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Throughout history, people have mysteriously disappeared at sea, many on voyages aboard floating vessels or traveling via
aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
. The following is a list of known individuals who have mysteriously vanished in open waters, and whose whereabouts remain unknown. In most ocean deaths, bodies are never recovered, but this fact alone does not make their disappearance mysterious. For example, the RMS ''Titanic'' was not a mysterious disappearance. __TOC__


2nd century BC – 1969

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - style="text-align:center;" ! width="105" , Date ! width="250" , Person(s) ! width="50" , Age ! width="150" , Missing from ! width="500px" , Circumstances ! width="10px" , , - , data-sort-value="-100-01-01" , 2nd century BC , Eudoxus of Cyzicus , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Gulf of Aden , Greek navigator who explored the
Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
for
Ptolemy VIII Physcon Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II Tryphon ( gr, Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης Τρύφων, ''Ptolemaĩos Euergétēs Tryphon'' "Ptolemy the Benefactor; c. 184 BC – 28 June 116 BC), nicknamed Physcon ( "Fatty"), was a king of the Ptolema ...
, who is thought to have perished during a journey to circumnavigate Africa, but this has not been definitively confirmed. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1291-01-01" , , Vandino Vivaldi , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , rowspan="2",
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="2", The Genoese sailor and explorer brothers were lost while attempting the first oceanic journey from
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
to
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
. Their two galleys sailed out of the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
and into the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, but were not heard from again. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Ugolino Vivaldi , - , data-sort-value="1307-01-01" , or , Muhammad ibn Qu , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, The eighth
mansa Mansa may refer to: Places In India * Mansa, Gujarat, a town in northern Gujarat, Western India; the capital of: ** Mansa, Gujarat Assembly constituency ** Mansa State, a princely state under the Mahi Kantha Agency in India * Mansa district, ...
of the Mali Empire, who was said by his successor Mansa Musa to have disappeared in an attempt to discover the limits of the Atlantic Ocean. This account has fueled speculation that Musa's predecessor could have reached the Americas, but no evidence of his fate is known. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1346-01-01" , ,
Jaume Ferrer Jaume Ferrer (, fl. 1346) was a Majorcan sailor and explorer. He sailed from Majorca to find the legendary "River of Gold" on 10 August 1346, but the outcome of his quest and his fate are unknown. He is memorialized in his native city of Palma, Ma ...
, style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Majorcan sailor who sailed down the west coast of
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
in search of the "River of Gold". The results of his quest, including his fate, are unknown. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1487-01-01" , 1487 , João Afonso do Estreito , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Portuguese sailor who was the co-captain of an expedition aiming to explore the Atlantic Ocean. He and his Flemish partner Ferdinand Van Olm set sail, but never returned, and were presumed lost at sea. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1499-01-01" , 1499 , John Cabot , style="text-align:center;" , c. 49 ,
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
, Cabot, an Italian explorer, departed with five ships during an expedition to find a western route from Europe to Asia. There are no known records of what happened to him and his expedition after that; it is not known if they disappeared at sea, remained in North America, or returned safely to Europe. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1500-24-05" , 24 March 1500 ,
Vasco de Ataíde Vasco de Ataíde (or Taide) was a Portuguese sailor whose ship was a part of Pedro Álvares Cabral 1500 expedition to India. His ship went missing early in the voyage and so was not present when the fleet accidentally became the first recorded ...
, style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Cape Verde or Cape of Good Hope ,
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
sailor Vasco de Ataíde's ship was part of Pedro Álvares Cabral's 1500 expedition to India. On 24 March, the ship he captained and its 150 crew disappeared after sailing west toward Brazil. The chronicler of the expedition said that there were no strong or contrary winds that could've caused the loss. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1501-01-01" , 1501 , {{nowrap, Gaspar Corte-Real , style="text-align:center;" , 50–51 ,
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
,
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
explorer Gaspar Corte-Real disappeared on an expedition to discover the
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
from Europe to Asia. Two of his ships returned to Lisbon, but the third, with Gaspar on board, was lost and never heard from again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1502-01-01" , 1502 ,
Miguel Corte-Real Miguel Corte-Real (;  – 1502?) was a Portuguese explorer who charted about 600 miles of the coast of Labrador. In 1502, he disappeared while on an expedition and was believed to be lost at sea. Early life Miguel Corte-Real was a son of ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 53–54 ,
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
, Miguel Corte-Real, a Portuguese explorer, disappeared while searching for his brother Gaspar. Like his brother, he took three ships and, just like his brother, the ship with Miguel on board was lost and never heard from again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1511-01-01" , 1511 ,
Diego de Nicuesa Diego de Nicuesa (; died 1511) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer. Background Diego arrived Santo Domingo in April 1502, with Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres' flotilla. In 1506, Nicuesa was given the job of governing Costa Rica, but ran agro ...
, style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, Nicuesa, a Spanish conquistador and explorer, disappeared along with 17 crewmen while en route to
Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...
, after being denied entry to the colonial settlement of Santa María la Antigua del Darién. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1526-01-01" , 1526 ,
Francisco de Hoces Francisco de Hoces (died 1526) was a Spanish sailor who in 1525 joined the Loaísa Expedition to the Spice Islands as commander of the vessel ''San Lesmes''. In January 1526, the ''San Lesmes'' was blown by a gale southwards from the eastern mo ...
, style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, De Hoces was the commander of the ''San Lesmes'' which was one of the seven ships of the Loaísa expedition under García Jofre de Loaísa. It has been speculated that the ''San Lesmes'', last seen in the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
in late May, may have reached
Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its ne ...
, the
Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
n archipelagos or even
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1579-01-01" , 1579 , Ikegusuku Antō , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , East China Sea , A bureaucrat of the
Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in the ...
, Ikegusuku Antō was sent as an envoy to China, but his ship was caught in a storm and disappeared in the sea in 1579 and was never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1611-06-23" , 23 June 1611 ,
Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 45–46 ,
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
, Hudson went on multiple expeditions of present-day Canada and parts of the northeastern United States, searching for the
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
. In 1611, after
wintering Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...
on the shore of James Bay, Hudson wanted to press on to the west, but most of his crew
mutinied Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among members ...
. The mutineers cast Hudson, his teenage son, and seven others adrift; the Hudsons and their companions were never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1638-01-01" , 1638 , Urasoe Chōri , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Satsuma Domain , A member of Sanshikan, Urasoe Chōri went on a boat trip to Satsuma, but his ship was caught in a storm and disappeared in the sea. He is believed to have drowned. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1671-01-01" , c. 1671 , Roche Braziliano , style="text-align:center;" , 40–41 , Location unknown , A
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
born in the town of Groningen, Roche Braziliano, whose career lasted from 1654 until 1671, disappeared during that year, and was never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1697-01-01" , 1679 , Fish-man , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Liérganes Liérganes is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 2,391 inhabitants. Towns *Bucarrero *Calgar *Casa del Monte *El Condado, Cantabria, El Condado *La Co ...
, Spain , Mythical amphibian entity which reportedly had been captured by fishermen and later thought to be Francisco de la Vega Casar, a carpenter who had drowned in the Estuary of Bilbao five years prior. After spending several years with the humans, the "Fish-man" returned to sea and was never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1686-04-01" , April 1686 , Michel de Grammont , style="text-align:center;" , 40–41 , Near St. Augustine,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, U.S. , The French
privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
renowned for attacking Spanish flagships from 1670 to 1686, was lost in a storm together with his entire crew while on a rescue mission to save fellow buccaneer Nicolas Brigaut. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1688-01-01" , 1688 , John Coxon , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, Coxon, a buccaneer and member of the
Brethren of the Coast The Brethren or Brethren of the Coast were a loose coalition of pirates and privateers commonly known as buccaneers that were active in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. They we ...
who was infamous for his various raids on the Spanish Main through the 17th century, turned to hunting pirates in 1682. He, his 97-man crew, and eighty-ton ship armed with eight guns, mysteriously disappeared in 1688, and their fate is unknown. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1694-02-01" , 1694 , Dirk de Lange , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, ''De Lange'' arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on 9 January 1694, remaining there until 5 February. Van Holland sailed from the Cape with a crew of around 300, and two passengers, including Admiral Sir James Couper. She never reached her destination, and was never heard from again. Contemporary rumours suggested that she had sprung her mast rounding the Cape, limped north and been captured by pirates based at Fort Dauphin, near the south-eastern corner of
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. However, Abraham Samuel, the
pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
supposedly responsible, did not arrive in the area until 1695. , style="text-align:center;" , {{Circular reference, date=October 2015 , - , data-sort-value="1726" , January 1726 , ''Aagtekerke'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, The ''Aagtekerke'', a ship of the
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
, left for Batavia in the Dutch East Indies on 27 January 1726, but was lost with all hands and without trace. It was carrying silver coins and precious metals with a total value of 200,000
guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' " gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman Emp ...
s. There is some evidence from the crew of the wrecked ship {{ship, , Zeewijk, 1725, 2 that ''Aagtekerke'' may have been wrecked on the Abrolhos Islands, because they found some remains of a Dutch vessel that had been wrecked before them. , style="text-align:center;" , {{in lang, nl}
Aagtekerke, 1724
De VOCsite. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
, - , data-sort-value="1750-01-01" , 1750 or 1760 , ''Sea Bird'' , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
, U.S. , The ''Sea Bird'', which also went by other names, was a merchant brig that, after a Honduras voyage and then grounding in
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
at Easton's Beach in either 1750 or 1760, had lost its longboat. No people were found living on it; all that was found was a cat and a dog. The crew aboard was never seen again. The ship itself later disappeared as well and was not seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , Myres, Rau & Macklin ''The Little Giant Book of True Ghost Stories'' (2001), pp.308–310, {{ISBN, 0-439-33995-2{{cite book, author=Dix, John Ross, title=A Hand-Book of Newport, and Rhode Island, url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofnewpor00dixj/page/74/mode/2up, quote=Sea Bird Huxham., year=1852, publisher=C. E. Hammett, Jr, location=Newport, Rhode Island, pages= 75–77{{cite book, author=Federal Writers' Project, title=Rhode Island, a Guide to the Smallest State, url=https://archive.org/details/rhodeislandguide00unse, quote=Sea Bird Huxham., year=1937, publisher=Houghton Mifflin, location=Boston, page
108
��109, chapter=Rhode Island:The General Background
, - , data-sort-value="1758-10-28" , 28 October 1758 , Edward Moore, 5th Earl of Drogheda , style="text-align:center;" , 56–57 ,
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
, Edward Moore was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician who went missing in a storm at sea while travelling between Holyhead and
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
and is believed to have died. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1766-10-29" , 29 October 1766 , John Stanwix , style="text-align:center;" , 75–76 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, The British soldier and politician was lost at sea while travelling from
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
to Holyhead,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
in a
packet boat Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="5" data-sort-value="1769-01-01" , c. January 1770 , Henry Vansittart , style="text-align:center;" , 37 , rowspan="5",
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, rowspan="5", Vansittart, MP and director of the East India Company, Scrafton and Forde formed a delegation to investigate corruption and reform the British government in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and sailed on the frigate ''Aurora''. Scottish
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
midshipman Robert Pitcairn who the Pitcairn Islands are named after, and Scottish epic poet William Falconer were also among those on board. The ''Aurora'' disappeared with all hands around January 1770, apparently in a storm. The captain had decided to sail the
Mozambique Channel The Mozambique Channel (french: Canal du Mozambique, mg, Lakandranon'i Mozambika, pt, Canal de Moçambique) is an arm of the Indian Ocean located between the Southeast African countries of Madagascar and Mozambique. The channel is about lon ...
despite bad weather. , rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" , {{cite book, title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 20, year=2004, publisher=Oxford University Press, page=350, isbn=0-19-861370-9Article by H M Stephens, revised by D J Prior. , - , Luke Scrafton , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , Francis Forde , style="text-align:center;" , 51–52 , - , William Falconer , style="text-align:center;" , 37 , - , Robert Pitcairn , style="text-align:center;" , 17 , - , data-sort-value="1778-01-01" , 1778 , Benjamin Church , style="text-align:center;" , 43–44 ,
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, Church, the first Surgeon General of the United States Army, was imprisoned for communicating with the British in 1776. He was released in 1778, and shortly thereafter disappeared while sailing from Boston. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1779-01-01" , 17 December 1779 ,
Thomas Lynch Jr. Thomas Lynch Jr. (August 5, 1749 – December 17, 1779) was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of South Carolina and a Founding Father of the United States. His father was a member of the Continent ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 30 ,
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, Thomas Lynch Jr. was a signer of the
United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...
. In late 1779, he and his wife Elizabeth set sail to Sint Eustatius in the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
. The ship disappeared shortly after its departure. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1780-01-01" , January 1780 , Morgan Connor , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Location unknown , Connor, a Continental Army officer who served as
Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
in 1777, was lost at sea in January 1780. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1780-12-01" , December 1780 ,
William Palfrey William Palfrey (1741–1780) was an American Patriot. Early life William Palfrey was born February 24, 1741 in Boston, Massachusetts. Freemasonry In 1769, Palfrey was Substitute Master of the Lodge of St Andrew, a masonic lodge warranted by ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 38–39 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, William Palfrey was an American
Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...
born in 1741. He went missing after getting lost at sea in December 1780 following a business trip to France. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1781-12" , c. December 1781 , Charles Carpenter , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Location unknown , Carpenter disappeared with the rest of the crew of the HMS ''Necker'', presumed foundered while sailing from Saint Helena to the East Indies. , style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Hepper, 1994, p=66 , - , data-sort-value="1781-03-01" , March 1781 ,
John Young John Young may refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow * John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Col ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 40–41 ,
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, Young, a captain of the American Continental Navy, was the commander of the USS ''Saratoga'' when it vanished at sea during a
gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Jean-François de Galaup (Lapérouse) and his expedition , style="text-align:center;" , 46–47 (Galaup) ,
Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...
, Australia , The French expedition of Jean-François de Galaup, Comte de Lapérouse, disappeared after their last stop at
Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...
(now Sydney), after meeting ships of Britain's First Fleet bringing convicts to establish the new settlement that became Australia. The wrecks of the expedition's two ships, the Boussole and Astrolabe), were subsequently discovered by Dumont-D'Urville during his 2nd trip around the world at
Vanikoro Vanikoro (sometimes wrongly named ''Vanikolo'') is an island in the Santa Cruz group, located to the Southeast of the main Santa Cruz group. It is part of the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. The name ''Vanikoro'' is always used as thou ...
, an island in the Santa Cruz group (part of the
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
