List of shipwrecks in 2003

The list of shipwrecks in 2003 includes all ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 2003.

table of contents

2003
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr
May	Jun	Jul	Aug
Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

January

1 January

List of shipwrecks: 1 January 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Vicky	Turkey	The cargo ship ran aground on the wreck of Tricolor ( Norway) in the English Channel off Dunquerque, Nord, France. Later refloated.[1]

3 January

List of shipwrecks: 3 January 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Vermontborg	Romania	This new ship, under tow from Romania to Germany, broke free and came aground on the Guernsey, Channel Islands coast.[2] [3]

February

17 February

List of shipwrecks: 17 February 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Tor I	Tonga	The cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Sicily, Italy with the loss of all eight crew.[4]

March

22 March

List of shipwrecks: 22 March 2003

Ship	Country	Description
RMS Mulheim	Antigua and Barbuda	RMS Mulheim, September 2003. Ran aground at Sennen Cove, United Kingdom and declared a constructive total loss on 24 March.

April

2 April

List of shipwrecks: 2 April 2003

Ship	Country	Description
USS Bigelow	United States Navy	The decommissioned Forrest Sherman-class destroyer was sunk as a target.

11 April

List of shipwrecks: 11 April 2003

Ship	Country	Description
ROCS Lai Yang	Republic of China Navy	The decommissioned Gearing-class destroyer was sunk as an artificial reef. (Formerly USS Leonard F. Mason (DD-852) ( United States Navy) the ship′s name in Republic of China Navy service also is reported as ROCS Shuei Yang.)

16 April

List of shipwrecks: 16 April 2003

Ship	Country	Description
361	People's Liberation Army Navy	The Ming-class submarine was lost due to an engine run-on accident in the Bo Hai Sea. All seventy crew suffocated.

Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 2003

Ship	Country	Description
al-Mansur	Iraqi Navy	Saddam Hussein's presidential yacht was bombed and wrecked at Basra by Grumman F-14 Tomcat aircraft of the United States Navy during the Iraq War.[5]

May

13 May

List of shipwrecks: 13 May 2003

Ship	Country	Description
HMS Tireless	Royal Navy	The Trafalgar-class submarine collided underwater with an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean and was damaged.

31 May

List of shipwrecks: 31 May 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Fu Shan Hai	China	The bulk carrier collided with Gdynia ( Cyprus) off Bornholm, Denmark and sank.[6]

June

19 June

List of shipwrecks: 19 June 2003

Ship	Country	Description
ex-USS Richard E. Byrd	Hellenic Navy	The decommissioned Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer was sunk as a target by Greek forces after sale to Greece and cannibalization for spare parts.

July

8 July

List of shipwrecks: 8 July 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Nazreen-1	Bangladesh	The ferry sank in the Meghna River near Chandpur, causing the deaths of 400 people.[7]

21 July

List of shipwrecks: 21 July 2003

Ship	Country	Description
USS Dixon	United States Navy	The decommissioned L. Y. Spear-class submarine tender was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, at 31°16′17.9″N 073°57′46.2″W / 31.271639°N 73.962833°W.
USS Seneca	United States Navy	The decommissioned Navajo-class fleet tug was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina.

22 July

List of shipwrecks: 22 July 2003

Ship	Country	Description
USS Samuel Gompers	United States Navy	The decommissioned Samuel Gompers-class destroyer tendersank in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina at 31°17′N 073°51′W / 31.283°N 73.850°W after being used as a target for Harpoon missiles and aerial bombs the previous day.

28 July

List of shipwrecks: 28 July 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Tasman Spirit	Greece	The tanker ran aground in the Arabian Sea off Karachi, Pakistan. She broke up and sank on 14 August.[8]

29 July

List of shipwrecks: 29 July 2003

Ship	Country	Description
USS Ingersoll	United States Navy	The decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer was sunk as a target.

August

1 August

List of shipwrecks: 1 August 2003

Ship	Country	Description
USS Leftwich	United States Navy	The decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean at 22°48′47″N 160°34′00″W / 22.81306°N 160.56667°W.
USS Merrill	United States Navy	The decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Hawaii at 22°43′53″N 160°29′23″W / 22.73139°N 160.48972°W.

