List of shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean

This is a list of shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean.

Map of the Indian Ocean

Arabian Sea

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
USS Berwyn	6 September 1920	A cargo ship that was wrecked near the Khuriya Muriya Islands.
HMS Cadiz	4 December 1971	A Battle-class destroyer that was sunk by INS Nirghat south of Karachi.
MOL Comfort	2013	A container ship that broke apart in bad weather on 17 June 2013. The stern section took on water and sank on 26 June; the bow was taken under tow, but caught fire and sank on 11 July.	14°26′N 66°26′E, 19°56′N 65°25′E
MS Georges Philippar	19 May 1932	An ocean liner that caught fire and sank near Al Mukalla, Yemen.	14°20′N 50°25′E
SS John Barry	28 August 1944	A Liberty ship that was torpedoed by U-859 off the coast of Oman.	15.10°N 55.18°E / 15.10; 55.18 (SS John Barry)
INS Khukri	9 December 1971	A Blackwood-class frigate that was torpedoed by PNS Hangor off Diu, India.	20°16′38″N 70°59′37″E
SS Santa Paula	3 June 1943	A freighter that was torpedoed by I-27 150 miles south of Masirah Island, Oman.	17°05′04″N 58°05′00″E

Bay of Bengal

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
SS Automedon	11 November 1940	A passenger and cargo steamer that was sunk by the Atlantis northwest of Sumatra.
HMS Hermes	9 April 1942	The world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier, which sunk after receiving 40 direct hits from Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's 70 Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter/bombers off the coast of Sri Lanka.	7°35′N 82°5′E
SS Indus	10 September 1914	A steamship that was captured and scuttled by SMS Emden .	11°00′N 83°45′E
SS Selma City	7 April 1942	Attacked by Japanese bombers in the Bay of Bengal, about 25 miles (40 km) offshore from Vizagapatam (now Vishakhapatnam), India.	17°11′N 83°20′E
HMAS Vampire	9 April 1942	A V-class destroyer that was sunk by Japanese aircraft off the coast of Sri Lanka.	7°35′N 82°5′E

Central Indian Ocean

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Arnhem	12 February 1662	An East Indiaman that ran aground on the Saint Brandon Rocks.
RIMS Warren Hastings	14 January 1897	A troop ship that hit a rock and was wrecked off the coast of Réunion.
SS Chivalry	22 February 1944	A cargo ship that was sunk by a Japanese submarine.	0°50′S 68°0′E
SS City of Johannesburg	23 October 1942	A merchant steamer that was torpedoed by U-504 off East London, South Africa.	33°20′S 29°30′E
SS Clan Macarthur	12 August 1943	A Cameron-class cargo steamship that was torpedoed by U-181 off Madagascar.	23°S 53.11°E / -23; 53.11 (SS Clan Macarthur)
SS Commissaire Ramel	9 September 1940	A passenger ship that was sunk by the Atlantis.	28°25′S 74°23′E
HMS Cornwall	5 April 1942	A County-class heavy cruiser that was sunk by Japanese dive bombers in the Easter Sunday Raid.	1°54′N 77°54′E
HMS Dorsetshire	5 April 1942	A County-class heavy cruiser that was sunk by Japanese dive bombers in the Easter Sunday Raid.	1°54′N 77°45′E
SS Empire Chaucer	17 October 1942	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-504 about 450 nautical miles south of Cape Town, South Africa.	38°12′S 20°04′E
MV Empire Day	7 August 1944	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-198 about 200 nautical miles east of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.	7°06′S 42°00′E
SS Fort Lee	2 November 1944	A T2 tanker that was torpedoed by U-181.	27°35′S 83°11′E
SS Frontier	27 September 1957	A cargo ship that ran aground east of East London, Eastern Cape, Africa.
I-27	12 February 1944	A Japanese submarine that was sunk by HMS Paladin and HMS Petard.	01°25′N 72°22′E
SS James B. Stephens	8 March 1943	A Liberty ship that was torpedoed by U-160 about 150 miles northeast of Durban, South Africa.	28°53′S 33°18′E
SS Khedive Ismail	12 February 1944	A steamship that was torpedoed by I-27, with 1,297 deaths.	01°25′N 72°22′E
SS Koning der Nederlanden	5 October 1881	An ocean liner that sprang a leak and sank east of the Seychelles.	5°14′S 64°7′E
Magicienne	24 August 1810	A Magicienne-class frigate that ran aground off Mauritius in the Battle of Grand Port.
SS Marietta E	4 March 1943	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-160.	31.49°S 31.11°E / -31.49; 31.11 (SS Marietta E)
USS Pecos	1 March 1942	A tanker that was sunk by Japanese aircraft.	14°27′S 106°11′E
Pinguin	8 May 1941	An auxiliary cruiser that was sunk by HMS Cornwall.	3°30′0″N 57°48′0″E
Ramb I	27 February 1941	An auxiliary cruiser that was sunk by HMNZS Leander in the Action of 27 February 1941.	1°0′N 68°30′E
HMS Sirius	23 August 1810	A frigate that ran aground off Mauritius in the Battle of Grand Port.
Texanita	21 August 1972	An oil tanker that collided with the Oswego-Guardian off Stilbaai, South Africa.	34.80°S 21.40°E / -34.80; 21.40 (Oswego-Guardian/Texanita collision)
SS Tjisalak	26 March 1944	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by I-8.	2°30′S 78°40′E

Christmas Island

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
MV Eidsvold	20 January 1942	A motor vessel that was torpedoed by I-159 at Flying Fish Cove.
SIEV-221	15 December 2010	A boat that was carrying asylum seekers from Iraq and Iran when it hit the rocks at Flying Fish Cove.	10°25′1″S 105°40′24″E
MV Tycoon	8 January 2012	A cargo ship that was wrecked at Flying Fish Cove.