) where the survivors may have set up camp. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1788-07-01" , July–August 1788 , Aimée du Buc de Rivéry , style="text-align:center;" , 20 ,
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, Rivéry, a French heiress, vanished at sea while returning home to
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
from the mainland. A popular legend suggests that she was abducted by pirates and sold as a concubine to the Ottoman Sultan under the name
Nakşidil Sultan ota, نقش دل سلطان , birth_name = , birth_date = 1761 , birth_place = Georgia , death_date = 28 July 1817 (aged 55-56) (Even though her date date was given as August 22nd 1817 in some sources, this information is incorrect, ...
, but this has never been proven. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1794" , 1794 , Robert Manners Sutton , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, Captain Robert Manners Sutton disappeared with the rest of the crew of the '' HMS Ardent'' in 1794, believed lost to a fire and explosion. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1797-01-31" , 31 January 1797 , William Mulso , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Location unknown , Commander William Mulso disappeared with the rest of the crew of the '' HMS Hermes'' on 31 January 1797, presumably foundered during a gale. , style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Winfield, 2008, p=290{{sfnp, Hepper, 1994, p=83 , - , data-sort-value="1799-12-19" , 19 December 1799 or after , Thomas Atkinson , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Captain Atkinson disappeared with the rest of the crew of the '' Mildred'' on or after 19 December 1799, while sailing from
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1800-08-01" , c. September 1800 , Patrick Fletcher , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
, Fletcher was in command of the USS '' Insurgent'' when it disappeared near the West Indies in 1800. A severe storm struck the West Indies on 20 September, and it is thought to have caused the loss as well as that of the '' Pickering''. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1800-08-01" , c. September 1800 ,
Joseph Ingraham Joseph Ingraham (1762–1800) was an American sailor and maritime fur trader who discovered several islands of the Marquesas Islands while on his way to trade along the west coast of North America. He was also a prisoner in the American Revolutio ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 37–38 ,
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
, Ingraham, an American sailor and maritime fur trader credited with discovering several islands in the
Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in ...
territory as well as a three-year-long voyage across the world, disappeared while serving aboard the USS '' Pickering'' along with the rest of the crew, presumably lost in a
gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Crew of the HMS ''Babet'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, The HMS ''Babet'' was a 20-gun sixth-rate
post ship Post ship was a designation used in the Royal Navy during the second half of the 18th century and the Napoleonic Wars to describe a ship of the sixth rate (see rating system of the Royal Navy) that was smaller than a frigate (in practice, carr ...
of the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. The vessel and her crew disappeared shortly after departing from Fort Royal Bay,
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
on 24 October 1800. She is believed to have foundered during a tropical storm. , style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Grocott, 1997, p=122 , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1802" , c. 1802/1803 , George Roper , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , rowspan="2" , Location unknown , rowspan="2" , The HCS ''Intrepid'', captained by George Roper, and HCS ''Comet'', captained by Lieutenant William Henry, were both sent by the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
to search for what caused the loss of the ''Earl Talbot''. They reportedly made many discoveries relating to natural history and geography, and saw wreckage of other vessels on uninhabited islands, but found nothing further concerning ''Lord Eldon''. By 1803, they were recognized to have disappeared without a trace, and presumed to have foundered at sea. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Hackman, 2001, pp=102–3{{sfnp, Low, 1877, p=216{{sfnp, Low, 1877, p=210 , - , William Henry , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , data-sort-value="1803-02-05" , 5 February 1803 ,
George Bass George Bass (; 30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia. Early years Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 32 ,
Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea ...
, Australia , The British explorer of Australia set sail from Sydney for South America and was never heard from again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1804-12-01" , 1 December 1804 , James Tippett , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, ''Hawk'', under Tippet's command, and {{HMS, Boadicea, 1797, 2 were cruising in the English Channel when on 1 December ''Hawk'' set off in pursuit of a strange sail. She never reappeared. The Admiralty presumed that she had foundered and paid her off on 31 December 1804. , style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Hepper, 1994, p=108 , - , data-sort-value="1807" , 1807 , James Hawes , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, ''Moucheron'' disappeared in the eastern Mediterranean in early 1807, with some accounts specifying the
Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...
. As no trace of her or her crew was ever found, this is pure conjecture. The Royal Navy officially paid her off effective 7 June 1807. , style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Winfield, 2008, p=287{{sfnp, Hepper, 1994, p=119 , - , data-sort-value="1807–09" , c. September 1807 , John Sedley , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Unknown , The HMS Elizabeth disappeared without a trace, presumed to have foundered with all hands. , style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Hepper, 1994, p=120 , - , data-sort-value="1808–11" , c. November 1808 , John Logan , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Unknown , The Experiment, {{ship, , Glory, 1802 ship, 2, and {{ship, , Lord Nelson, East Indiaman, 2 parted company with the fleet in a gale between 20 and 23 November, at {{coord, 8, 30, S, 80, 00, E. None of the three vessels was ever heard of again. The EIC declared that the value of its cargo on ''Experiment'' was £5,592. , style="text-align:center;" , {{Sfnp, House of Commons, 1830, p=977{{Cite web, url=https://searcharchives.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=IAMS_VU2&search_scope=default_scope&docId=IAMS045-001114984&fn=permalink, title=Experiment (4), Ship – British Library, website=searcharchives.bl.uk{{Sfnp, House of Commons, 1830, p=977 , - , data-sort-value="1809-03-01" , March 1809 , Hay MacDowall , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Cape of Good Hope, South Africa , Scottish
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer MacDowall disappeared with the rest of the crew of the '' Lady Jane Dundas'' in March 1809, while sailing back home to England. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1809-03" , 13/14 March 1809 , John James Ridge , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, ''Harrier'' was in company with her sister ship {{HMS, Racehorse, 1806, 2, about {{convert, 1000, nmi from Rodrigues. ''Harrier'' fell behind and was never seen again. She was presumed to have foundered with all hands. , style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Hepper, 1994, p=128 , - , data-sort-value="1809-02-01" , 27 August 1809 , J. Hill , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Captain J. Hill disappeared with the rest of the crew of the '' Bellona'' in 1809, while sailing back home to
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
from
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1810-02-16" , 16 February 1810 or after , John Bader , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, Bader, the commander of the ship ''
Active Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...
'', disappeared after landing a sealing party on the Open Bay Islands and subsequently setting sail for Sydney. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1813-01-02" , 2–3 January 1813 ,
Theodosia Burr Alston Theodosia Burr Alston (June 21, 1783 – January 2 or 3, 1813) was an American socialite and the daughter of the third U.S. Vice President, Aaron Burr, and Theodosia Bartow Prevost. Her husband, Joseph Alston, was governor of South Carolina dur ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 29 , Coast of
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
, U.S. , The daughter of U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr, and sometimes called the most educated American woman of her day, sailed from Georgetown, South Carolina, aboard the ''Patriot'', which was never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1814-10-01" , c. October 1814 , Johnston Blakeley , style="text-align:center;" , 32–33 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Blakeley, an officer in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during the
Quasi-War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congress ...
with
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
, was in command of the sloop-of-war ''
Wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...
'' when it was lost in the Atlantic in October 1814. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1814-02-28" , 28 February 1814 , John Davies , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, ''Anacreon'' was last sighted on 28 February 1814 in the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
as she was returning from Lisbon. Soon thereafter, she disappeared without trace in a storm. All aboard were lost. , style="text-align:center;", {{sfnp, Hepper, 1994, p=149 , - , data-sort-value="1815-07" , c. July/August 1815 , John Downes , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, After the Dey signed a
treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pe ...
, Decatur chose ''Epervier'', under Lieutenant John T. Shubrick, ''Guerriere''{{'s former
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...
, to carry a copy of the treaty and some captured flags to the United States. Captain Lewis, and Lieutenants Neale and John Yarnall, came on board as passengers. ''Epervier'' sailed through the Straits of Gibraltar on 14 July 1815 and was never heard from again. Epervier may have encountered a hurricane reported in the Atlantic on 9 August 1815. In all, she was carrying 132 sailors and 2 marines. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1815-08" , c. August 1815 , D.Grierson , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Unknown , On 2 August 1815 as ''Preston'' was sailing from Jamaica to London in a convoy she encountered a gale that cost her her main and mizzen masts. A later report stated that ''Preston'', Grierson, master, had been seen since the gale. The last report concerning the convoy of which ''Preston'' was one of the 89 vessels in the convoy that left Jamaica on 19 July, stated that ''Preston'', Grierson, master, was one of the eight still missing. , style="text-align:center;" , {{Cite journal, url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000549597, title=Lloyd's list., date=10 November 1741, pages=78 v., via=HathiTrust , - , data-sort-value="1816-07-01" , 8–17 January 1816 , Samuel Shaw , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea ...
, Australia , The commander of the 90-ton brig '' Amelia'', Shaw disappeared after departing from Port Jackson, Australia on the way to
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
and Canton, China, carrying 50 tons of
sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
and 5 tons of coal. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1816-07-01" , July 1816 , George Winney , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
? , The commander of the ship ''
Whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...
'', Winney and two crew members disappeared in July 1816 after heading out of Sydney bound for
Hawkesbury Hawkesbury or Hawksbury may refer to: People *Baron Hawkesbury, or Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool (1727-1808), English statesman Places ;Geography *Hawkesbury Island, an island in British Columbia, Canada * Hawkesbury Island, Queensland ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1816 or 1817" , 1816/1817 , Jonathon Read , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Location unknown , Captain Jonathon Read commanded ''Anna'' when it was lost at sea in 1816 or 1817. , style="text-align:center;" , {{sfnp, Bulley, 2000, pp=124–5{{sfnp, Hackman, 2001, p=222 , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="1821-01-28" , 28 January 1821 , Obed Hendricks , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , rowspan="3",
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, rowspan="3", Sailors on the
whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...
''
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
'', which sank in the Pacific on 20 November 1820 after being struck by a sperm whale. Their whaleboat was separated on the open sea from their fellow crewmen on 28 January 1821; it was never seen again. Years later, a boat with three skeletons inside was discovered washed up on
Ducie Island Ducie Island is an uninhabited atoll in the Pitcairn Islands. It lies east of Pitcairn Island, and east of Henderson Island, and has a total area of , which includes the lagoon. It is long, measured northeast to southwest, and about wide. ...
, but the skeletons were not identified as being theirs. , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , , - , William Bond , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , Joseph West , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , data-sort-value="1822-04-22" , 22 April 1822 ,
Charles Lefebvre-Desnouettes Charles, comte Lefebvre-Desnouettes or Lefèbvre-Desnoëttes (14 September 1773, in Paris – 22 April 1822) became a French officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and a general during the Napoleonic Wars. He later emigrated to the Uni ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 49 , Off the coast of
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, The French military officer and general during the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
later fled to America to escape prosecution from the loyalists. He was allowed to return, but presumably died when his ship sank off the coast of Ireland. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1821-01-01" , c. 5 February 1823 ,
Jean Lafitte Jean Lafitte ( – ) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte". Th ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 42 ,
Gulf of Honduras The Gulf or Bay of Honduras is a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. From north to south, it runs for approximately 200 km (125 miles) from Dangriga, Belize, to La Ceiba, Honduras. ...
, French pirate and privateer Jean Lafitte was granted a commission from the
Great Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), or Greater Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 18 ...
government to take Spanish ships in June 1822. He is thought to have died on 5 February 1823 while trying to take two Spanish merchant vessels in the Gulf of Honduras, but rumors abounded that he had a different fate. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1827-06-01" , June 1827 ,
Douglas Clavering Captain Douglas Charles Clavering RN FRS (8 September 1794 – mid-1827) was an officer of the British Royal Navy and Arctic explorer. Biography Early life and career Clavering was born at Holyrood House, the eldest son of Brigadier-General ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 32–33 , near
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
, Clavering, a British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
officer and Arctic explorer, served as a commander of HMS '' HMS Redwing (1806), Redwing'' when it disappeared near Sierra Leone with all hands, never to be seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1831-04-01" , April 1831 , Carlo Giuseppe Bertero , style="text-align:center;" , 42 ,
South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
, The Italian naturalist and botanist known for documenting the flora and fauna in the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
and South America presumably died in a shipwreck while on a voyage from Tahiti to Chile. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1835-07-17" , 17 July 1835 , Henry Hutton , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Unknown , ''Forth'' departed from Manila on 17 July 1835 for London. She disappeared without a trace and was presumed to have foundered with the loss of all hands. , style="text-align:center;" , {{Cite newspaper The Times , title=Ship News , date=7 May 1836 , page=7 , issue=16097 , column=A {{sfnp, Hackman, 2001, p=277 , - , data-sort-value"1840-01-01" , 1840 , ''Rosalie'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, The ''Rosalie'', a large French vessel, was found abandoned with sails set and cargo intact. Its crew had vanished. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="1841-01-01" , 17 March 1841 , Richard Roberts , style="text-align:center;", 37–38 , rowspan="3" ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="3" , Roberts was the captain of the SS ''President'' when it disappeared in a
gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
from New York. Methodist clergyman Rev. George Grimston Cookman who served as the Chaplain of the Senate and Irish comic actor Tyrone Power were among the passengers who were lost. , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , , - , George Grimston Cookman , style="text-align:center;", 40 , - ,
Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James'', ' ...
, style="text-align:center;", 43 , - , data-sort-value="1845-07-01" , July 1845 ,
Franklin's lost expedition Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sect ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 59 (Franklin) ,
Victoria Strait Victoria Strait is a strait in northern Canada that lies in Nunavut off the mainland in the Arctic Ocean. It is between Victoria Island (Canada), Victoria Island to the west and King William Island to the east. From the north, the strait links the ...
, The expedition led by Sir
John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through t ...
, with 129 seamen, made last contact with a whaling ship before entering
Victoria Strait Victoria Strait is a strait in northern Canada that lies in Nunavut off the mainland in the Arctic Ocean. It is between Victoria Island (Canada), Victoria Island to the west and King William Island to the east. From the north, the strait links the ...
in search of the
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
. The remains of some individuals, written messages and the wrecks of the ships HMS ''Erebus'' (in 2014) and HMS ''Terror'' (in 2016) were later discovered. However, the majority of the crew, including Franklin himself, were never found, with the crew having probably died from a combination of lead poisoning, starvation, and exposure. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1847-04-26" , 26 April 1847 ,
Francis Crozier Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier (17 October 1796 – disappeared 26 April 1848) was an Irish officer of the Royal Navy and polar explorer who participated in six expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. In May 1845, he was second-in-comman ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 54 , Unknown , Unverified
Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
reports collected between 1852 and 1858 indicate that Crozier and one other expedition member might have been seen in the Baker Lake area, about {{convert, 400, km to the south, where, in 1948,
Farley Mowat Farley McGill Mowat, (May 12, 1921 – May 6, 2014) was a Canadian writer and environmentalist. His works were translated into 52 languages, and he sold more than 17 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Can ...
