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As if mal de mer were not sufficient to deter any thoughtful traveller from voyaging by sea, the lengthy list of naval disasters with heavy loss of life during World War Two might do the trick. Here's a survey of some of the most famous and significant disasters at sea—although not necessarily those that took the most lives—along with books for further reading.

SS Athenia

Not one of the costliest disasters in terms of lives lost, but a very sensational and sensationalized sinking at the beginning of the war, and often used as an example of "atrocities" committed by German U-boats.

Caulfield, Max. Tomorrow never came: The story of the S.S. Athenia. New York: Norton, 1959

SS Leopoldville

On Christmas Eve of 1944, what should have been a routine ferry run between England and Cherbourg turned into one of the worst losses of Americans at sea during the war.

Andrade, Allan. S.S. Leopoldville Disaster, December 24th, 1944. Tern Book Company, 1997

Sanders, Jacquin. The Night Before Christmas. New York: Putnam, 1963

USS Indianapolis

The loss of the Indianapolis has attracted more authors than any of these other sinkings, and the story of the tragedy was even woven into the plot of the film Jaws.

Helm, Thomas. Ordeal by Sea: The Tragedy of the USS Indianapolis. New York: Dodd, 1963

Kurzman, Dan. Fatal Voyage: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis. New York: Atheneum, 1990

Lech, Raymond B. All the Drowned Sailors. New York: Stein and Day 1982

Newcomb, Richard F. Abandon Ship! Death of the USS Indianapolis. New York: Holt, 1958. New edition, 2001

Stanton, Doug. In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors. New York: Holt, 2001

United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Armed Services. The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Subsequent Court Martial of Rear Adm. Charles B. McVay III, USN: Hearing before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixth Congress, first session, September 14, 1999. Washington: U.S. G.P.O, 2000

Slapton Sands

Of a slightly different but no less deadly nature, the E-boat attack on LSTs participating in amphibious maneuvers off the English coast is another event that has attracted many writers.

Hoyt, Edwin P. The Invasion before Normandy: The Secret Battle of Slapton Sands. NY: Military Heritage Press, 1985.

Lewis, Nigel. Exercise Tiger: The Dramatic True Story of a Hidden Tragedy of WWII. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1990. Published in the UK as "Channel Firing"

Small, Ken. The Forgotten Dead: Why 946 American Servicemen Died off the Coast of Devon in 1944, and the Man Who Discovered Their True Story. London: Bloomsbury, 1988

Laconia

Torpedoed by U-156 in the South Atlantic, Laconia was carrying almost 2000 Italian POWs as well as their guards, women and children, and other passengers. Three U-boats attempted to rescue as many survivors as possible, but they were in turn attacked by American aircraft.

Grossmith, Frederick. The Sinking of the Laconia. Paul Watkins, 1994

Peillard, Leonce. The Laconia Affair. New York: Putnam, 1963

HMT Rohna

Rohna was hit by a German "glider bomb" in the Mediterranean while en route to India. The vessel sank rapidly with over a thousand lives lost.

Jackson, Carlton. Forgotten Tragedy: The Sinking of HMT Rohna. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1996

Bennett, James Gordon. Rohna Disaster. Philadelphia: X-libris Corporation, 1999

Wilhelm Gustloff

Named after the pre-war leader of the Swiss Nazi Party, this German liner was sunk by a Soviet submarine in the Baltic in January 1945 and took over 7000 to the bottom. Considered the worst single loss in maritime history.

Dobson, Christopher. The Cruelest Night. Boston: Little, Brown, 1979

Sellwood, Arthur V. The Damned Don't Drown: The Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Annapolis: Bluejacket Books, 1973

Schoen, Heinz. Die "Gustloff"-Katastrophe: Bericht eines Ueberlebenden ueber die groesste Schiffskatastrophe im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Stuttgart: Motorbuch, 1984

If that's not enough to keep you on dry land, you can find more information on these sinkings and many others (but without book references) at Maritime Disasters of World War II, compiled by George R. Duncan.

Copyright © 2001 by Bill Stone
May not be reproduced in any form without written permission of Stone & Stone