Ships are usually declared lost and assumed wrecked after a period of disappearance. The disappearance of a ship usually implies all hands lost. Without witnesses or survivors, the mystery surrounding the fate of missing ships has inspired many items of nautical lores and the creation of paranormal zones such as the Bermuda Triangle. In many cases a probable cause has been deduced, such as a known storm or warfare, but it could not be confirmed without witnesses or sufficient documentation.
Many disappearances occurred before wireless telegraphy became available in navigation applications in the late 1890s, which would have allowed crew to send a distress call. Sudden disasters such as military strike, collision, rogue wave, or piracy could also prevent a crew from sending a distress call and reporting a location.
Among the many missing ships on the list are submarines, which have limited communication, and provide the crew almost no chance of survival if struck by disaster under water.
Most vessels currently listed as missing disappeared over a vast search area and/or deep water and there is little commercial interest in searching for the vessels and salvaging the wreck and its contents. Often the search and recovery costs are prohibitive even with today's sonar and wrecking technologies and could not be compensated by salvaged valuables, even if there were any on board. The search for these types of missing vessels is usually motivated by historical, legal or actuarial interests requiring the aid of government funding such as in the 2008 discovery of HMAS Sydney and Kormoran.[1]
The list is organised by the marine region in which the disappearance or sinking occurred, or the closest country to the area. The year of the disappearance, last known location, and possible location of the wreck are included.
The following lists contain entries that could not be referenced to an area close to any one particular country or an area definitely in international waters.
1 2 Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275–280. ISBN0-313-26202-0.
1 2 3 4 5 Stone, Peter. "Northern territory". Encyclopedia of Australian Shipwrecks. Archived from the original on 4 August 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
↑ "Runner". navy.mil. Archived from the original on 25 February 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
↑ Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p.270. ISBN978-0-313-26202-9.
↑ "Kete". navy.mil. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
↑ "Lyman D. Foster Overdue". Daily Commercial News and Shipping List (Sydney, NSW: 1891 – 1954). 13 October 1919. p.4. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
↑ "Schooner Lyman D. Foster". Daily Commercial News and Shipping List (Sydney, NSW: 1891–1954). 17 December 1919. p.4. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
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