found "a very ancient cairn, not of normal Eskimo construction," inside which were fragments of a hardwood box with dovetail joints. McClintock and later searchers found relics, graves, and human remains of the Franklin crew on Beechey Island, King William Island, and the northern coast of the Canadian mainland. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1847-05-24" , 24 May 1847 , James Walter Fairholme , style="text-align:center;" , 26 , Unknown , On 31 March 1854 the Admiralty removed the name of Sir
John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through t ...
and his officers and men from their books, presuming that they all had perished, and arrangements were made to distribute the back-dated pay to their dependents. Fairholme was declared legally dead in 1858 after the case of Fairholme v Fairholme in Scotland, in a legal dispute concerning a large sum of money left to Fairholme by his uncle, Adam Fairholme, who died in 1853. The case hinged on whether James Fairholme had predeceased his uncle, or had died after him. The Court's judgement, based on evidence produced by Captain John Rae, among others, was that Lt. Fairholme had died before 1853 and therefore could not have survived his uncle. , style="text-align:center;", , - , 1848 , Harry Goodsir , style="text-align:center;" , 28–29 , King William Island, Canada , Harry Goodsir was a Scottish naturalist and physician who disappeared in 1848 on King William Island while aboard
Franklin's lost expedition Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sect ...
. Years later a skeleton was found that showed a likeness to him, yet it is unknown for certain if these were his remains. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1848-04-26" , 26 April 1848 , James Fitzjames , style="text-align:center;" , 34 , Nunavut, Canada , Fitzjames, a British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
officer who became one of the central figures of
Franklin's lost expedition Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sect ...
, captaining HMS ''Erebus'', survived the initial disaster and attempted to sail back to the Canadian coast, but all definitive trace of him was lost after this point. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , 1849 , Harry Peglar , style="text-align:center;" , c. 36 , King William Island, Canada , Peglar served aboard the HMS ''Terror'' during the 1845 Franklin Expedition. He is believed to have died several months after the two vessels became icebound in the
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
. Although his remains, if found, were never identified, several of his personal effects were later found with a skeleton by explorer Leopold McClintock. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1849-10-07" , 7 October 1849 , Francisque Arban , style="text-align:center;" , 34 ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, Arban was a French balloonist renowned as the first person to cross the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
in a balloon. On 7 October 1849, he took on a flight from
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
but was blown over to the Mediterranean Sea, where he disappeared and is thought to have died. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1852-05-17" , 17 May 1852 , Sir Montagu Chapman, 3rd Baronet , style="text-align:center;" , 51 ,
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, The Anglo-Irish landowner and High Sheriff of Westmeath in 1844 disappeared while sailing from
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
to Sydney, Australia. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1854-09" , 28 or 29 September 1854 , James Thompson Gerry , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, As of 30 June 1854, the crew of ''Albany'' consisted of 18 officers, 156 seaman, and 23 Marines. It is likely the ship's complement was little changed when she was lost three months later. The crew included several sons and grandsons of prominent men: Commander James T. Gerry, youngest son of Elbridge Gerry, formerly
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
, Lieutenant John Quincy Adams, grandson of the second president and nephew of the sixth, and Midshipman Bennet Israel Riley, son of Brevet General Bennet C. Riley, the former military governor of California during its statehood controversy. , style="text-align:center;" , The Weekly Herald (New York, New York), Saturday, December 09, 1854; Issue 49.''Navy Casualty Reports, 1776–1941'', Lost and Wrecked Ships, Explosions and Steam Casualties
p. 5
Fold3 12-003. Accessed 3 November 2015. {{Subscription
, - , rowspan="2" , 23 January 1856 , Asa Eldridge , style="text-align:center;", 47 , rowspan="2" ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="2" , Eldridge was the commander of the '' SS Pacific'' when it disappeared under mysterious circumstances while sailing to New York from
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
. The Bishop of Hartford Bernard O'Reilly, who was returning from a trip to Europe, was among those lost. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", , - , Bernard O'Reilly , style="text-align:center;", 52 , - , data-sort-value="1867-03-01" , March 1867 ,
Trevarton Charles Sholl Trevarton Charles Sholl (7 July 1845 – March 1867) was an explorer of North-West Australia and government official. During the 1860s, he undertook expeditions to the regions known later as the Kimberley and Pilbara. In March 1867, at the age o ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 22 , Australia , Sholl, a government official and explorer, was lost at sea when the schooner ''Emma'' disappeared during a storm. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="1872-12-04" , 4 December 1872 , Captain Benjamin Briggs and crew , style="text-align:center;" , 37 , rowspan="3",
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
near
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
, rowspan="3", Briggs, his wife Sarah, their daughter Sophia, and all seven crew members were missing when the ''
Mary Celeste ''Mary Celeste'' (; often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was an American-registered merchant brigantine, best known for being discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores Islands on December 4, 1872. The Cana ...
'' was found adrift in choppy seas some {{convert, 400, mi east of the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
. Their unexplained disappearances are at the core of "one of the most durable mysteries in nautical history". , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Sarah Elizabeth Briggs , style="text-align:center;" , 31 , - , Sophia Matilda Briggs , style="text-align:center;" , 2 , - , - , - , data-sort-value="1880-01-01" , c. 14 February 1880 , Crew of the HMS ''Juno'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, HMS ''Juno'' disappeared while sailing from Royal Naval Dockyard in
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...
en route to Falmouth,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on 31 January 1880. The vessel is presumed to have sunk in a storm sometime between 12 and 16 February. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1880-10-10" , 10 October 1880 ,
Lamont Young Lamont H. Young (1851–1880) was an Australian assistant geological surveyor for the New South Wales Mines Department. He mysteriously disappeared while on field-work at Bermagui, New South Wales. Disappearance Young was inspecting the new g ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 28–29 , Bermagui, Australia , Young, a government geologist inspecting new gold fields on behalf of the New South Wales Mines Department, together with his assistant Max Schneider, boat owner Thomas Towers and two other men disappeared after leaving Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia in a small boat. The nearby location where the abandoned wreck of their boat was discovered was subsequently named Mystery Bay. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1881-03-25" , 25 March 1881 , John Bristow Hughes , style="text-align:center;" , 64 , Hobson's Bay, Australia , Hughes, an English-Australian grazier and politician of the
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
n colony, is thought to have drowned on vacation while swimming, but his body was never recovered. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1881-09-12" , 12 September 1881 , Charles W. Chipp , style="text-align:center;" , 33 ,
Laptev Sea The Laptev Sea ( rus, мо́ре Ла́птевых, r=more Laptevykh; sah, Лаптевтар байҕаллара, translit=Laptevtar baỹğallara) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the northern coast of Siberia, t ...
, Chipp, an American naval officer and explorer, took part in the Jeannette expedition, which aimed to discover a route from the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
to the Bering Strait. The ship became crushed and sank in June 1881. After a long trek across the ice to the water, the crew set out in three small boats, but later became separated in a storm. The boat that Chipp was commanding was never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1881-12-10" , 10 December 1881 , Walter Powell , style="text-align:center;" , 39 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, Walter Powell, a Welsh politician member of the
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
party member in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
in between 1868 and 1881 as well as a colliery owner, disappeared in a balloon over the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
on 10 December 1881 and was never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1884-08-29" , 29 August 1884 , ''
Resolven Resolven ( cy, Resolfen) is a small village and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is located in the Vale of Neath. Location The village is situated in the Vale of Neath, north east of the town of Neath, next to the A465 ...
'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...
, Canada , The merchant ship ''Resolven'' was found abandoned off the coast of
Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...
on 29 August. A lifeboat was missing and it was assumed that all 11 on board had evacuated in the face of nearby icebergs, but neither they nor the lifeboat were ever found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1886-07-22" , 22 July 1886 , James Henry Van Alen , style="text-align:center;" , 66 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, A
Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
, Van Alen either fell or jumped into the sea while on board the RMS ''
Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...
'', while returning home from a trip to England. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1889-09-29" , 29 September 1889 , William Jackson , style="text-align:center;" , 56 ,
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, Jackson, an English-born New Zealand Member of Parliament who represented the
Waikato region Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...
from 1872 to 1875, went missing while travelling on board the SS ''Rotorua''. It is presumed he became sick and fell overboard. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1890-07-12" , 12 July 1890 ,
Archduke Johann Salvator of Austria Archduke Johann Salvator of Austria (german: Johann Salvator, it, Giovanni Salvatore; 25 November 1852 – declared dead in absentia 2 February 1911) was a member of the Tuscan branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He was Archduke and Princ ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 37 , Cape Horn,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
(presumed) , A member of the
House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary, Queen of C ...
who renounced his royal titles and went on to live as a sailor, Salvator and his wife were presumably killed when their ship was sunk during a storm in Cape Horn, but other theories have been proposed that Salvator instead assumed a new identity and lived the rest of his days in South America. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1892-03-13", 13 March 1892 , Hermann Fol , style="text-align:center;" , 46 , Bénodet, France , Fol, a Swiss zoologist regarded as the father of modern cell biology, disappeared with several crew members of his yacht shortly after leaving Bénodet, France. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1902-10-26", 26 October 1902 , Eduard von Toll , 44 , East Siberian Sea , A group of Russian explorers led by Baron Eduard von Toll left
Bennett Island Bennett Island ( rus, Остров Бе́ннетта, r=Ostrov Bennetta; sah, Беннетт Aрыыта, translit= Bennett Arııta) is the largest of the De Long Islands in the northern part of the East Siberian Sea. The area of this island ...
in
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
and were never seen again. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1903-11-16", On or After 16 November 1903 , Thomas Williams , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, In early 1904 speculation and concern about the missing ship appeared in the press.< She was never heard from again and no scrap of wreckage was ever found. The crew consisted of :— Thomas Williams (master), J. M. Scott (first mate), G. Howell (second mate), J. A. Gibbons (carpenter), C. L. Williams (sailmaker), W. Williams (cook and steward), A. Gaerkens, H. Skinner, D. Friel, T. Williams, T. T. Gunn, J. L. James, G. Hartfield, L. J. Monoghan, C. Burns, S.Thomas (boy). The captain's wife (Mrs. Williams) was also on the articles as stewardess. Five men: N. M. McKcnzie, F. Bucknall. R. Leppar, C. Nelson, joined the vessel at Port Adelaide. F. Bucknall was the son of Frederick Estcourt Bucknall, a former parliamentarian, brewer and real estate developer who lost his fortune in a recent recession. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1909-07-26", 27 July 1909 , ''Waratah'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various , Mbhashe River,
Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Natalia Republic, Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three o ...
, The ''SS Waratah'', a 500-foot passenger and cargo steamship built in 1908 by the Blue Anchor Line to operate between Europe and Australia, disappeared on her second voyage from
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
to
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
with 211 passengers and crew aboard. The last confirmed sighting of her was by a fellow steamer on 27 July, and her ultimate fate remains unknown. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1909-11-14" , 14 November 1909 , Joshua Slocum , style="text-align:center;" , 65 , Martha's Vineyard,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, U.S. , Slocum, a Canadian-American sailor and first man to sail single-handedly around the world (1895–1898), disappeared after setting sail from Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard alone, bound for South America, aboard the same {{cvt, 36, ft, 9, in sloop '' Spray'' he had used for his circumnavigation. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1910-12-22" , 22 December 1910 , Cecil Grace , style="text-align:center;" , 30 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, Pioneer aviator Grace disappeared over the English Channel on 22 December 1910 while returning to
Eastchurch Eastchurch is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster. The village website claims the area has "a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers". Aviation history Eastch ...
via Dover from Calais after having gone there to attempt to win the Baron de Forest Prize, but deciding not to due to strong winds. His pilot's goggles and cap were recovered on 6 January 1911, and his body was possibly found on 14 March 1911, but was too badly disfigured to be identifiable. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1911-06-05" , 5 June 1911 , Édouard Bague , style="text-align:center;" , 32 ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, Bague, a former lieutenant in the Algerian tirailleurs and aviator, disappeared while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea without a compass. Several expeditions to locate the plane or Bague's remains were made, but no trace was ever found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1912-04-18" , 18 April 1912 , Damer Leslie Allen , style="text-align:center;" , 34 ,
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
, Allen, an Irish-born British aviator, disappeared on 18 April 1912 while attempting to fly solo from Holyhead,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, to Ireland in a Blériot
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1912-01-01" , c. 1913 ,
Vladimir Rusanov Vladimir Alexandrovich Rusanov (russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Руса́нов; – ca. 1913) was a Russian geologist and Arctic explorer. Early life Rusanov was born in a merchant's family in Oryol, Russia. His early ...
, style="text-align:center;", 38 , rowspan="2" ,
Kara Sea The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...
, rowspan="2", Rusanov, a Russian geologist and Arctic explorer, led an expedition with the initial goal of establishing mineral claims on Spitsbergen, but later expanded to include investigating the Northeast Passage. They sailed in the ''Hercules'' captained by Alexander Kuchin. The expedition was last heard from in August 1912, when Rusanov sent a message stating that he was continuing east, before disappearing a year later in the Kara Sea. Artefacts found decades later show that they managed to cross that sea. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Alexander Kuchin , style="text-align:center;", 24 , - , data-sort-value="1913-10-13" , 13 October 1913 , Albert Jewell , style="text-align:center;" , 27 ,
North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, Jewell, an early US aviator, disappeared off Long Island, New York, on 13 October 1913, en route to
Oakwood, Staten Island Oakwood is a neighborhood located in east central Staten Island, New York City, near the South Shore. It is bordered by Tysens Lane (north); the Atlantic Ocean (east); Great Kills Park (south); Kensico Street, and Clarke Avenue (west). The nei ...
, in order to take part in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' American Aerial Derby. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1914-05-23" , 23 May 1914 ,
Gustav Hamel Gustav Wilhelm Hamel (25 June 1889 – missing 23 May 1914) was a pioneer British aviator. He was prominent in the early history of aviation in Britain, and in particular that of Hendon airfield, where Claude Graham-White was energetica ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 24–25 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, Hamel, a British aviation pioneer who was most prominent for developing and promoting flying in
Hendon Aerodrome Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in London, England, that was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968. It was situated in Colindale, north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became a central hub of civil aviation ("the Charing Cros ...
, disappeared over the English Channel while flying a new plane. In July, a fishing vessel saw a body floating in the ocean, which, although they didn't retrieve it, was believed to be Hamel's. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1914-08-18" , 18/19 August 1914 , Albert Johan Petersson , style="text-align:center;" , 44 ,
Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
, Swedish chemist, engineer and industrialist Albert Petersson disappeared during a boat trip from Odda,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
to Bergen. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1914-12-03" , 3 December 1914 , Harald Kristian Dannevig , style="text-align:center;" , 43 ,
Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 197 ...
, Dannevig, a Norwegian-born Australian superintendent of fisheries for
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, disappeared during an investigation on 3 December 1914. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1916-09" , c. September 1916 , Karl Schwartzkopf , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, ''Bremen'' departed
Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...
in September 1916 for Norfolk, Virginia, commanded by ''
Kapitänleutnant ''Kapitänleutnant'', short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( en, captain lieutenant) is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the German Bundeswehr. The rank is rated OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to Hauptmann in the Heer an ...
'' Karl Schwartzkopf, and reportedly carrying financial credits for
Simon Lake Simon Lake (September 4, 1866 – June 23, 1945) was a Quaker American mechanical engineer and naval architect who obtained over two hundred patents for advances in naval design and competed with John Philip Holland to build the first submarines f ...
to begin building cargo submarines for Germany. It did not complete this voyage and Bremen's fate is a mystery. Several views have been put forth as to the nature of her fate. German U-boat ''U-53'' had been assigned to join ''Bremen'' as protection against British attacks but failed to make contact. Its commander
Hans Rose Hans Rose (April 18, 1885 – December 6, 1969) was one of the most successful and highly decorated German U-boat commanders in the '' Kaiserliche Marine'' during . He sank 79 ships for a total of during the war. World War I In September 1916, ...
reported having heard a radio broadcast on 28 September 1916 stating that ''Bremen'' had been sunk. , style="text-align:center;" , {{Cite book , last1=Polmar , first1=Norman , last2=Moore , first2=Kenneth J , title=Cold War Submarines , publisher=Brassey's , year=2004 , isbn=1-57488-594-4 , pages=225 , - , data-sort-value="1917-04-15" , 15 April 1917 , Marc Armand Ruffer , style="text-align:center;" , 57 ,
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
, Ruffer was a Swiss-born British experimental pathologist and
bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learning about bacteria, ...
, who is considered a pioneer of modern paleopathology. On 15 April 1917 while travelling to Egypt aboard the {{SS, Arcadian, which was sunk by a
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
, He was last seen two times floating in the sea, first upright and alive and then in a different position, as he is believed to have died, and then disappeared and was not seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1918-02-13" , 13 February 1918 , René Audry (Commander & 22 crew) , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Unknown , ''
Bernoulli Bernoulli can refer to: People *Bernoulli family of 17th and 18th century Swiss mathematicians: ** Daniel Bernoulli (1700–1782), developer of Bernoulli's principle **Jacob Bernoulli (1654–1705), also known as Jacques, after whom Bernoulli numbe ...
''{{'s final patrol was in February 1918, on close blockade duty off Cattaro. The submarine was not heard from after 13 February 1918 and is believed to have struck a mine off Cattaro and sunk. All 23 of her crew were lost. Her commander, Rene Audry, was honoured by having a submarine named after him. , style="text-align:center;" , Conway p209-10 , - , data-sort-value="1918-10-01" , c. November 1918 , Arthur Cravan , style="text-align:center;" , 33 , Salina Cruz, Mexico , Swiss writer, poet, artist and boxer Arthur Cravan was last seen in
Salina Cruz Salina Cruz is a major seaport on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is the state's third-largest city and is the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the ...
, Mexico around November 1918. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1919-01-01" , c. 1919 , Paul Knutsen , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
Cape Chelyuskin Cape Chelyuskin (russian: Мыс Челюскина, ''Mys Chelyuskina'') is the northernmost point of the Afro-Eurasian continent (and indeed of any continental mainland), and the northernmost point of mainland Russia. It is situated at the tip o ...
, A Norwegian seaman who accompanied explorer
Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...
on an expedition to the Arctic, but were left behind due to his companion Peter Tessem having chronic headaches, rendering him unable to survive the journey back home. They were instructed to wait for the freeze-up and travel towards Dikson when the opportunity arises, but both disappeared along the way. Tessem's body was found and buried several years later, while Knutsen's was never located. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1919-10-26" , 26 October 1919 , '' Marie Empress'' , style="text-align:center;" , 35 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Empress, a British silent film actress, was last seen in Stateroom 480 on the SS ''Orduña'' the night before its arrival in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1920-02-21" , 21 February 1920 , Croye Pithey , style="text-align:center;" , 24 ,
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
, Pithey, a South African
flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
and balloon buster, crashlanded while conducting a ferry operation. Neither his remains nor plane were ever recovered. , style="text-align:center;" , {{better source needed, date=December 2021, reason=theaerodrome.com is considered generally unreliable , - , data-sort-value="1921-01-26" , 26 January 1921 , Hans Jakob Hansen , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, ''Hewitt'' left fully loaded from Sabine Pass, Port Arthur, Texas on 20 January 1921. She was bound for
Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
with a stop in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts. She made her regular radio calls on 24 January and 25 January, and reported nothing unusual. She was last seen {{convert, 250, nmi, km north of
Jupiter Inlet, Florida Jupiter Inlet Colony is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 405 at the 2020 census. Geography Jupiter Inlet Colony is located at (26.947393, –80.074616), in the southernmost tip of Jupiter Island. Accord ...
. From that time to this, she remains missing. No further radio signals from her were received. After the ''Hewitt'' failed to arrive in Boston on its expected due date of 29 January, Union Sulphur sent the ship's wireless call (K I L) through Atlantic coastal stations, and notified the
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
. A huge search along her route found nothing. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite journal , date=June 1921 , author1-last=Southern , author1-first=David A. , editor1-last=Clark , editor1-first=Grenville , title=The Mystery Ship: Tragedy of the S.S. Hewitt and Other Ill-Fated Vessels , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJnlAAAAMAAJ&q=SS+Hewitt+1921&pg=PA323 , journal=National Service , location=New York , publisher=Military Training Publishing Corporation , volume=9 , issue=6 , pages=323–327 , access-date=18 September 2015 , - , data-sort-value="1921-01-31" , 31 January 1921 , '' Carroll A. Deering'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shap ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, U.S. , The captain and ten crewmen of the schooner ''Carroll A. Deering'' were missing when the schooner was found run aground off
Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shap ...
, North Carolina, on 31 January 1921. A mutiny was suspected, but the reason for their disappearance has never been established. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1921-11-26" , 26 November 1921 , Charles Whittlesey , style="text-align:center;" , 37 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, The American soldier and
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
recipient who led the " Lost Battalion" in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
was last seen on the evening of 26 November 1921 on a passenger ship bound from New York City to
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
. It is presumed he committed suicide by jumping overboard. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1922-09-20" , 20 September 1922 , Giuseppe Sartorio , style="text-align:center;" , 68 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Sartorio, an Italian sculptor, disappeared while travelling on board the steamer ''Tocra'', which was returning to Italy from Canada. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1927-05-08" , c. 8 May 1927 , Charles Nungesser , style="text-align:center;" , 31 , rowspan="2",
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="2", Both French aviators disappeared with their Levasseur PL.8 ''
L'Oiseau Blanc ''L'Oiseau Blanc'' (English: ''The White Bird'') was a French Levasseur PL.8 biplane that disappeared in 1927 during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York City to compete for the Orteig Prize. ...
'' while attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , François Coli , style="text-align:center;" , 45 , - , data-sort-value="1927-08-16" , 16 August 1927 , Mildred Doran , style="text-align:center;" , 22 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, The Canadian aviation enthusiast and sole woman to participate in the Dole Air Race vanished at sea like several other competitors, and was never found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1927-08-18" , 18 August 1927 ,
William Portwood Erwin Lieutenant William Portwood Erwin (18 October 1895 - 19 August 1927) was an American World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. On 19 August 1927, he disappeared during the Dole Air Race from Oakland, California to Hawaii. Early ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 28 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, Lt. Erwin was an American
flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
active during World War I, credited with eight aerial victories. He vanished while participating in the Dole Air Race spanning between Oakland, California and Hawaii, and is believed to drowned in the ocean. , style="text-align:center;" , {{better source needed, date=December 2021, reason=theaerodrome.com is considered generally unreliable , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="1927-08-31" , 31 August 1927 , Frederick F. Minchin , style="text-align:center;" , 37 , rowspan="3" ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="3" , Hamilton, a British flying ace credited with six aerial victories, pilot Minchin and the Princess disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean while attempting the first non-stop east-west flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The plane St. Raphael, owned by passenger Princess Anne, was last seen flying over the Atlantic by an oil tanker, and was never seen again , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , {{better source needed, date=December 2021, reason=theaerodrome.com is considered generally unreliable , - ,
Leslie Hamilton Flying Officer Leslie Hamilton , was a British First World War flying ace credited with six aerial victories. He disappeared while attempting the first non-stop east–west flight across the Atlantic Ocean. His Fokker F.VIIa, named ''St. Rapha ...
, style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , Princess Anne of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg , style="text-align:center;" , 63 , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="1927-09-06" , 6 September 1927 , James DeWitt Hill , style="text-align:center;" , 45 , rowspan="3",
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="3", Hill and Bertaud were American aviators who disappeared aboard the '' Old Glory'' while attempting a transatlantic flight, accompanied by Payne, the editor of the ''
New York Daily Mirror The ''New York Daily Mirror'' was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the ''Evening Journal'' and ''N ...
''. One of the plane's wings was later found off the coast of
Cape Race Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", mean ...
, but no trace of the crew was ever found. , rowspan-"3" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Lloyd W. Bertaud , style="text-align:center;" , 31 , - , Philip A. Payne , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , rowspan="4" data-sort-value="1927-12-23" , 23 December 1927 , Oskar Omdal , style="text-align:center;" , 31 , rowspan="4",
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="4", In 23 December 1927, Grayson, pilot Omdal, navigator Goldsborough, and radio engineer Koehler took off from Curtiss Field in order to set the record for the first woman to cross the Atlantic, but the plane disappeared at sea. No trace of either the plane or the crew has been found since. , rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Frances Wilson Grayson , style="text-align:center;" , 35 , - , Brice Goldsborough , style="text-align:center;" , 38 , - , Frank Koehler , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1928-01-10" , 10 January 1928 , John Moncrieff , style="text-align:center;" , 34 , rowspan="2",
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, rowspan="2", The pair of New Zealanders were the first to attempt the
Trans-Tasman Trans-Tasman is an adjective used primarily to signify the relationship between Australia and New Zealand. The term refers to the Tasman Sea, which lies between the two countries. For example, ''trans-Tasman commerce'' refers to commerce betwee ...
flight from New Zealand to nearby Australia. After their departure from Sydney, neither the pilots or the aircraft were ever seen again. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , George Hood , style="text-align:center;" , 37 , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1928-03-13" , 13 March 1928 , Walter G. R. Hinchliffe , style="text-align:center;" , 34 , rowspan="2",
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="2", Hinchliffe, a decorated flying ace, and Mackay, an actress and aviation pioneer, attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a bid for Mackay to become the first woman to have succeeded in the Transatlantic flight. The plane was last seen near the west of Cork,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, but nothing more is known of it. , rowspan="2"style="text-align:center;" , , - ,
Elsie Mackay Honorable Lady Elsie Mackay (August 21, 1893–13th March 1928) was a British actress, jockey, interior decorator and pioneering aviator who died attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean with Walter G. R. Hinchliffe in a single engined Stinson ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 35 , - , data-sort-value="1928-05-25" , 25 May 1928 , Aldo Pontremoli , style="text-align:center;" , 32 ,
Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
, Italian physicist Pontremoli joined the polar expedition of General
Umberto Nobile Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the years between the two World Wars. He is primarily remembe ...
who was in command of the airship ''
Italia Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the Italy (geographical region) ...
''. The airship crash landed on ice, after which the airship envelope carrying Pontremoli, who was observed as alive and conscious, as well as five other people drifted away and disappeared. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="1928-06-18" , 18 June 1928 ,
Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 55 , rowspan="3",
Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...
, rowspan="3", Norwegian polar region explorer Amundsen, French pilot Guilbaud and Norwegian pilot Dietrichson disappeared also with three other crew members on 18 June 1928 while flying on a rescue mission of the missing members of the Nobile crewin the
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
, over the Barents Sea. The search for Amundsen and his team was called off in September 1928 by the
Norwegian Government The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power is ...
. No bodies were ever found. , rowspan="3"style="text-align:center;" , , - , René Guilbaud , style="text-align:center;" , 37 , - , Leif Dietrichson , style="text-align:center;" , 37 , - , data-sort-value="1931-10-03" , 3 October 1931 , Lauro De Bosis , style="text-align:center;" , 29 ,
Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...
, De Bosis, an Italian poet, aviator, and anti-fascist, took off from
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
on a small
Klemm L 25 Klemm L 25, later Klemm Kl 25 was a successful German light leisure, sports and training monoplane aircraft, developed in 1928. More than 600 aircraft were built, and manufacturing licenses were sold to the United Kingdom and the United State ...
heading for Corsica and then Italy. He reached Rome and circled over the city centre for a half hour, dropping thousands of antifascist leaflets. Before Italian Air Forces can arrive, he had flown off to sea for Corsica, never to be seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1934-12-03" , 3 December 1934 , Charles Ulm , style="text-align:center;" , 36 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, Ulm was an Australian aviator who, together with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, was the founder of the
Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...
. In December 1934, he, his copilot and his navigator disappeared in the Pacific Ocean during a test flight from Oakland, California to Hawaii in the aircraft ''Stella Australis''. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1935-11-08" , 8 November 1935 ,
Charles Kingsford Smith Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. Kingsford Smith was b ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 38 , rowspan="2" , Andaman Sea , rowspan="2" , Australian pioneer aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge disappeared during an overnight flight from Allahabad, India, to Singapore while attempting to break the England–Australia speed record. Eighteen months later, Burmese fishermen found an undercarriage leg and wheel (with its tire still inflated) on the shoreline of Aye Island in the Andaman Sea, {{cvt, 3, km, 0 off the south-east coastline of Burma, which Lockheed confirmed to be from their
Lockheed Altair The Lockheed Altair was a single-engined sport aircraft produced by Lockheed Aircraft Limited in the 1930s. It was a development of the Lockheed Sirius with a retractable undercarriage, and was the first Lockheed aircraft and one of the first air ...
, the '' Lady Southern Cross''. Botanists who examined the weeds clinging to it estimated that the aircraft itself lies not far from the island at a depth of approximately {{cvt, 15, fathom, 0. A filmmaker claimed to have located ''Lady Southern Cross'' on the seabed in February 2009. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Tommy Pethybridge , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , data-sort-value="1936-02-10" , 10 February 1936 , Émile Barrière , style="text-align:center;" , 33 ,
South Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, Barrière, an early-20th-century French aviator who played a major role in the early development commercial aviation in
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
, was a passenger on an
Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...
Latécoère 301 ''Ville de Buenos Aires'' which disappeared en route from
Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...
,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
to
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
, French West Africa on 10 February 1936. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1936-10-01" , October 1936 , Brian Abbot , style="text-align:center;" , 24–25 , rowspan="2" ,
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, rowspan="2" , Brian Abbot was the stage name of
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...
actor George Rikard Bell, who along with his sidekick and fellow actor Leslie Hay-Simpson mysteriously disappeared after setting out from
Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...
for Sydney in October 1936; they were never seen again despite a week long search having taken place to find them. A significant number of boats have disappeared around the same area where Abbot and Hay-Simpson disappeared. A boat with five men from Sydney also mysteriously vanished a few weeks after the disappearance of Abbot and Hay-Simpson and was also never seen again. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Leslie Hay-Simpson , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , data-sort-value="1936-11-10" , 10 November 1936 ,