4 August

List of shipwrecks: 4 August 2003

Ship	Country	Description
United Malika	Morocco	United Malika The reefer ship ran aground near Ras Nouadhibou in Mauritania. Its crew were rescued by the Mauritanian Navy.

15 August

List of shipwrecks: 15 August 2003

Ship	Country	Description
USS Downes	United States Navy	The decommissioned Knox-class frigate was sunk as a target near Mare Island, California, at 31°10′01″N 119°48′03″W / 31.16694°N 119.80083°W.
USS Henry B. Wilson	United States Navy	The decommissioned Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer was sunk as a target.

30 August

List of shipwrecks: 30 August 2003

Ship	Country	Description
K-159	Russian Navy	The November-class submarine sank in the Barents Sea while under tow to a scrapyard. Nine of her ten crew were killed.

September

11 September

List of shipwrecks: 11 September 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Moby Magic	Italy	The ferry ran aground in the Mediterranean Sea off Porto Cervo, Sardinia. All 160 people on board were rescued.[9]

October

8 October

List of shipwrecks: 8 October 2003

Ship	Country	Description
ROCS Fu Yang	Republic of China Navy	The decommissioned Gearing-class destroyer was sunk as a target.

14 October

List of shipwrecks: 14 October 2003

Ship	Country	Description
ROCS An Yang	Republic of China Navy	The decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer was sunk as a target.
ROCS Huei Yang	Republic of China Navy	The decommissioned Allen M. Sumner-class guided-missile destroyer was sunk as a target.

15 October

List of shipwrecks: 15 October 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Andrew J. Barberi	United States	The ferry collided at full speed with a pier at Staten Island, New York. Eleven people were killed and seventy-one were injured. The ship was later repaired and returned to service.

25 October

List of shipwrecks: 25 October 2003

Ship	Country	Description
USS Hartford	United States Navy	USS Hartford. USS Hartford grounding: The Los Angeles-class submarine ran aground at La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy. She was subsequently repaired and returned to service

November

18 November

List of shipwrecks: 18 November 2003

Ship	Country	Description
USS Yosemite	United States Navy	The decommissioned destroyer tender was sunk as a target.

25 November

List of shipwrecks: 25 November 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Dieu Merci	Democratic Republic of the Congo	The ferry capsized and sank in Lake Mai-Ndombe, killing 163 people on board. Over 200 people were rescued.[10]

December

24 December

List of shipwrecks: 24 December 2003

Ship	Country	Description
Elizabeth	flag unknown	The cargo ship sank in the Aegean Sea off Santorini, Greece. Eight crew were rescued.[11]

References

1. Charles Bremner and Ben Webster. "Fuel leaks from second ship that hit wreckage" The Times (London). Friday, 3 January 2003. (67650), col A-D, p. 12.
2. cite web |url=http://www.towingline.com/wp-content/uploads/2003/nieuws_2003.pdf |name=SMIT Salvage awarded LOF contract for the grounded Vermont Borg |publisher=towingline.com
3. cite web |url=http://www.dragtimes.com/video-viewer.php?v=medIozRMKiI&feature |nameWagenborg 'Vermontborg' Shipwreck in Guernsey 3/1/03 |publisher=dragtimes.com
4. "Crew missing" The Times (London). Tuesday, 18 February 2003. (67689), col H, p. 16.
5. Ian Cobain, additional material by Tim Butcher (Daily Telegraph) and Tom Newton Dunn (Daily Mirror). "Saddam's ship of state, dead in the water" The Times (London). Friday, 11 April 2003. (67734), col A-H, p. 5.
6. "Oil leak threat" The Times (London). Tuesday, 3 June 2003. (67779), col H, p. 13.
7. "Ferry disaster claims hundreds". BBC. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
8. "Oil tanker spill" The Times (London). Friday, 15 August 2003. (67842), col H, p. 17.
9. "Ferry abandoned" The Times (London). Friday, 12 September 2003. (67866), col H, p. 22.
10. "163 die as ferry capsizes" The Times (London). Friday, 28 November 2003. (67932), col H, p. 27.
11. "Crew arrested" The Times (London). Saturday, 27 December 2003. (67956), col H, p. 25.

Ship events in 2003
Ship launches:	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Ship commissionings:	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Ship decommissionings:	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Shipwrecks:	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008