africa	Foundered at 20°42′S 12°46′E / 20.700°S 12.767°E.[12]

June

13 June

List of shipwrecks: 13 June 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Yellowstone	United States	The bulk carrier collided with cargo ship Ibn Batouta ( Algeria) and sank off Gibraltar.[13]

17 June

List of shipwrecks: 17 June 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Whippoorwill	United States	The tourist boat capsized on Pomona Lake in Franklin County, Kansas, after a tornado hit her. Sixteen of the 58 people on board drowned.

28 June

List of shipwrecks: 28 June 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Margaret Smith	United Kingdom	Sank off Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.

July

8 July

List of shipwrecks: 8 July 1978

Ship	Country	Description
USS Sealion	United States Navy	The Balao-class submarine was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean off Newport, Rhode Island.

23 July

List of shipwrecks: 23 July 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Jayawang	Singapore	Sank off Bangkok, Thailand. Raised in November 1979 and moved to new anchorage but sank again.

30 July

List of shipwrecks: 30 July 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Locuste	French Navy	The Aloe-class net laying ship struck a reef in the Pacific Ocean off Cikobia Island, Fiji, and sank.

August

24 August

List of shipwrecks: 24 August 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Mary Weston	United Kingdom	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.[14][15]

27 August

List of shipwrecks: 27 August 1978

Ship	Country	Description
USS Cree	United States Navy	The decommissioned Cherokee-class fleet tug was sunk as a target.

September

1 September

List of shipwrecks: 1 September 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Jolly Azzuro	Panama	The cargo ship collided with Atlantico ( Spain) in the Strait of Gibraltar and sank. Atlantico sustained severe damage to her bows.[16]

8 September

List of shipwrecks: 8 September 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Bandeirante	Norway	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.[17]

20 September

List of shipwrecks: 20 September 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Angel	Japan	The cargo ship collided with Dignity ( Greece) 45 nautical miles (83 km) off Oporto, Portugal and sank with the loss of eleven of her 24 crew.[18]

October

3 October

List of shipwrecks: 3 October 1978

Ship	Country	Description
HMCS Kapuskasing	Canadian Forces Maritime Command	The Algerine-class minesweeper was sunk as a target.

12 October

List of shipwrecks: 12 October 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Christos Bitas	Greece	The tanker ran aground off the coast of Dyfed, Wales.[19]

18 October

List of shipwrecks: 18 October 1978

Ship	Country	Description
HMS Eagle	Royal Navy	The aircraft carrier ran aground at Loch Ryan on her way to the breaker's yard. Later refloated and scrapped.[20]
USS Mackerel	United States Navy	The T-1-class submarine was sunk as a target off Puerto Rico.

20 October

List of shipwrecks: 20 October 1978

Ship	Country	Description
USCGC Cuyahoga	United States Coast Guard	Sank after collision with tanker Santa Cruz II ( Argentina).

30 October

List of shipwrecks: 30 October 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Nico Primo	Italy	The cargo ship sank in the Peloponnesus with the loss of eight of her nine crew.[21]

31 October

List of shipwrecks: 31 October 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Christos Bitas	Greece	The tanker was scuttled 320 nautical miles (590 km) west of Fastnet Rock, United Kingdom.[22]

November

16 November

List of shipwrecks: 16 November 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Manureva	France	The sailboat disappeared along with her captain, Alain Colas, in the Atlantic Ocean near the Azores after Colas sent a final message on this date.

December

13 December

List of shipwrecks: 13 December 1978

Ship	Country	Description
München	West Germany	Sunk in the Atlantic Ocean in a severe storm

30 December

List of shipwrecks: 30 December 1978

Ship	Country	Description
Ben Asdale	United Kingdom	Fishing trawler wrecked in a blizzard off Falmouth, Cornwall. Three men drowned.[23]

Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1978

Ship	Country	Description
HMS Undaunted	Royal Navy	The decommissioned U and V-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean by an Exocet missile fired by the destroyer HMS Norfolk and a torpedo fired by the submarine HMS Swiftsure (both  Royal Navy).

References

1. "Belgian Merchant P-Z" (PDF). Belgische Koopvaardij. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
2. "Storms wreak havoc" The Times (London). Friday, 13 January 1978. (60209), col C, p. 1.
3. "Three die after worst snow of winter" The Times (London). Friday, 20 January 1978. (60215), col D,E, p. 1.
4. "French Navy ship rescued in storm off Brittany" The Times (London). Saturday, 14 January 1978. (60310), col B,C, p. 4.
5. Howarth, Patrick. Lifeboat In Danger's Hour. London, New York, Sydney, Toronto: Hamlyn. p. 120. ISBN 0 600 34959 4.
6. Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. not cited. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
7. "Belgian Merchant A-G" (PDF). Belgische Koopvaardij. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
8. "Brittany oil coaster sinks off The Lizard" The Times (London). Saturday, 15 April 1978. (60277), col A, p. 1.
9. "Difficulty of ship control in N Sea" The Times (London). Tuesday, 9 May 1978. (60296), col G, p. 6.
10. "Navy had no intention of destroying Eleni V hulk" The Times (London). Friday, 2 June 1978. (60317), col G, p. 4.
11. Eleni V
12. "Belgian Merchant H-O" (PDF). Belgische Koopvaardij. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
13. "Holed American ship sinks" The Times (London). Wednesday, 14 June 1978. (60327), col D, p. 6.
14. "Little hope for crew in sunken ship" The Times (London). Friday, 25 August 1978. (60389), col C, p. 1.
15. "British ship sank in one minute" The Times (London). Saturday, 26 August 1978. (60390), col D, p. 3.
16. "Cargo ship sinks after collision" The Times (London). Saturday, 2 September 1978. (60396), col G, p. 3.
17. "French fine British captain for pollution" The Times (London). Tuesday, 12 September 1978. (60404), col F,G, p. 5.
18. "11 missing in collision off Oporto" The Times (London). Thursday, 20 September 1978. (60412), col A, p. 6.
19. "Gales forecast as salvage team battles against time to save stricken tanker" The Times (London). Tuesday, 17 October 1978. (60434), col D, p. 1.
20. "HMS Eagle runs aground on way to breaker's yard" The Times (London). Thursday, 19 October 1978. (60436), col D, p. 1.
21. "Eight crew missing" The Times (London). Tuesday, 31 October 1978. (60446), col A, p. 7.
22. "Master of sunk tanker says he dumped oil" The Times (London). Wednesday, 1 November 1978. (60447), col A, p. 5.
23. Mitchell, Peter. "Ben Asdale". Submerged. Retrieved 14 April 2012.

See also

Ship events in 1978
Ship launches:	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Ship commissionings:	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Ship decommissionings:	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Shipwrecks:	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983

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