James Jenkins Simpson James Jenkins Simpson (24 November 1881 – 10 November 1936) was a British entomologist and marine biologist who worked in West Africa and Turkey. Background Simpson was the son of a gardener from Elgin; he studied at Elgin West End School and A ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 54 ,
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
, Simpson, a British entomologist and
marine biologist Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifi ...
, was last seen at sea on the morning of 10 November 1936 and is believed to have drowned. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1937-07-02" , 2 July 1937 , Amelia Earhart , style="text-align:center;" , 39 , rowspan="2", Central Pacific Ocean , rowspan="2", American aviator Amelia Earhart was the first woman to try a circumnavigational flight of the globe. During the attempt, she and her
navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...
, Fred Noonan, disappeared over the central Pacific in the vicinity of
Howland Island Howland Island () is an uninhabited coral island located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean, about southwest of Honolulu. The island lies almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia and is an unorganized, unincorporated ter ...
on 2 July 1937. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , {{cite web, title=What Happened to Amelia Earhart?, url=http://www.history.com/topics/what-happened-to-amelia-earhart, website=History Valut, publisher=History.com, access-date=29 October 2016 , - ,
Fred Noonan Frederick Joseph "Fred" Noonan (born April 4, 1893 – disappeared July 2, 1937, declared dead June 20, 1938) was an American flight navigator, sea captain and aviation pioneer, who first charted many commercial airline routes across the Pacif ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 44 , - , data-sort-value="1937-08-13" , 13 August 1937 ,
Sigizmund Levanevsky pl, Zygmunt Lewoniewski , birth_date = , death_date = , birth_place = St. Petersburg, Russian empire , death_place = Arctic Ocean , image_size = , allegiance = , branch = Soviet Army before 1925Soviet Air Force ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 35 ,
Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
, Levanevsky, a Soviet aviator, with his crew of five and their Bolkhovitinov DB-A aircraft disappeared in the vicinity of the
North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
on the Arctic Ocean. They had reported a loss of power from one of their four
Mikulin AM-34 The Mikulin AM-34 (M-34) was a Soviet mass-produced, liquid-cooled, aircraft engine of domestic design. Its initial development was troubled, but it eventually became one of the most successful Soviet aircraft engines of the 1930s. It was utilize ...
engines while attempting to prove a trans
polar route A polar route is an aircraft route across the uninhabited polar ice cap regions. The term "polar route" was originally applied to great circle navigation routes between Europe and the west coast of North America in the 1950s. The Arctic Early yea ...
between Asia and North America commercially viable. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1938-03-25" , 25 March 1938 ,
Ettore Majorana Ettore Majorana (,, uploaded 19 April 2013, retrieved 14 December 2019 ; born on 5 August 1906 – possibly dying after 1959) was an Italian theoretical physicist who worked on neutrino masses. On 25 March 1938, he disappeared under mysteri ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 32 ,
Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...
, An Italian physicist, Majorana disappeared in unknown circumstances during a boat trip from Palermo to
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
on 25 March 1938. There is some evidence that he was alive in South America in 1959 and that his disappearance was voluntary. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite web, title=Ettore Majorana: The Mystery Might Be Solved , url=http://www.science20.com/quantum_diaries_survivor/ettore_majorana_mystery_might_be_solved-79823, website=science 2.0, date=27 August 2014, access-date=18 April 2017 , - , data-sort-value="1939-03-20" , 20 March 1939 , William Snodgrass , style="text-align:center;" , 68–69 ,
Cook Strait Cook Strait ( mi, Te Moana-o-Raukawa) separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, A ...
, Snodgrass, a New Zealand politician, disappeared from the inter-island ferry '' Arahura'' while travelling overnight from Wellington to Nelson on 20 March 1939. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1939-03-24" , 24 March 1939 , Richard Halliburton , style="text-align:center;" , 39 , rowspan="2",
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, rowspan="2", Halliburton, an American travel writer and adventurer, vanished while attempting to sail the ''Sea Dragon'', a Chinese junk, across the Pacific Ocean, accompanied by photojournalist Paul Mooney. In 1945, wreckage identified as a rudder, and believed to belong to the ''Sea Dragon'', washed ashore in
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Paul Mooney , style="text-align:center;" , 34 , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1940-03-01" , 1 March 1940 , Harold Whistler , style="text-align:center;" , 43 , rowspan="2" , Gulf of Oman , rowspan="2", Whistler, an English fighter pilot and flying ace, and Pannirselvam, an Indian attorney and politician, along with 6 others disappeared on board the Handley Page H.P.42 ''Hannibal'' while returning to the UK from a trip to India. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , A. T. Pannirselvam , style="text-align:center;" , 51 , - , data-sort-value="1940-09-03" , 3 September 1940 , Elroy Guckert , style="text-align:center;" , 40 , Location unknown , Guckert, an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
coach, is said to have died in 1940 when he disappeared from a ship but his body was never recovered and he was never seen, so his fate remains unknown. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1940-11-28" , 28 November 1940 , Helmut Wick , style="text-align:center;" , 25 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, Wick, a German ''
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' flying ace and
wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
credited with 56 aerial victories against the Allied powers, was shot down by British forces during the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
. His body was never found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1940-11-28" , 28 November 1940 , John Dundas , style="text-align:center;" , 25 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, Dundas, an English
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
pilot and fighter ace believed to have shot down Helmut Wick, Nazi Germany's deadliest flying ace, was purportedly shot down himself moments later. His body was also never found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1941-01-05" , 5 January 1941 ,
Amy Johnson Amy Johnson (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records du ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 37 ,
Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
, England , An English pioneer pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, Johnson disappeared during a ferry flight after being blown off course due to bad weather and bailing out into the Thames Estuary, presumably dying. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1941-04-20" , 20 April 1941 , Luigi Barbesino , style="text-align:center;" , 46 ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, Barbesino, an Italian association footballer and manager who represented his country at the 1912 Summer Olympics, later abandoned his job to serve in the Regia Aeronautica. During a training course, he and his six crewmen went missing during bad weather and were never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1941-05-12" , 12 May 1941 , Zdzisław Henneberg , style="text-align:center;" , 30 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, Polish
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
airman and flying ace Henneberg ditched his plane in the English Channel during the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
. He was last seen floating in the water, but a two-day search was unable to find him. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1941-11-30" , 30 November 1941 , Esmond Romilly , style="text-align:center;" , 23 ,
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
, Romilly, a British socialist and journalist, disappeared during a bombing raid on
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
, with neither his body or the plane's wreckage ever being found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1942-04-14" , 14 April 1942 , David Wanklyn , style="text-align:center;" , 30 ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, Wanklyn disappeared along with his crew while aboard HMS ''Upholder'' on 14 April 1942 in the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
and is believed to have been killed. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1942-05-05" , 5 May 1942 , Gerhard Köppen , style="text-align:center;" , 23 , Sea of Azov, Russia , Gerhard Köppen was a German ''
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' flying ace as well as a recipient of the
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...
who disappeared on 5 May 1942 after he was last seen swimming in the Sea of Azov with Soviet boats going after him. He was officially declared dead on 30 May 1969. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1942-05-08" , 8 May 1942 , William B. Ault , style="text-align:center;" , 43 , Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia , Ault, a
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
commander, disappeared together with his radioman, William T. Butler, during the Battle of the Coral Sea. Neither man's remains were ever recovered. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1942-06-05" , 5 June 1942 , Samuel Adams , style="text-align:center;" , 30 , Pacific theatre , Samuel Adams was an officer in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
who disappeared on 5 June 1942 while flying in the Pacific theatre; he is believed to have been shot down. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1942-08-01" , August 1942 ,
Jose Gozar Jose Protacio Cangco Gozar (April 8, 1918 – 1942) was a Filipino military aviator and a flight officer of the Philippine Army Air Corps, who was awarded at the outbreak of World War II the Distinguished Service Cross. Early years Jose Gozar ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 23–24 , Tanon Strait,
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, The Filipino military aviator and flight officer of the
Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...
was presumably lost at sea with another officer while attempting to reach
Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...
under unfavorable weather conditions. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1942-08-16" , 16 August 1942 , Lt. Ernest Cody , style="text-align:center;" , 27 , rowspan="2" , San Francisco Bay,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, U.S. , rowspan="2" , U.S. Navy blimp ''
L-8 L-8, later renamed ''America'' and popularly known as the "Ghost Blimp", was a United States Navy L-class airship whose crew disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on August 16, 1942. At 11:15 a.m., several hours after the airship lifted off from ...
'' drifted inland from its route doing antisubmarine patrol off the coast of California near San Francisco several hours after its crew, Lt. Ernest Cody and Ens. Charles Adams, radioed in that they were going to take a closer look at an oil slick. When the ship eventually crashed in Daly City, neither man was aboard. A massive search failed to find any trace of them; they were both declared dead a year later. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , {{cite web , url=http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/L-8_crash_site.htm, title=The Crash of Navy Blimp L-8, access-date=1 December 2015, publisher=Check Six, date=May 2008 , - , Ens. Charles Adams , style="text-align:center;" , 38 , - , data-sort-value="1942-12-13" , 13 December 1942 , Brian Lane , style="text-align:center;" , 25 ,
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
, Lane, a British author and
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
flying ace, is thought to have been shot down by an enemy plane while flying over the North Sea. His remains have never been recovered. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1943-04-05" , 5 April 1943 , Denver V. Truelove , style="text-align:center;" , 24 ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, A
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
bombardier and member of the
Doolittle Raid The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japa ...
ers who took part in bombing Japan in April 1942. The following year, while he and several others were participating in a bombing raid in Sicily, Italy, their plane was shot down. Truelove and two others' remains were never recovered. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1943-07-08" , 8 July 1943 ,
Kenji Tsukagoshi (1900–1943) was a Japanese aviator and explorer. He was navigator on the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly from Japan to Europe. Life Tsukagoshi was born in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. His father was Japanese and his mother was British. H ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 43 ,
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, Tsukagoshi, a Japanese aviator and explorer, disappeared after departing from
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
for
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
in the prototype Tachikawa Ki-77. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1943-07-13" , 13 July 1943 , Geoffrey Appleyard , style="text-align:center;" , 26 ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
near
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
, Italy ,
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer Appleyard disappeared on a return flight from the
Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...
. His aircraft was never located, and it is presumed he was shot down by friendly fire. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1943-10-04" , 4 October 1943 ,
Ernest Melville Charles Guest Ernest Melville Charles Guest (May 1920 – 4 October 1943) was a Southern Rhodesian Royal Air Force pilot of the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1942 having flown more than 1,000 operational hours. Pos ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 23 , Bay of Biscay , A
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kno ...
n
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
pilot, Guest was last seen on 4 October 1943 when he was fighting six Ju 88s while on patrol with another plane. He was pronounced missing in January 1944. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite journal , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1944/1944%20-%200051.PDF , title=Service Aviation , journal=Flight , date=6 January 1944 , pages=25 , - , data-sort-value="1943-10-04" , 4 October 1943 ,
Erwin Clausen Erwin Clausen (5 August 1911 – 4 October 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 132 aerial victories—that is, 132 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy ai ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 32 ,
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
, Clausen, a German ''
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' military aviator and fighter ace who fought in multiple large-scale invasions and operations, was posted as
missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...
on 4 October 1943 during a defence of the Reich mission. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , {{circa 31 October 1943 , Jack Kraynick , style="text-align:center;" , 29 ,
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, Kraynick, an American football
back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column runs ...
who played for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and later a
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...
in the
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
, disappeared while flying over the Caribbean Sea and is presumed to have died. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1944-02-14" , 14 February 1944 , Theodore Kara , style="text-align:center;" , 27 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, Theodore Kara was an American boxer and a
United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
radioman who disappeared on 14 February 1944 while flying over the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
and was never seen or heard from again. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite web, title=Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War, url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/friv/lists.cgi?id=65, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417055433/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/friv/lists.cgi?id=65, archive-date=17 April 2020, access-date=24 July 2018, work=Sports Reference , - , data-sort-value="1944-04-20" , 20 April 1944 , Gerry Atwell , style="text-align:center;" , 27 ,
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
, Atwell, an Australian rugby footballer who served as a pilot in the
RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
, disappeared during a bombing raid on Italy. His remains were never recovered. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1944-07-09" , 9 July 1944 , Ingvar Fredrik Håkansson , style="text-align:center;" , 23 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, The English-born Swedish volunteer fighter pilot for the
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
disappeared after having to eject from his aircraft. Neither he or his plane were ever recovered. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1944-07-26" , 26 July 1944 , USS ''Robalo'' crewmen , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...
, Although the U.S. Navy claimed the submarine USS ''Robalo'' was lost with all hands after failing to report while on a July 1944 patrol in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, Lt. Cmdr. Manning Kimmel (31) and three other crewmen are known to have survived. A note recovered by an Army
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...
claimed the four had been arrested as spies after reaching
Palawan Island Palawan is the largest island of the province of Palawan in the Philippines and fifth-largest by area and tenth-most populous island of the country, with a total population of 994,101 as of 2020 census. The north west coast of the island is alon ...
following the ''Robalo'''s 26 July collision with a Japanese mine just offshore. Another witness account says they were massacred following an air raid later that year but Japanese records do not indicate they were being held at the camp in question at that time. It is believed that they were killed in captivity, but officially their fate is still unknown. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite book, last1=Blair, first1=Clay Jr., title=Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan, date=1975, publisher=
Naval Institute Press The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...
, isbn=978-1557502179, page=688, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KGjfqe6DcrEC
, - , data-sort-value="1944-07-26" , 26 July 1944 , Leon Vance , style="text-align:center;" , 27 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Vance was a decorated veteran of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, serving in the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
. He, and all aboard a
C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...
, disappeared while travelling across the Atlantic Ocean from England to the United States. This aircraft is believed to have crashed somewhere between
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
