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U.S. Navy Ships Lost in Selected Storm/Weather Related Incidents

Continental sloop Saratoga lost with all hands in a gale off the Bahamas. The only survivors were detailed to a captured vessel which almost capsized in the same storm. Crew of 86 less the prize crew lost.18 Mar. 1781.

Brig USS Pickering believed lost with all hands in a gale in Sep. 1800. Last seen 20 Aug. 1800 when she departed for the West Indies. Approximately 105 drowned.

Frigate USS Insurgent departed Hampton Roads, VA on 8 Aug. 1800 for West Indies. Never heard from again. Ship and crew of 340 presumed lost in severe West Indies storm on 20 Sep. 1800.

Gun Boat #1 lost when driven ashore in hurricane at Savannah, Georgia. 7-8 Sep. 1804.

Gun Boat #2 sank in gale off St. Mary's Georgia. 40 died. 5 Oct. 1811.

Ketch Etna sank in a hurricane off New Orleans. 2 men drowned. 19 August 1812. 

Schooners USS Hamilton and Scourge capsize in a heavy squall on Lake Ontario. Over 80 lost. 8 Aug. 1813. 

Gun Boat #164 sank in a squall at St. Mary's Georgia. 20 drowned. 16 Sep. 1813.

Schooner USS Alligator sank in Port Royal Sound during a heavy storm. 23 died. 30 Jun. 1814.

Sloop-of-war USS Epervier disappeared in the Atlantic with 132 sailors and 2 marines after transiting the Straits of Gibralter on 14 July 1815. She may have encountered a hurricane reported in the Atlantic on 9 August 1815.

Chartered schooner Quaker sank in a gale with all aboard. 41 lost. 6 Mar. 1820.

Schooner USS Wildcat lost with all hands in a gale while sailing between Cuba and Thompson's Island, West Indies. Approximately 31 drowned. 28 Oct. 1824. 

Schooner USS Ferret capsized in storm off Cuba. 5 died. 4 Feb. 1825.

Brig USS Hornet lost with all hands in gale off Tampico, Mexico on 29 Sep. 1829. 145 lost.

Schooner USS Sylph believed to be lost in an intense storm in August 1831. 13 died. Disappeared after departing Pensacola, Florida, in July 1831. 

Schooner USS Sea Gull disappeared, probably sinking in a storm between Tierra del Fuego and Valpariso. 15 drowned. Last seen on 8 May 1839.

Schooner USS Grampus presumably foundered in a gale off Charleston, South Carolina with all hands. At least 25 drowned. Last heard from on 15 Mar. 1843.

Brig USS Somers capsized and foundered in a sudden squall while chasing a blockade runner off Vera Cruz, Mexico. 32 died. 8 Dec. 1846.

Brig USS Porpoise disappeared, presumably sinking during a typhoon. At least 62 lost. Last seen between Formosa and China on 21 Sep. 1854.

Ironclad USS Monitor sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras. 16 died. 31 Dec. 1862. 

Brig USS Bainbridge capsized in a storm off Cape Hatteras. Over 90 drowned. 21 Aug. 1863.

Screw steamer USS Huron sank in storm off North Carolina. 98 lost. 24 Nov. 1877. 

Screw steamer USS Trenton, Screw sloop USS Vandalia, and Gunboat USS Nipsic wrecked by a storm at Apia, Samoa. 51 killed. 16 Mar. 1889.

Steam launch from USS Yosemite foundered in the harbor of San Luis d'Apra, Guam in typhoon. Coal Passer Joseph Anderson, Seaman George Aubel, Fireman First Class William Davis, Apprentice First Class Jacob L. Mehaffey and Coxswain Frank Swanson drowned. 13 Nov. 1900.

Iron screw steamer USS Nina, last sighted off the Capes of the Chesapeake in a gale. 33 drowned. 15 Mar. 1910.

Armored cruiser No. 10 USS Memphis (ex-USS Tennessee) driven ashore and totally wrecked by tidal wave at Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. 41 killed and 204 injured. 29 Aug. 1916.

Tug USS Cherokee foundered off Fenwick Island Lightship in a heavy gale. 30 died. 26 Feb. 1918.

Patrol vessel USS Eagle while making passage up Delaware River was struck by a squall and capsized. 9 killed. 11 Jun. 1920. 

USS Tacoma (C-18) ran aground near Vera Cruz Mexico during a storm. During attempts to free her during the subsequent week Captain Herbert G. Sparrow, Radioman Second Class Edward Thaxter Herrick, Radioman First Class Homer Harry Lussier and Radioman Third Class Solomon Sivin drowned. 16 Jan. 1924.

Rigid airship USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) crashed in storm near Marietta OH. 14 killed, 2 injured. 3 Sep. 1925. 

Rigid airship USS Akron (ZRS-4) crashed in a storm off New Jersey. 73 killed, 3 injured. 4 Apr. 1933.

Blimp J-3 crashed while searching for survivors of USS Akron, fatally injuring LCDR. David Ervin Cummins and Aviation Chief Metalsmith Pasquale Bettio. 4 Apr. 1933.

Rigid airship USS Macon (ZRS-5) crashed in a storm off California. Radioman First Class Ernest Edwin Dailey and Mess Attendant First Class Florentino Edquiba killed. 12 Feb. 1935.

USS Truxtun (DD-229) and USS Pollux (AKS-2) ran aground during a storm in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, and broke up in surf. 204 killed. 18 Feb. 1942.

USS Warrington (DD-383) sank during hurricane off Florida. 248 drowned. 13 Sep. 1944.

Task Force 38 struck by typhoon off the Philippines. Destroyers USS Hull (DD-350), USS Spence (DD-512), and USS Monaghan (DD-354) capsized and sank, at least 28 other vessels damaged. About 790 killed and 80 injured. 18 Dec. 1944.

Task Force 38 struck by typhoon in Okinawa area. 36 ships damaged. At least 6 killed and 4 injured. 5 Jun. 1945.

Typhoon passes within 15 miles of Okinawa, severely damaging ships in Buckner Bay anchorage. 12 small ships and landing craft sunk, 222 others beached. 36 killed, 47 missing, 100 seriously injured. 11 Oct. 1945.

USS Cochino (SS-345) foundered off Norway after a polar gale caused an electrical fire and two battery explosions. All of her crew were rescued by USS Tusk (SS-426), who lost 7 of her own crew in their efforts to assist Cochino. 7 drowned. 25 Aug. 1949.

03 June 2005

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Published: Wed Jul 29 09:15:50 EDT 2020