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
SS Buresk	9 November 1914	A collier that was scuttled while under attack from HMAS Sydney in the Battle of Cocos.
SMS Emden	9 November 1914	A light cruiser that was run aground while under attack from HMAS Sydney in the Battle of Cocos.

Great Australian Bight

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Mahomed Shah	April 1853	A barque that caught fire on 18 April and sank several days later. All on board were rescued.	40°10′00″S 119°10′00″E
SS Selje	29 March 1929	A cargo ship that collided with the steamship Kaituna 25 miles southwest of Cape Otway.

Mozambique Channel

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Admiral Gambier	20 June 1817	An East Indiaman that was wrecked on a coral reef.
MV Empire City	6 August 1944	A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-198 off Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique.	11°33′S 41°25′E
SS Express	30 June 1942	A Type C3-E cargo ship that was torpedoed by I-10.	23°30′S 37°30′E

Persian Gulf

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Iran Ajr	26 September 1987	A landing craft that served as a minelayer during the Iran–Iraq War, and was captured and scuttled by American forces.
U-533	16 October 1943	A Type IXC/40 U-boat that was sunk by British aircraft off the coast of Fujairah.	25°28′N 56°50′E

Red Sea

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Aida	15 September 1957	An Egyptian supply ship, sunk off the coast of Big Brother Island.	26°19′N 34°50′E
Al-Baraqua II	6 April 2006	Capsized passenger ferry.
MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98	3 February 2006	Capsized passenger ferry.	27.033°N 34.883°E / 27.033; 34.883 (MS al-Salam Boccaccio)
SS Carnatic	15 September 1849	Ran aground on a coral reef on 12 September, broke in half and sank three days later. 31 people drowned.	27°34′N 33°55′E
Chrisoula K	31 August 1981	Greek freighter that ran aground on a reef.	27°34′53″N 33°55′55″E
SS Dunraven	25 April 1876	Hit a reef in the Gulf of Suez, close to the Sinai peninsula.	27.4215°N 34.0730°E / 27.4215; 34.0730 (SS Dunraven)
Giannis D	19 April 1983	Sank with its cargo of timber at Sha'ab Abu Nuhas, north of Hurghada.
Kimon M	12 December 1978	Sank on at Sha'ab Abu Nuhas, north of Hurghada, when she ran into the reef of Abu Nuhas.	27°34′48″N 33°56′00″E
Numidia	20 July 1901	Sank at Big Brother Island.	26°19′N 34°50′E
El Mina	1969	Former Russian navy ship, bombed by the Israelis and sank near Hurghada.	27°13′55″N 33°51′34″E
SS Rosalie Moller	October 1941	Bombed 2 days after the supply ship Thistlegorm – anchored some 20 miles (32 km) away next to the Sinai peninsula – was sunk. She rests north of Hurghada, north of the reefs of Abu Nuhas, in some 50 meters of water.	27°39′03″N 33°46′17″E
Salem Express	17 December 1991	Ran into a shallow reef and sank 57 miles (about 91 km) south of Hurghada, after the captain took a shortcut on his trip from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Safaga in Egypt.	26°38′22.02″N 34°3′39.9″E
SS Thistlegorm	6 October 1941	Sunk by German bombers near Sharm el-Sheikh.	27°48′51″N 33°55′12″E
Zingara	22 August 1984	Commonly referred to as the Kormoran, sailed from Aqaba with a cargo of Phosphate Rock and hit the Laguna Reef in the Strait of Tiran.

Strait of Malacca

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
MS Empress of Australia	23 August 1992	A cruise ship that sank in a collision with the Taiwanese fishing vessel Terfu 51.
SS Galileo Galilei	21 May 1999	A cruise ship that sank off the coast of Perak following a fire.	4°37′1″N 99°54′6″E
USS Grenadier	22 April 1943	A Tambor-class submarine that was bombed by Japanese aircraft and scuttled the next day.	6°30′N 97°40′E
Haguro	16 May 1945	A Myōkō-class cruiser that was sunk by British forces in the Battle of the Malacca Strait.
I-166	17 July 1944	A KD5 Type submarine that was sunk by HMS Telemachus (P321) off One Fathom Bank.	2°48′N 101°03′E
Kuma	11 January 1944	A Kuma-class cruiser that was sunk by HMS Tally-Ho (P317).	5°26′N 99°52′E
Myōkō	8 June 1946	A Myōkō-class cruiser that was scuttled near Port Klang.	3°5′N 100°40′E
Reginaldo Giuliani	14 February 1944	A Liuzzi-class submarine that was seized by Germany and renamed UIT-23, and was torpedoed by HMS Tally-Ho northwest of Pangkor Island.	04°27′N 100°11′E
Sovereign of the Seas	6 August 1859	A clipper that was wrecked on the Pyramid Shoal.
Takao	19 October 1946	A Takao-class heavy cruiser that was surrendered to the British and sunk as a target.	03°05′05″N 100°41′00″E
U-181	12 February 1946	A Type IXD2 U-boat that was scuttled near Port Klang.	3°05′50″N 100°42′50″E
U-859	23 September 1944	A Type IXD2 U-boat that was sunk by HMS Trenchant.	5.767°N 100.067°E / 5.767; 100.067 (German submarine U-859)
U-862	13 February 1946	A Type IXD2 U-boat that was scuttled near Port Klang.	3°05′N 100°38′E
HMS Vestal	26 July 1945	An Algerine-class minesweeper that suffered a kamikaze attack and was scuttled.	07°05′N 97°50′E

References

The wreck of SMS Emden