and Newfoundland , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1944-07-31" , 31 July 1944 , {{nowrap, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , style="text-align:center;" , 44 ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who disappeared over the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
on a reconnaissance mission during July 1944, is believed to have died at that time. In August, an unidentifiable body, wearing a French uniform, was found in the sea near
Carqueiranne Carqueiranne (, ; oc, Carcairana, italic=yes, , or , ) is a commune in the Var department, administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (historically Provence), Southeastern France. It is known now as a tourist seaside resort with go ...
and was buried there. In 2000, the wreckage of the aircraft flown by Saint-Exupéry was found on the seabed near
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , 26 August 1944 , Toshio Kuroiwa , style="text-align:center;", 35 , Off the Malay Peninsula , Japanese IJN warrant officer and fighter pilot Kuroiwa participated in one of the first official shootdowns of enemy aircraft during the January 28 incident in 1932. After retiring from service, he and the civilian transport aircraft he was piloting disappeared off the Malay Peninsula, never to be seen again. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1944-10-29" , 29 October 1944 , Alfonza W. Davis , style="text-align:center;" , 24 ,
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
, Davis, an American aviator and member of the
Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army ...
, disappeared during a reconnaissance mission over the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Italy. He was presumed to have been killed, but his remains have never been found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1944-11-07" , 7 November 1944 , Clint Castleberry , style="text-align:center;" , 21 , Liberia , Clint Castleberry was an American college football player and later a USAAF Lieutenant who disappeared on 7 November 1944 after taking off from Roberts Field in Liberia with another plane, and was later presumed dead after a
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
plane saw unidentified wreckage that was thought to have been from one of the planes. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , 8 November 1944 , Peter Deinboll , style="text-align:center;" , 29 ,
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
, Deinboll, a Norwegian engineer and resistance fighter who took part in sabotage operations against German locomotives, disappeared in transit between the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
and was never seen again. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1944-11-22" , 22 November 1944 , Johan Pitka , style="text-align:center;" , 72 ,
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
, Pitka was an Estonian navy commander and prominent fighter in the
Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westw ...
. In 1944, he returned to his country from his exile in Finland to fight against the Soviet occupying forces, but is thought to have been killed in action. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1944-12-15" , 15 December 1944 , Glenn Miller , style="text-align:center;" , 40 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, An American big band leader and recording artist, Miller went missing on the night of 15 December 1944 in a US Army UC-64 Norseman that disappeared over the English Channel while en route from the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Miller was on the flight to make arrangements for his band to entertain Allied servicemen. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="1945-01-17", 26 February 1945 ,
Millard Harmon Millard Fillmore Harmon Jr. (January 19, 1888 – February 26, 1945) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaign in World War II. He was presumed to have perished in February 1945 on a flight when th ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 57 , rowspan="3" ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, rowspan="3" , Harmon, a
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
and one of the highest-ranking Americans to die in World War II, his chief of staff
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
Andersen, and pilot Savage disappeared while traveling between Kwajalein Atoll and
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
. The aircraft was never recovered. , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;", , - ,
James Roy Andersen Brigadier General James Roy Andersen (May 10, 1904 – February 26, 1945) was a United States Army Air Forces officer. He was declared killed in action after an aircraft accident on February 26, 1945 over the Pacific Ocean. Background Anders ...
, style="text-align:center;" , 40 , - , F. E. Savage , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1945-03-27", 27 March 1945 , Peter Drummond , style="text-align:center;" , 50 , rowspan="2" ,
North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, rowspan="2" , Drummond, a Australian-born RAF senior commander, and Brabner, a British MP, along with many others disappeared with the Consolidated Liberator II ''
Commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
'' while on a flight from
RAF Northolt ("Ready to carry or to fight") , pushpin_map = Greater London , pushpin_label = RAF Northolt , pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Greater London , coordinates = , type = Royal Air Force station , code = , site_area = , height = , owner ...
to
Lajes Field Lajes Field or Lajes Air Base (; pt, Base Aérea das Lajes), officially designated Air Base No. 4 (''Base Aérea Nº 4'', BA4) , is a multi-use airfield near Lajes and northeast of Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portug ...
in the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
, en route to Ottawa in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", {{cite web, title=Accident record, url=http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=157730, website=ASN, accessdate=3 October 2015 , - , Rupert Brabner , style="text-align:center;" , 33 , - , data-sort-value="1945-08-01", 1 August 1945 , Naoshi Kanno , style="text-align:center;" , 23 , Off
Yakushima is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of 13,178. Access to the island is by hydrofoil ferry (7 or 8 times a day from Kagoshima, depending on the season), slow car ferry (once or twic ...
,
Ōsumi Islands The is an archipelago in the Nansei Islands, and are the northernmost group of the Satsunan Islands, which is in turn part of the Ryukyu Archipelago. The chain extends from the southern tip of Kyushu to Yakushima. Administratively, the group bel ...
, Japan , A Japanese fighter ace with twenty-five confirmed kills, Kanno went missing off the island of
Yakushima is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of 13,178. Access to the island is by hydrofoil ferry (7 or 8 times a day from Kagoshima, depending on the season), slow car ferry (once or twic ...
on 1 August 1945. His remains were never found. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1948-01-30" , 30 January 1948 , Sir Arthur Coningham , style="text-align:center;" , 53 , Bermuda Triangle , A retired
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Air Marshal, Sir Arthur Coningham disappeared when an Avro Tudor IV, G-AHNP ''Star Tiger'', went missing over the western Atlantic. He was one of 25 passengers, together with six crewmen, who were lost when the flight from Santa Maria Airport in the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
failed to reach its destination of Kindley Field,
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...
. ''Star Tigers sister aircraft G-AGRE ''Star Ariel'' also disappeared over the western Atlantic, with the loss of all seven crewmen and 13 passengers, while flying from Bermuda to Kingston Airport,
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, the following year. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1952-06-08" , 8 June 1952 , David Atcherley , style="text-align:center;" , 48 ,
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, A decorated
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
officer, Atcherley was lost at sea while on a 40-minute flight from Egypt to Nicosia, Cyprus. Despite extensive searches from British, Israeli, Turkish and American aircraft, neither he or his plane have ever been located. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1953-02-07" , 7 February 1953 , ''Holchus 5 crew members , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, The ''Holchu'', a small cargo ship, was sighted adrift in the Indian Ocean on 7 February 1953, around {{convert, 200, mi south of the Nicobar Islands, by HMT ''Empire Windrush''. She was later boarded by the crew of a British cargo ship, alerted by ''Windrush''{{'s radio warning. They found no trace of the crew and the ''Holchu'' was towed to
Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
. ''Holchu'' was carrying a cargo of rice and was in good condition, aside from a broken mast. Adequate supplies of food, water and fuel were found, and a meal had been prepared in the ship's galley. The fate of the ''Holchu''{{'s crew remains unknown. , style="text-align:center;" , {{Cite newspaper The Times , title=Ship Found Adrift Without Crew. , date=11 February 1953 , page=8 , issue=52543 , - , data-sort-value="1955-11-10" , 10 November 1955 , '' Joyita'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various ,
South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
, On 10 November, the {{cvt, 69, ft merchant vessel ''Joyita'' was found abandoned, partially submerged and listing heavily to port, north of the Pacific island of
Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 . Geology Fiji lies in a tectonically ...
, part of Fiji. There was no sign of the 25 passengers and crew who had been aboard when it was last seen on its departure from
Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...
, Samoa five weeks earlier. An extensive investigation has failed to find any trace of the passengers or crew. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1955-11-23" , 23 November 1955 , '' SS Empire Adur'' , style="text-align:center;" , Various , Unknown , SS Empire Adur served for a further seven years but went missing under tow by the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
registered tug ''Albacore'' to
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
for scrapping. Both vessels were presumed lost.< Her last reported position was north of the
Paracel Islands The Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands () and the Hoang Sa Archipelago ( vi, Quần đảo Hoàng Sa, lit=Yellow Sand Archipelago), are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. The archipelago includes about 130 small coral ...
at {{coord, 17, 56, N, 113, 45, E, display=inline,title on 23 November 1955. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite web, url=http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/EmpireA.html , title=EMPIRE – A , publisher=Mariners-L , access-date=2008-12-14{{cite book , first1 =W H, last1 =Mitchell , first2=L A , last2=Sawyer , year = 1995, title = The Empire Ships, publisher = Lloyd's of London Press Ltd, location = London, isbn=1-85044-275-4 , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="1956-03-10" , 10 March 1956 , Robert H. Hodgin , style="text-align:center;" , 31 , rowspan="3",
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
, rowspan="3", Three United States Air Force airmen, commander Captain Robert H. Hodgin, observer Captain Gordon M. Insley and pilot 2nd Lt. Ronald L. Kurtz disappeared when their B-47 failed to make contact with an aerial refueling tanker at 14,000 ft over the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
. While the unarmed aircraft was transporting two different capsules of
nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
s material in carrying cases, a nuclear detonation was not possible. , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3", , - , Gordon M. Insley , style="text-align:center;" , 32 , - , Ronald L. Kurtz , style="text-align:center;" , 22 , - , data-sort-value="1956-04-29" , 29 April 1956 , Lionel "Buster" Crabb , style="text-align:center;" , 46 ,
Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...
, Crabb, a retired British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, com ...
, disappeared during an
MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...
mission to spy on the Soviet {{sclass, Sverdlov, cruiser, 1 {{ship, Soviet cruiser, Ordzhonikidze, , 2. The coroner concluded that a body (missing its head and hands) in a frogman suit found floating in Chichester Harbour the following year was Crabb's but a positive identification was never made nor cause of death determined. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1958-07-01" , July 1958 , Lynne C. Quiggle , style="text-align:center;" , 52 ,
North Pacific Ocean North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...
, An American rear admiral serving in the
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
, Quiggle disappeared aboard the SS ''President Cleveland'' on his way back to California from a trip to Tokyo. His body was never found, and he is officially listed as "lost at sea" due to unknown circumstances. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1958-11-09" , 9 November 1958 , Harry Frank Broadbent , style="text-align:center;" , 48 , rowspan="2" ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, rowspan="2" , Broadbent, a British pilot who took part in air racing and record-breaking flights in the 1930s, piloted
Martin PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner was an American patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and PB2Y Coronado in service. A total of 1,366 PBMs were built, with the fir ...
CS-THB named "Porto Santo" from
Cabo Ruivo Seaplane Base Cabo Ruivo Seaplane Base ( pt, Aeroporto Marítimo de Cabo Ruivo) was an international airport for seaplanes located in the city of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It takes its name from the Lisbon neighbourhood of Cabo Ruivo. The airport was, ...
near Lisbon, headed for
Funchal Funchal () is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it the sixth largest city in Portugal. Because of its high ...
, Madeira. Accompanied by co-pilot Rowell, 4 other crew and 30 passengers, a radio message code "QUG" (meaning "I am forced to land immediately") was received when the plane would have been over the Atlantic. No trace of the aircraft or its occupants was subsequently found. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Thomas Rowell , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , data-sort-value="1959-10-28" , 28 October 1959 , Camilo Cienfuegos , style="text-align:center;" , 27 ,
Straits of Florida The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait ( es, Estrecho de Florida) is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between t ...
, A Cuban revolutionary and friend of Fidel Castro, Camilo Cienfuegos disappeared when his Cessna 310 went missing over the Straits of Florida during a night flight from Camagüey to
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1961-09-09" , 9 September 1961 , {{nowrap, David Kenyon Webster , style="text-align:center;" , 39 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
near Santa Monica, California, U.S. , Webster was a journalist for the ''Los Angeles Daily News'', ''The Saturday Evening Post'' and a World War II veteran with "Easy" Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (the subject of the book and miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers''). He disappeared while shark fishing near the Santa Monica coast and is presumed to have drowned. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1962-06-16" , 16 June 1962 , Private Colin Luke , style="text-align:center;" , 21 , Gibraltar/ Straits of Gibraltar , A soldier in the 1st Battalion, Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry Regiment, went missing while attempting to swim alone around the Rock of Gibraltar from Little Bay to Eastern Beach, Gibraltar, Eastern Beach. His clothes were found in Little Bay by Police Constable Conroy. Private Gordon Ashworth was the last person to see Colin Luke at Europa Point Barracks before he disappeared. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1964-10-11" , 11 October 1964 , Holly Roth , style="text-align:center;" , 48 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Roth, an American crime novelist, disappeared on 11 October 1964 while sailing on a ketch with her husband 20 miles north of Safi, Morocco, Safi, Morocco. They departed Gibraltar for the Canary Islands on 8 October 1964. Her husband reported her missing about 4 AM while she was on watch, and reported a collision with another vessel. Her body was never recovered. , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1967-01-17" , 17 January 1967 , David K. E. Bruce#Personal and death, Audrey Bruce Currier , style="text-align:center;" , 33 , rowspan="2", Coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico , rowspan="2", American heiress Audrey Bruce Currier and her husband Stephen Currier, wealthy philanthropists described as one of the richest young couples in the world, vanished at sea sometime after 7:30 pm on the evening of 17 January 1967, on a routine {{convert, 76, mi charter flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Their plane, a Piper Apache piloted by John D. Watson (52) of Airplane Charters Inc., was last heard from when the pilot radioed at 7:30 pm for permission to overfly the US Naval base at Isla Culebra, which was denied. The plane was never seen or heard from again. Because the pilot had failed to file a flight plan, the search for the plane did not commence until 5 am, 9 hours after it failed to arrive in St. Thomas. Despite an extensive air-sea search by the US Coast Guard, no trace of the plane or its passengers was ever found. Audrey Currier was a granddaughter of the financier Andrew Mellon and the daughter of senior US diplomat David K. E. Bruce, while her husband Stephen was the son of socialite Mary Warburg. The Curriers had for the past ten years provided millions of dollars in financial support to the civil rights movement in the US through the Taconic Foundation and an umbrella group they founded, the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Council for United Civil Rights Leadership#Formation, Stephen Currier , style="text-align:center;" , 36 , - , data-sort-value="1967-12-17" , 17 December 1967 , Harold Holt , style="text-align:center;" , 59 , Cheviot Beach, Australia , Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia, Disappearance of Harold Holt, disappeared while swimming in heavy surf at a beach notorious for strong and dangerous rip currents. Despite one of the largest search-and-rescue operations ever mounted in Australia, his body was never found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1968-01-01" , 1968 , Arthur Piver , style="text-align:center;" , 58 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Piver was an American boatbuilder credited with pioneering the design of the multihull. An eager amateur sailor, Piver set out to participate in the 1968 Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race, but was never seen again. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1969-05-22" , 22 May 1969 , 1969 theft of C-130, Paul Meyer , style="text-align:center;" , 23 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, Meyer, a United States Air Force, USAF aircraft mechanic, stole a Lockheed C-130 Hercules while on a drinking binge, which he later crashed in the English Channel. The wreckage's remains were only discovered in 2018. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1969-07-10" , 10 July 1969 , Donald Crowhurst , style="text-align:center;" , 36 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Crowhurst was a competitor in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, ''Sunday Times'' Golden Globe single-handed nonstop around the world yacht race. An inexperienced yachtsman, Crowhurst fabricated his progress in the race through fake log entries, the last of which being dated 1 July 1969. His boat was found abandoned on 10 July 1969. , style="text-align:center;" ,


