List of maritime disasters in the 20th century

The sinking of the British ocean liner RMS Titanic in 1912, with more than 1,500 fatalities, is probably the most famous shipwreck, but not the biggest in terms of lives lost.

The wartime sinking of the German Wilhelm Gustloff in January 1945 in World War II by a Soviet Navy submarine, with an estimated loss of about 9,400 people, remains the deadliest isolated maritime disaster ever, excluding such events as the destruction of entire fleets like the 1274 and 1281 storms that are said to have devastated Kublai Khan's fleets in his invasions of Japan.

All ships, including those of the military, are vulnerable to problems from weather conditions, faulty design or human error.

The disasters listed below were not related directly to military action, though some of them occurred during periods of conflict.

[66] Disasters with great loss of life can also occur in times of armed conflict.