1970–present

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - style="text-align:center;" ! Date ! Person(s) ! Age ! Missing from ! Circumstances ! width="10px" , {{abbr, Ref., References , - , data-sort-value="1971-01-01" , {{circa 1971 , Francis Brenton , style="text-align:center;" , 44 , Atlantic Ocean , Brenton, an English writer, explorer and adventurer who travelled around the world, mostly around the Americas and Africa, supposedly disappeared around 1971 while sailing back to England. , style="text-align:center", , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1972-10-16" , 16 October 1972 , Hale Boggs , style="text-align:center;" , 58 , rowspan="2", Gulf of Alaska , rowspan="2", Louisiana congressman who, together with friend and fellow congressman Nick Begich, at-large representative from Alaska, disappeared while flying over the Gulf of Alaska en route from Anchorage to Juneau. Their bodies were never found and they were declared legally dead two months later. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center", , - , Nick Begich , style="text-align:center;" , 40 , - , data-sort-value="1973-03-28" , 28 March 1973 , Henry E. Stebbins , style="text-align:center;" , 68 , Atlantic Ocean , Stebbins, an American ambassador to Uganda, apparently fell overboard while travelling on the S. S. ''Leonardo da Vinci'' and was considered lost at sea, his body never being found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1974-02-21" , 21 February 1974 , Light Heart (balloon), Thomas Leigh Gatch Jr. , style="text-align:center;" , 48 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, near the Canary Islands , American balloonist Thomas Gatch disappeared while attempting to become the first human to Transatlantic crossing, cross the Atlantic by balloon. A day after lifting off from Harrisburg International Airport, Harrisburg Airport on 18 February, his balloon named ''Light Heart'' lost radio contact. On 21 February, it was sighted by a ship about 1600 km west of the Canary Islands but it has not been seen since. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1975-07-09" , 9 July 1975 , Bas Jan Ader , style="text-align:center;" , 33 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Ader, a
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
conceptual artist, performance artist, photographer and filmmaker, was lost at sea sometime after 9 July 1975 while attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean from the US to England in the smallest boat ever. His deserted vessel was found off the coast of Ireland on 18 April 1976 but offered few clues as to his fate. , style="text-align:center", Daalder, Rene
"Here is Always Somewhere Else: The Disappearance of Bas Jan Ader"
(2007 documentary)
, - , data-sort-value="1977-01-01" , 1977 , Bill Tilman , style="text-align:center;" , 79 , Atlantic Ocean , Tilman, an English mountaineer and explorer renowned for his sailing voyages and climbings of the Himalayan mountains, was invited as a crew member on the ''En Avant'' in 1977, with the final destination being Smith Island (South Shetland Islands), Smith Island. However, the boat was presumably lost at sea near the Falkland Islands, with everybody on board perishing. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1977-10-01" , October 1977 , Slim Wintermute , style="text-align:center;" , 60 , Portage Bay, Washington, U.S. , Wintermute, an American National Collegiate Athletic Association, collegiate and professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player, disappeared in October 1977, after setting out in his yacht from Portage Bay. His boat was found a few days later with one of his friends asleep on board; foul play was not suspected. , style="text-align:center" , , - , data-sort-value="1978-03-17" , 17 March 1978 , Eddie Aikau , style="text-align:center;" , 31 ,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
, U.S. , Aikau, a Native Hawaiians, Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer, disappeared on 17 March 1978 when he was lost at sea while attempting to reach the island of Lanai on a surfboard. The long-distance Hawaiian outrigger, the Hokulea, Hōkūleʻa, on which he was a crew member, began taking on water 20 miles off Molokai. He was last seen paddling his surfboard towards Lanai to get help. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1978-11-01" , November 1978 , Alain Colas , style="text-align:center;" , 35 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Colas, a French sailor who was the first to complete a solitary round-the-world race in a multihull, disappeared while participating in the first Route du Rhum in his boat ''Manureva''. Neither he nor his boat were ever found. , , - , data-sort-value="1979-07-07" , 7 July 1979 , Ian Mackintosh , style="text-align:center;" , 40 , Gulf of Alaska, U.S. , Ian Mackintosh, the creator and writer of ''The Sandbaggers'', a British television series, was flying with two others over the Gulf of Alaska in a light aircraft on 7 July 1979. The plane sent out a distress signal which was picked up by the United States Coast Guard. The plane's last known position was searched, but no wreckage of it was ever found, and its passengers have not been heard from since. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1979-12-23" , 23 December 1979 , Jon Mathews , style="text-align:center;" , 47 ,
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, Mathews, an American adventurer and yachtsman, together with his wife Jean attempted to circumnavigate the world on their vessel, the ''Drambuie II''. While heading towards
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, South Africa, they sailed into the path of Cyclone Claudette and were presumably killed in the process. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1980-08-05" , 5 August 1980 , Disappearance of Royal Marine Alan Addis, Alan Addis , style="text-align:center;" , 19 , East Falkland, Falkland Islands , The Royal Marine Alan Addis went missing on 5 August 1980. His small unit was on a patrol to North Arm in Lafonia on East Falkland. Addis was last seen at 1:30 am after the marines had attended a local function in the social hall of the remote and small community. He was not missed until the other members of his team had set sail on a steamer to take them back to their base at Port Stanley. The official report assumes he drowned, but investigations and rumours have led to a belief that he was murdered. No body or trace has been found. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1980-10-01" , October 1980 , Angus Primrose , style="text-align:center;" , 53 ,
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
, U.S. , The designer and naval architect Primrose went missing at sea during October 1980 and is presumed to have drowned. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1985-09-01" , September 1985 , Art Scholl , style="text-align:center;" , 53 ,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, Scholl was an American aerobatic pilot, aerial cameraman, flight instructor and educator based in Riverside, Southern California. He died during the filming of ''Top Gun'' when his Pitts Special, Pitts S-2 camera plane failed to recover from a Spin (aerodynamics), spin and plunged into the Pacific Ocean. Scholl had entered the spin intentionally in order to capture it on film using on-board cameras. Observers watched the plane continue to spin as it descended past the planned recovery altitude. The plane impacted the ocean about five miles off the coast, near Carlsbad, California. The exact cause of the crash was never determined. Neither the aircraft nor Scholl's body were ever recovered. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite news, url=http://articles.latimes.com/1985-09-18/local/me-6135_1_stunt-pilot, title=Famed Stunt Pilot Art Scholl Dies as Plane Plunges Into Sea, work=Los Angeles Times, date=18 September 1985 , author1=Jack Jones, Times Staff Writer , access-date=10 April 2021 , - , data-sort-value="1986-07-01" , July 1986 , Svante Odén , style="text-align:center;" , 62 ,
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
, A Swedish soil scientist, meteorologist, and chemist, Odén was testing a top-secret newly invented device that could detect submarines in late July 1986. During this test, he disappeared at the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
near the Roslagen, Stockholm archipelago, and presumably died. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1987-08-02" , 2 August 1987 , Clement Howell , style="text-align:center;" , 52 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Howell, a Turks and Caicos Islands politician and interim member of the advistory council, disappeared with four other people when their plane presumably crashed into the sea on 2 August 1987. Neither the wreckage or the bodies were ever found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1990-09-11" , 11 September 1990 , 1990 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 disappearance, 1990 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 , style="text-align:center;" , Various , South-east of
Cape Race Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", mean ...
, Newfoundland , 1990 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 was a airliner that mysteriously disappeared on 11 September 1990 in an area of the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
in Newfoundland. No one knows what became of the aircraft or its passengers. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1995-05-21" , 21 May 1995 , Larry Hillblom , style="text-align:center;" , 52 , Mariana Islands , Hillblom, a co-founder of the DHL Worldwide shipping company, was on board a plane that went down in the Northern Mariana Islands on 21 May 1995. The bodies of the pilot and other passengers were found but no trace of Hillblom has ever been found. His house in Saipan was found to have had areas where DNA might be found washed down with acid and artifacts with DNA traces buried in the backyard in an apparent effort to prevent any possible claimants to his estate from proving Hillblom had been their father. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1995-11-12" , 12 November 1995 , Bruno Bréguet , style="text-align:center;" , 45 , Ionian Sea , Bréguet, a Swiss-born associate of terrorist Carlos the Jackal, was last seen on a ferry from Italy to Greece 12 November 1995. His family suspected he had been murdered and a body found in Greece might have been his, but authorities remain uncertain. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1997-01-01" , January 1997 , Gerry Roufs , style="text-align:center;" , 44 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, Canadian competitive sailor Roufs vanished at sea while competing in the Vendée Globe yacht race. His boat, the ''Groupe LG 2'', was found off the coast of Chile in July 1997, but Roufs himself was never located. , , - , data-sort-value="1997-02-14" , 14 February 1997 , Grant Hadwin , style="text-align:center;" , 47 , Hecate Strait, British Columbia , Hadwin, an anti-logging activist, went missing 14 February 1997 while traveling by kayak across the Hecate Strait to Graham Island near British Columbia to face criminal charges for cutting down Kiidk'yaas, a rare golden spruce tree revered by the Haida people. The wreckage of his kayak was discovered in June but no trace of Hadwin himself has been found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" data-sort-value="1998-01-25" , 25 January 1998 , Disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, Tom Lonergan , style="text-align:center;" , 34 , rowspan="2", Coral Sea, Australia , rowspan="2", Tom and Eileen Lonergan, a married couple from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, disappeared when they were mistakenly stranded in the Coral Sea after a scuba dive on 25 January 1998. Eileen's father, John Hains, later said that he suspects the couple ultimately became dehydrated and disoriented and in the end succumbed to drowning or sharks. , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2", , - , Disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, Eileen Lonergan , style="text-align:center;" , 29 , - , data-sort-value="1998-03-24" , 24 March 1998 , Disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley, Amy Lynn Bradley , style="text-align:center;" , 23 , Curaçao, Antilles , Bradley, an American passenger on the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship MS Rhapsody of the Seas, ''Rhapsody of the Seas'', disappeared while the ship was docking in Curaçao. , style="text-align:center;" , Aruba's Missing Persons Information
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505070503/http://www.visitaruba.com/facts/newsdesk/missing.html , df=dmy-all , date=2009-05-05 ''VisitAruba.com''.
, - , rowspan="4" data-sort-value="1999-09-03" , 3 September 1999 , Godard family disappearance, Yves Godard , style="text-align:center;" , 43 , rowspan="4", English Channel, Channel coast,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, rowspan="4", French physician Godard along with his children Camille and Marius were last seen buying waffles from a street vendor in Bréhec, a small port on the western tip of Brittany. Their rented sailboat was found abandoned in Plouézec the next day. On 7–8 September, blood identified as that of Dr Godard's wife Marie-France was found in their camper van and in the family home. Fragments of the bodies of the three were recovered from the sea bed over the next few years. Godard's wife is still considered missing and the apparent multiple murders are unsolved. The case was officially closed in 2012 with only accidental death eliminated as a possibility. , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4", , - , Godard family disappearance, Marie-France Godard , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , Godard family disappearance, Camille Godard , style="text-align:center;" , 6 , - , Godard family disappearance, Marius Godard , style="text-align:center;" , 4 , - , data-sort-value="1999-06-12" , 12 June 1999 , Gerry Clark , style="text-align:center;" , 72 , Antipodes Islands, New Zealand , New Zealand sailor, writer and ornithologist Clark and his friend Roger Sale were sailing to recover satellite transmitters used to track albatrosses. Both of them disappeared while on the trip, and have never been located. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2000-11-30" , 30 November 2000 , Scott Smith (musician), Scott Smith , style="text-align:center;" , 45 , near San Francisco, California, U.S. , Smith, a Canadian musician and bassist for the rock band Loverboy, was sailing his boat, the ''Sea Major'', along with two friends. A large wave then swept him overboard, with subsequent searches failing to find his body. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2002-07-07" , 7 July 2002 , Bison Dele , style="text-align:center;" , 33 , Tahiti, French Polynesia , Dele, an American professional basketball player, is believed to have been murdered by his brother in the sea near Tahiti, French Polynesia in 2002. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2005-07-05" , 5 July 2005 , Disappearance of George Smith, George Allen Smith IV , style="text-align:center;" , 26 , Coast of Turkey , Smith, an American passenger on MS Brilliance of the Seas, ''Brilliance of the Seas'', disappeared from the ship and police suspect homicide. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2007-01-28" , 28 January 2007 , Jim Gray (computer scientist), Jim Gray , style="text-align:center;" , 63 , San Francisco Bay,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, U.S. , Gray, a database pioneer, Microsoft Research scientist and Turing Award winner, left San Francisco Bay in his {{cvt, 12, m, 0 sailboat ''Tenacious'' to scatter his mother's ashes at the Farallon Islands, a wildlife refuge {{cvt, 43, km, 0 away. He was reported missing when he failed to return later the same day. No Mayday (distress signal), Mayday call was heard and his EPIRB was not activated. Despite an ambitious search and rescue mission, no trace of Gray or his yacht was ever found. In 2012, he was declared legally dead. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite journal , last=Greengard , first=Samuel , date=June 2012 , title=Jim Gray Declared Dead , journal=Communications of the ACM , volume=55 , issue=7 , page=19 , doi=10.1145/2209249.2209257 , editor1-first=Moshe , editor1-last=Vardi , editor1-link=Moshe Y. Vardi , issn=0001-0782, doi-access=free , - , data-sort-value="2007-02-01" , February 2007 , Andrew McAuley , style="text-align:center;" , 38 ,
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, McAuley, an Australian adventurer best known for mountaineering and sea kayaking in remote parts of the world, is presumed to have died following his disappearance at sea while attempting to kayak {{convert, 1600, km across the
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
. A recovered memory stick on the kayak records him attempting to make a distress call. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite news , title=Search for kayaker called off , url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/missing-kayakers-wife-losing-hope/2007/02/11/1171128816655.html , date=11 February 2007 , work=The Sydney Morning Herald , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="2007-04-20" , 20 April 2007 , Kaz II, Derek Batten , style="text-align:center;" , 56 , rowspan="3", Shute Harbour, Australia , rowspan="3", ''Kaz II'', a {{cvt, 9.8, m, 0 catamaran, was found adrift on 20 April 2007 near Australia's Great Barrier Reef with its three-man crew, owner Derek Batten and brothers Peter and James Tunstead, missing. The yacht's sails were up and its engine was running. The global positioning system showed the yacht had been drifting since around the time of their last known radio contact, about 11 hours after they departed Shute Harbour for Townsville, Queensland, five days earlier. , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , , - , Kaz II, Peter Tunstead , style="text-align:center;" , 69 , - , Kaz II, James Tunstead , style="text-align:center;" , 63 , - , data-sort-value="2008-11-09" , 9 November 2008 , ''Tai Ching 21'' fishing boat crew , style="text-align:center;" , Various , Kiribati , The burnt and abandoned wreck of the ''Tai Ching 21'', a Taiwanese fishing boat, was found drifting on 9 November 2008 near Kiribati. It was assumed that when the fire proved beyond their ability to control, the 29-member crew evacuated using the lifeboat and three rafts that were missing. However, no distress call was received and an extensive search of the surrounding seas did not locate any of the crew or the lifeboats. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite news, url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7747305.stm, title=Hopes dim for 29 Asian fishermen, date=25 November 2008, publisher=BBC, access-date=8 March 2011 , - , data-sort-value="2009-01-01" , 1 January 2009 , Jure Šterk , style="text-align:center;" , 72 ,
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
, In December 2007, Slovenian sailor Šterk left Tauranga in New Zealand to sail solo around the world on his yacht ''Lunatic''. His last radio message was heard on 1 January 2009. ''Lunatic'' was spotted on 26 January, approximately {{cvt, 1000, nmi, km off the coast of Australia. The boat was damaged and there was no sign of Šterk. Three months later, on 30 April 2009, ''Lunatic'' was found adrift by the crew of the science vessel RV Roger Revelle, RV ''Roger Revelle'', {{convert, 500, mi south-eastern on position: {{Coord, 32, 18, 0, S, 91, 07, 0, E, display=inline. After boarding, it was found that the last log entry was made on 2 January 2009. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite news , url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/1390877 , title=Hope lost for round-the-world sailor , date=4 February 2009 , agency=NZPA , work=Stuff.co.nz , access-date=8 October 2011 , - , rowspan="3" data-sort-value="2009-02-28" , 1 March 2009 , Marquis Cooper , style="text-align:center;" , 26 , rowspan="3" , Off the coast of Clearwater, Florida, U.S. , rowspan="3" , Cooper, an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
linebacker, Smith, a defensive end, and Bleakley presumably died in a boating accident, in which only one man, Not Without Hope, Nick Schuyler, survived. , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center", Death and disbelief: Sole survivor of accident that killed three tells his story
/ref> , - , Corey Smith (American football), Corey Smith , style="text-align:center;" , 29 , - , Will Bleakley , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , - , data-sort-value="2009-11-09" , 9 November 2009 , Hubert Marcoux , style="text-align:center;" , 68 ,
North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, Sailing solo on his boat the ''Mon Pays'', Marcoux left the Eastern Passage on 9 November 2009 to voyage from Nova Scotia to Bermuda. When he did not arrive, a search was conducted by Canadian and U.S. aircraft. Members of the Air National Guard later joined the search. Three days were spent scouring the ocean between Virginia and Bermuda. Officials said that he likely encountered a series of storms with wind gusts of more than 110 kilometers an hour and waves measuring 10 meters in height during his trip. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2011-03-22" , 22 March 2011 , Disappearance of Rebecca Coriam, Rebecca Coriam , style="text-align:center;" , 24 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
near coast of Mexico , Coriam, an English crew member aboard the cruise ship ''Disney Wonder'', was last seen when a security camera in the crew lounge recorded her having an upsetting telephone conversation. Some reports suggest she went overboard, but there is other evidence that she may have still been alive the following May. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite news , last=Ronson, first=Jon, author-link=Jon Ronson, title=Rebecca Coriam: lost at sea, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/nov/11/rebecca-coriam-lost-at-sea, work=The Guardian , date=11 November 2011, access-date=15 March 2012 , - , data-sort-value="2012-06-20" , 20 June 2012 , Guma Aguiar , style="text-align:center;" , 35 , Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. , Aguiar, a Brazilian-born American industrialist and investor in the Beitar Jerusalem F.C., Beitar Jerusalem Football Club, was reported missing on 20 June 2012 after his unoccupied fishing boat was found on the coast of Fort Lauderdale. He was declared legally dead on 29 January 2015. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , 7 April 2013 , Jerry Krause (missionary), Jerry Krause , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown , Off the coast of West Africa , Krause, an American Christian missionary and pilot mostly known for his work with the Sahel Aviation Service in Mali, disappeared on 7 April 2013 when his plane was reported missing off the coast in West Africa while en route to São Tomé International Airport. Since no wreckage has been found, authorities believe he might have been kidnapped. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2013-06-04" , 4 June 2013 , Evi Nemeth , style="text-align:center;" , 73 ,
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, Nemeth, an American Computer engineering, computer engineer often described as the matriarch of system administration, disappeared along with several others aboard the yacht ''Niña'' that was between New Zealand and Australia on 4 June 2013. No trace of them has ever been found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2014-12-01" , {{circa 1 December 2014 , Dick Conant , style="text-align:center;" , 63 , Outer Banks , Conant was an American boater who disappeared near the Outer Banks sometime around 1 December 2014 while on an eight month trip from Plattsburgh, New York to south Florida. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2015-08-02" , 2 August 2015 , Natalia Molchanova , style="text-align:center;" , 53 , Formentera, Spain , Molchanova, a Russian champion Freediving, free diver and multiple record holder, disappeared during a private diving lesson, likely swept away by water currents. Despite efforts from a search party, her body has never been located and she was declared dead in absentia. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2018-09-09" , 9 September 2018 , Daniel Küblböck , style="text-align:center;" , 33 , Labrador Sea , The German pop singer apparently jumped off the cruise ship ''AIDAluna'' into the sea and disappeared during a cruise from
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
to New York on 9 September 2018. Despite an intense search, he was not found, and the search was abandoned after eighty hours as it was deemed impossible that he could still be alive. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2019-01-21" , 21 January 2019 , 2019 English Channel Piper PA-46 crash, David Ibbotson , style="text-align:center;" , Unknown ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, David Ibbotson was the pilot of a Piper PA-46 which, while flying with Argentine football player Emiliano Sala, crashed in the English Channel near Alderney. Sala's body was found, but Ibbotson's was never found. David Henderson, the flight's organizer, was charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft in connection to this case. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2021-03-08" , 8 March 2021 , Disappearance of Sarm Heslop, Sarm Heslop , style="text-align:center;" , 41 , United States Virgin Islands , Heslop disappeared from a catamaran moored off the coast of Saint John, one of the US Virgin Islands, between 22:00 on 7 March 2021 and 02:30 on the 8 March. Searches for her have proved fruitless. If she did go into the water, then she was only a maximum of {{convert, 200, m from the shore. , style="text-align:center",


Solved cases

Below is a list of people who were found, dead or alive, or their fate became known, after disappearing mysteriously at sea.


13th century–1969

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - style="text-align:center;" ! width="105" , Date ! width="250" , Person(s) ! width="50" , Age ! width="150" , Missing from ! width="500px" , Circumstances ! width="10px" , {{abbr, Ref., References , - , data-sort-value="1475-09-01" , September 1475 , Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter , style="text-align:center;" , 45 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, House of Lancaster, Lancastrian leader during the English Wars of the Roses. Holland fell overboard from unknown reasons and drowned in the English Channel while returning to Britain, having served within Edward IV of England, Edward IV's 1475 expedition to France. He was later found floating in the sea between Dover and Calais. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1544-01-01" , 1544 , Hugh Willoughby , style="text-align:center;" , unknown , Arctic Sea , English soldier and voyager who led a fleet of three vessels in search of a north-east route towards the Far East and his boat on route to Sápmi, Lapland. While neither the wreckage or his body were ever recovered, Willoughby's journal was. It has been suggested that he may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. , style="text-align:center", {{cite book, last1=Evans, first1=James, title=Tudor Adventurers: An Arctic Voyage of Discovery, date=2014, publisher=Pegasus Books, location=New York , - , data-sort-value="1695-01-01" , 1695 , Ouzel Galley , style="text-align:center;" , Various , Uncertain, possibly Smyrna , The ''Ouzel'' was last seen in the autumn of 1695 leaving dock in Dublin under the command of Capt Eoghan Massey of Waterford. She reappeared—supposedly the triumphant victim of high seas piracy—in 1700. According to her captain, he and his crew had been commanded and forced to looting, loot several locations including North Africa over the span of several years before overpowering their captors, retaking their vessel, and returning home unharmed. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1704-01-01" , 1704 , Alexander Selkirk , style="text-align:center;" , 28 , Robinson Crusoe Island , Scottish
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
officer and
privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
was stranded on an unknown island in 1704 and was rescued five years later after he was imprisoned. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1820-11-20" , 20 November 1820 , ''
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
'' crew , style="text-align:center;" , various ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, American
whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...
ship who was sunk by a sperm whale, leaving the 20-man crew stranded at sea for 93 days. The few surviving crew members were rescued by another whaler, the ''Dauphin'', on 15 February 1821, and later told of their experiences in books. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , 1848 , Henry Thomas Dundas Le Vesconte , style="text-align:center;" , 34–35 , King William Island, Canada , An English officer of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
and polar explorer who, from 1845, served under Sir
John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through t ...
as Lieutenant commander (Royal Navy), Second Lieutenant on the {{HMS, Erebus, 1826, 2 during the Franklin's lost expedition, Franklin expedition to discover the
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
. He is believed to have died in either 1847 or 1848 as human remains we later found and confirmed to have been his. , style="text-align:center;", , - , data-sort-value="1848-04-26" , c. May 1848 , John Gregory (engineer), John Gregory , style="text-align:center;" , 42 , King William Island, Canada , Gregory was an English engineer who served aboard HMS ''Erebus'' during the 1845 Franklin Expedition, which sought to explore uncharted parts of the
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
. His remains were identified via Genetic testing, DNA analysis in 2021. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1897-01-01" , 1897 , Barney Barnato , style="text-align:center;" , 46 , At sea, near the island of Madeira , British people, British entrepreneur and Randlord who disappeared at sea after mysteriously falling overboard was later found dead on 14 June 1897 at sea near Madeira, Portugal. , style="text-align:center;" , ''Who do you think you are?'' — Esther Rantzen
on BBC.co.uk. Accessed 3 September 2008.
, - , data-sort-value="1913-09-29" , 29 September 1913 , Rudolf Diesel , style="text-align:center;" , 55 ,
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, The German inventor of the diesel engine disappeared from the steamer SS ''Dresden'' on the way from Antwerp to London. He retired to his cabin at about 10 p.m. and was never seen alive again. Ten days later, a corpse was found in the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
near Norway, but only personal items could be retrieved. On 13 October, these items were identified by Rudolf's son Eugen as belonging to his father. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1916-01-01" , 1916 , Michael Joseph McNally , style="text-align:center;" , 56 , Chesapeake Bay , Michael Joseph McNally, a United States Marine Sergeant#United States, Sergeant disappeared between 1 and 2 November 1916, while he was aboard a Baltimore Steam Packet Company steamer, and roughly three weeks later he was found dead. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1918-01-01" , 1918 , Peter Tessem and Paul Knutsen, Peter Tessem , style="text-align:center;" , unknown ,
Cape Chelyuskin Cape Chelyuskin (russian: Мыс Челюскина, ''Mys Chelyuskina'') is the northernmost point of the Afro-Eurasian continent (and indeed of any continental mainland), and the northernmost point of mainland Russia. It is situated at the tip o ...
, Norwegian carpenter who, together with a seaman named Paul Knutsen, disappeared in Cape Chelyuskin after an expedition to the Arctic. Four years later, a mummified corpse with a golden watch engraved with Tessem's named was found, indicating that it was his remains. Knutsen's body was never found. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1924-11-15" , 15 November 1924 , Artur de Sacadura Freire Cabral , style="text-align:center;" , 43 , Northern Sea , Portuguese aviator who, together with Gago Coutinho, conducted the First aerial crossing of the South Atlantic in 1922. Two years later, Cabral and his co-pilot would disappear while flying over the English channel, with only partial remains of their plane's wreckage recovered later on. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1928-07-04" , 4 July 1928 , Alfred Loewenstein , style="text-align:center;" , 51 ,
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
, Belgian financier who fell out of his private plane while travelling from Croydon to Brussels. His body was found 15 days later near Boulogne,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1941-11-01" , November 1941 , Thomas Welsby Clark , style="text-align:center;" , 21 , Christmas Island , Royal Australian Navy sailor aboard HMAS Sydney (D48), HMAS ''Sydney'' who died during a battle with the German cruiser German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, ''Kormoran''. His body washed ashore on 6 February 1942, but remained unidentified until 19 November 2021. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1941-12-08" , 8 December 1941 , Robert Tills , style="text-align:center;" , 23 , Malalang Bay, Philippines , United States Navy, USN officer and pilot who became the first American naval officer killed during the Philippines campaign (1941–1942), Battle of the Philippines. His body was lost at sea, but was recovered in November 2007 and positively identified in December 2008. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1942-11-23" , 23 November 1942 , Poon Lim , style="text-align:center;" , 24 , Off the coast of Belém, Brazil , Chinese steward working on the British ship SS Benlomond (1922), SS ''Benlomond'', which was sunk by German submarine U-172. Lim managed to escape, but Lim found himself on a wooden raft with limited supplies, drifting across the sea for 133 days before being rescued on 5 April 1943. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1943-02-01" , February 1943 , Sam LoPresti , style="text-align:center;" , 26 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, American ice hockey goaltender who was one of the few surviving sailors of the sunken vessel SS ''Roger B. Taney'', which he boarded as part of his service in the Navy. LoPresti and other survivors were adrift in the sea for 42 days, before they were rescued off the coast of Brazil. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1943-01-01" , 1943 , Juran Hisao , style="text-align:center;" , 41 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, Japanese author of popular fiction who pioneered the use of black humor in the country. He was conscripted by the Imperial Japanese Navy and sent to fight in the Pacific, where he was declared missing in action. However, he safely returned to Chōshi a year later. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1943-05-27" , 27 May 1943 , Louis Zamperini , style="text-align:center;" , 26 , Oahu, Hawaii, U.S. , Olympic distance runner and soldier serving on the B-24 bomber ''Green Hornet''. Due to mechanical difficulties, the bomber crashed into the sea, killing most of the crew aside from Zamperini and two others. The trio drifted across the sea for 47 days, during which one man died, before Zamperini and his companion were captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy off the coast of the Marshall Islands. Zamperini was then held in POW camps until the end of the war. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1943-04-22" , 22 April 1943 , Eddie Thompson (Canadian football), Edward Blake Thompson , style="text-align:center;" , 25 , North Atlantic Ocean , A member of the Ontario Rugby Football Union. Thompson served within the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. He was one of eighty-six individuals lost at sea when the ship upon which he was traveling, the SS Amerika, was torpedoed by the German Submarine U-306 south of Cape Farewell, Greenland , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1943-06-13" , 13 June 1943 , Nathan Bedford Forrest III , style="text-align:center;" , 38 , Kiel, Nazi Germany , Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier general of the
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
who crashlanded in Germany during a bombing raid. His body was found washed up on Ruegen Island several months after he was reported missing. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1944-01-01" , January 1944 , Pappy Boyington , style="text-align:center;" , 31 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, Pappy Boyington was an American Fighter pilot, combat pilot during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
who was shot down in January 1944 was captured and was detained for a year and a half. Boyington was released after the Surrender of Japan. , style="text-align:center;" , {{cite news, url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DhwKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rUoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4203%2C4464174 , newspaper=Ellensburg Daily Record, agency=Associated Press, title=Boyington, Marine ace, reported alive in Japan, date=29 August 1945, page=1 , - , data-sort-value="1950-10-01" , 1 October 1950 , Robert W. Langwell , style="text-align:center;" , unknown , Near Chuksan-ri, South Korea , United States Navy, USN seaman who was declared missing in action after falling overboard after the ship he was ensigned to, the minesweeper USS Magpie (AMS-25), USS ''Magpie'', struck a mine and sank. Langwell's body washed ashore and was buried by villagers, with his remains returned to the United States in 2008. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1961-11-12" , 12 November 1961 , Bluebelle (ship), Terry Jo Duperrault , style="text-align:center;" , 11 , The Bahamas , Duperrault was the single survivor of the massacre aboard the ''Bluebelle'', in which her parents and two siblings, as well as the captain's wife, were murdered by the captain, Julian Harvey. She was rescued three-and-a-half days later by the ''HMS Searcher (D40), Captain Theo'', and later told what had truly happened on board. Upon learning this, Harvey, who by then had returned to Miami, committed suicide. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1963-08-27" , 27 August 1963 , Sunny Ang#Disappearance of Jenny Cheok, Jenny Cheok , style="text-align:center;" , 21 , Sisters' Islands,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, Cheok, a bar waitress, was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, Grand Prix driver and law student Sunny Ang, during a boat trip to Sisters' Island. While Cheok's body has never been found, Ang was tried, convicted and ultimately hanged for the murder. , style="text-align:center;" ,


1970–2009

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - style="text-align:center;" ! width="105" , Date ! width="250" , Person(s) ! width="50" , Age ! width="150" , Missing from ! width="500px" , Circumstances ! width="10px" , {{abbr, Ref., References , - , data-sort-value="1972-06-15" , 15 June 1972 , Dougal Robertson , style="text-align:center;" , 48 , Galápagos Islands , Scottish sailor who was on a voyage with his family and a crew member, when their schooner was sunk by killer whales. The group spent 38 days as castaways, before being rescued by a Japanese fishing vessel. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1973-03-04" , 4 March 1973 , Maurice and Maralyn Bailey , style="text-align:center;" , 32 (both) , Galápagos Islands , English couple who were sailing towards New Zealand, but their yacht was capsized by a whale off the coast of the Galápagos Islands. The couple remained adrift on a dinghy for 117 days, before being rescued by the South Korean fishing boat ''Weolmi 306'' on 30 June 1973. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1978-01-01" , 1978 , Ambrogio Fogar , style="text-align:center;" , 37 ,
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, Italians, Italian sailor and writer who began a journey from east to west around the world with his friend, journalist Mauro Mancini, but their boat was capsized by killer whales. The pair spent two weeks adrift on a raft before being rescued. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1978-11-16" , 16 November 1978 , Alain Colas , style="text-align:center;" , 34 , Unknown , ''Colas'' passed the Azores, he sent his last radio message saying that everything was alright and sailing well. Neither his boat ''Manureva'' nor his body were ever found. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1982-10-01" , October 1982 , Deborah Scaling Kiley , style="text-align:center;" , 32 ,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
coast, U.S. , American sailor and businesswoman whose boat, ''The Trashman'', sank due to heavy weather off the coast of
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, with multiple crew members dying. Kiley and the other survivors were rescued by a Soviet cargo ship five days later. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1989-06-04" , 4 June 1989 , ''Rose-Noëlle'' crew , style="text-align:center;" , various , Pacific Ocean , The trimaran, which was occupied by four New Zealand nationals, capsized off the coast of New Zealand and leaving the men drifting on the wreckage for 119 days before they managed to reach land. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="1991-11-01" , November 1991 , Robert Maxwell , style="text-align:center;" , 68 , Canary Islands, Spain , Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, fraudster and suspected spy who disappeared in the early hours of 4 November 1991 while on board his yacht, the ''Dancing Hare, Lady Ghislaine''. Later that day, his body was found floating in the ocean. An inquest ruled that his death was caused by a heart attack combined with accidental drowning. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="1998-06-13" , 13 June 1998 , Éric Tabarly , style="text-align:center;" , 66 ,
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
, French Navy officer and member of the Yacht Club de France who was celebrating the centenary of his boat, the ''Pen Duick'', but was thrown overboard by a wave and drowned. His body was found in the water a week later. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2004-11-29" , c. 29 November 2004 , Erhart Aten , style="text-align:center;" , 72 , Chuuk State , A Federated States of Micronesia, Micronesian politician who served as the first elected Governor of Chuuk State, Governor of Chuuk State (then called Truk). Aten and three other men were lost at sea while crossing Chuuk lagoon to Weno island when their boat was hit by a sudden storm. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2005-06-30" , 30 June 2005 , Disappearance of Patrick McDermott, Patrick McDermott , style="text-align:center;" , 48 , Off the coast of Los Angeles , Boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John, disappeared after going on an overnight fishing trip. The United States Coast Guard concluded he was likely lost at sea. Subject of unsubstantiated claims to have faked his own death. , style="text-align:center;" , , - , data-sort-value="2005-10-28" , 28 October 2005 , Jesús Vidaña , style="text-align:center;" , 27 ,
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, Mexican fisherman who, together with two other men, was fishing when their boat was blown off course and caused them to go adrift. The men sailed across the Pacific Ocean for nine months before being rescued by a Taiwanese fishing vessel near the Marshall Islands. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2009-01-04" , 4 January 2009 , Sonny Fai , style="text-align:center;" , 20 , Te Henga (Bethells Beach),
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, Professional rugby player for the New Zealand Warriors who disappeared while trying to save his brother and four cousins from a rip current. While his body was never found, he was declared drowned a few months later. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2009-01-26" , 26 January 2009 , Murder of Bob Chappell, Bob Chappell , style="text-align:center;" , 65 , Hobart, Tasmania, Australia , A radiation oncology medical physicist was killed by his partner aboard a yacht named ''Four Winds''. Though Chappell's body has never been, found his partner, Susan Neill-Fraser, was convicted of the crime. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2009-02-28" , 28 February 2009 , Not Without Hope, Nick Schuyler , style="text-align:center;" , 25 , Off the coast of Clearwater, Florida, U.S. , Sole survivor of a boating accident during which his three other companions (NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith (American football), Corey Smith, and Schuyler's best friend William Bleakley) succumbed to hypothermia and their bodies were later lost at sea. Schuyler co-wrote a book about the experience in 2010, titled ''Not Without Hope''. , style="text-align:center",


2010–present

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - style="text-align:center;" ! width="105" , Date ! width="250" , Person(s) ! width="50" , Age ! width="150" , Missing from ! width="500px" , Circumstances ! width="10px" , {{abbr, Ref., References , - , data-sort-value="2010-09-29" rowspan="2" , 29 September 2010 , Richard Abruzzo , style="text-align:center;" , 47 , rowspan="2",
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
, rowspan="2", American Balloon (aeronautics), balloonist champion who, together with colleague Carol Rymer Davis, disappeared while competing for the Gordon Bennett Cup (ballooning), Gordon Bennett Cup due to a thunderstorm. Their bodies were found three months later off the Italian coast, on 6 December 2010. , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center", , - , Carol Rymer Davis , style="text-align:center;" , 65 , - , data-sort-value="2012-11-17" , 17 November 2012 , José Salvador Alvarenga , style="text-align:center;" , 37 , Costa Azul, Mexico , Salvadoran fisherman who got lost at sea in the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
. He remained adrift until 30 January 2014, when he was finally found washed ashore at the Marshall Islands' Ebon Atoll, and returned to his home country. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2014-03-08" , 8 March 2014 , Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 , style="text-align:center;" , various: 1–76 ,
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...
, A commercial Boeing 777-200ER airliner which disappeared above the South China Sea on 8 March 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew. The precise cause of the loss of the aircraft is undetermined, and only eighteen pieces of debris conclusively determined as belonging to the aircraft have ever been recovered. It is now believed to be located in the southern Indian Ocean. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2017-08-10" , 10–11 August 2017 , Murder of Kim Wall, Kim Wall , style="text-align:center;" , 30 , Køge Bugt, Denmark , The Swedish freelance journalist disappeared after she boarded the submarine of Danish entrepreneur Peter Madsen, who murdered her and dismembered her remains. After the submarine crashed and he was rescued, Wall's remains were found at sea, leading to him being charged, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2017-11-15" , 15 November 2017 , Disappearance of ARA San Juan, ARA ''San Juan'' crew , style="text-align:center;" , various , South Atlantic , The ARA San Juan (S-42), ARA ''San Juan'' was an Argentine submarine which mysteriously vanished while performing a training exercise. Despite search efforts, assisted by several nations, the fate of the submarine and its crew remained unknown until a year later, when marine robotics company Ocean Infinity discovered the sunken wreck. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2020-04-02" , 2 April 2020 , Maeve Kennedy McKean , style="text-align:center;" , 40 , Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, U.S. , Public health official and human rights activist who served as the Executive Director of the Global Health Initiatives, who disappeared together with her son while canoeing. Her body was recovered 4 days later by authorities, and her son's two days after that. , style="text-align:center", , - , data-sort-value="2022-01-21" , 21 January 2022 , Jean-Jacques Savin , style="text-align:center;" , 76 ,
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
, Adventurer who embarked on a three month journey from Sagres (Vila do Bispo), Sagres, Portugal to
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
on 1 January 2022. On the 21st, Savin issued two distress calls, with last contact at 00:34 that morning. His boat was discovered overturned later that day. Despite being reported as having been found dead in the boat's cabin, it was later clarified he had not been recovered. , style="text-align:center", {{cite news , last1=Paybarah , first1=Azi , title=French Adventurer Attempting to Row Solo Across the Atlantic Is Missing , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/23/world/europe/french-atlantic-rower-missing-jean-jacques-savin.html , access-date=24 January 2022 , work=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
, date=23 January 2022


See also

* Alexander Selkirk * ''Cast Away'' * Lists of people who disappeared * Philip Ashton * ''Robinson Crusoe''


References

{{reflist


Sources

* {{cite book, last=Hepper, first=David J., year=1994, title=British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650–1859, publisher=Jean Boudriot, location=Rotherfield, isbn=0-948864-30-3 , oclc=622348295 , url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/30475934.html * {{cite book , first=Rif, last=Winfield, title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates, publisher=Seaforth, year=2007, isbn=978-1844157006 {{Portal bar, Marine life Lists of people by cause of death Lists of unexplained disappearances, People, sea Missing people, * People lost at sea,