The cargo ship ran aground on the wreck of Tricolor (Norway) in the English Channel off Dunquerque, Nord, France. Later refloated.[1]
3 January
List of shipwrecks: 3 January 2003
Ship
State
Description
Vermontborg
Romania
This new ship, under tow from Romania to Germany, broke free and came aground on the Guernsey, Channel Islands coast.[2][3]
5 January
List of shipwrecks: 5 January 2003
Ship
State
Description
Pioneer
United States
In disrepair and in danger of sinking in the boat harbor at Kodiak, Alaska, the 80-foot (24.4 m) halibut schooner was scuttled by her owner in 260 feet (79 meters) of water in the Gulf of Alaska approximately 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) off Cape Chiniak (57°37′N152°10′W / 57.617°N 152.167°W / 57.617; -152.167 (Cape Chiniak)) on Kodiak Island.[4]
The 41-foot (12.5 m) longlinecod-fishing vessel struck a pinnacle off Popof Island (57°46′00″N152°24′10″W / 57.76667°N 152.40278°W / 57.76667; -152.40278 (Popof Island)) in the Kodiak Archipelago about 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) east of Kodiak, Alaska. The fishing vessel Highliner (United States) rescued her crew of three.[6]
The 52-foot (15.8 m) crab-fishing vessel sank in Southeast Alaska near Sullivan Island State Marine Park (58°57′48″N135°19′21″W / 58.9633°N 135.3224°W / 58.9633; -135.3224 (Sullivan Island State Marine Park)) 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) southwest of Eldred Rock. The only person aboard abandoned ship in a skiff and was rescued by the United States Coast Guard.[10]
The 29-foot (8.8 m) herringgillnetter struck a rock and sank in Kulukak Bay (58°49′N159°44′W / 58.817°N 159.733°W / 58.817; -159.733 (Kulukak Bay)) on the south-central coast of Alaska, 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) southeast of Togiak. Her crew of two survived. At low tide she was seen to be sitting on mud but was deemed too badly damaged to be refloated.[9]
The 72-foot (22 m) vessel sank in the Gulf of Alaska 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) off Spruce Cape (57°49′15″N152°20′00″W / 57.82083°N 152.33333°W / 57.82083; -152.33333 (Spruce Cape)) near Kodiak, Alaska. The fishing vesselCompromise (United States) rescued her two-man crew.[11]
The 32-foot (9.8 m) chartered fishing boat capsized off the Oregon Coast near Tillamook Bay while crossing the bar. Eleven people, including the skipper, perished.[15][16]
The decommissioned Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer was sunk as a target by Greek forces after sale to Greece and cannibalization for spare parts.
The retired 75-foot (22.9 m) barge was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) off Mantoloking, New Jersey, in 80 feet (24 m) of water at 40°03.560′N073°59.300′W / 40.059333°N 73.988333°W / 40.059333; -73.988333 ("Barbar Ann"). Her wreck is known as "Barbara Ann."[17]
The retired 50-foot (15.2 m) barge was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) off Mantoloking, New Jersey, in 80 feet (24 m) of water at 40°03.585′N073°59.391′W / 40.059750°N 73.989850°W / 40.059750; -73.989850 (Swensen Barge). Her wreck is known as the "Swensen Barge."[18]
The 86-foot (26.2 m) fishing trawler and clamdredger sank on her maiden voyage in 130 feet (40 m) of water in the North Atlantic Ocean 52 nautical miles (96 km; 60 mi) southeast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, at 39°59.46′N073°11.25′W / 39.99100°N 73.18750°W / 39.99100; -73.18750 (Lady Gertrude).[20]
The decommissioned L. Y. Spear-class submarine tender was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, at 31°16′17.9″N073°57′46.2″W / 31.271639°N 73.962833°W / 31.271639; -73.962833 ("USS Dixon (AS-37)).
The decommissioned Samuel Gompers-class destroyer tender sank in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina at 31°17′N073°51′W / 31.283°N 73.850°W / 31.283; -73.850 ("USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37)) after being used as a target for Harpoon missiles and aerial bombs the previous day.
The 16.11-metre (52 ft 10 in) fishing cutter ran aground, heeled over and sank on its side in shallow water in the channel at Norddeich. Later salvaged.[23]
The decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Hawaii at 22°48′47″N160°34′00″W / 22.81306°N 160.56667°W / 22.81306; -160.56667 ("USS Leftwich (DD-984)").
The decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Hawaii at 22°43′53″N160°29′23″W / 22.73139°N 160.48972°W / 22.73139; -160.48972 ("USS Merrill (DD-976)").
The decommissioned Knox-class frigate was sunk as a target near Mare Island, California, at 31°10′01″N119°48′03″W / 31.16694°N 119.80083°W / 31.16694; -119.80083 ("USS Downes (FF-1070)").
The 47-gross ton, 49.7-or-58-foot (15.1 or 17.7 m) fishing vessel dragged her anchor and was stranded on the beach in Tanglefoot Bay (57°34′30″N154°29′30″W / 57.57500°N 154.49167°W / 57.57500; -154.49167 (Tanglefoot Bay)) near Karluk, Alaska. Her crew survived.[24]
The 55-foot (17 m) scallop trawler capsized and sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 100 feet (30 m) of water in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (42°23′N70°21′W / 42.383°N 70.350°W / 42.383; -70.350). The two crew members were picked up by Half Fast.[25]
The ferry collided at full speed with a pier at Staten Island, New York. Eleven people were killed and seventy-one were injured. The ship was later repaired and returned to service.
USS Hartford grounding: The Los Angeles-class submarine ran aground at La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy. She was subsequently repaired and returned to service
The Dutch heavy-lift vessel capsized while loading power generator components at the Port of Albany with the loss of three crew members.[33] A United States Coast Guard investigation found that capsize occurred because of the inexperience of the officers and crew in conducting heavy-lift loading operations in fresh water and miscommunications between the Russian crew and Dutch officers over ballasting requirements.[34] The ship was salvaged but declared a constructive total loss.[33]
24 December
List of shipwrecks: 24 December 2003
Ship
State
Description
Elizabeth
flag unknown
The cargo ship sank in the Aegean Sea off Santorini, Greece. Eight crew were rescued.[35]
^Charles Bremner and Ben Webster (3 January 2003). "Fuel leaks from second ship that hit wreckage". The Times. No. 67650. London. col A-D, p. 12.
^"SMIT Salvage awarded LOF contract for the grounded Vermont Borg" (PDF). towingline.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
^"Wagenborg 'Vermontborg' Shipwreck in Guernsey 3/1/03". dragtimes.com. 27 November 2017.
^"Oil leak threat". The Times. No. 67779. London. 3 June 2003. col H, p. 13.
^Ian Cobain, additional material by Tim Butcher (Daily Telegraph) and Tom Newton Dunn (Daily Mirror) (11 April 2003). "Saddam's ship of state, dead in the water". The Times. No. 67734. London. col A-H, p. 5.
^"MV Al Mansur (+2003)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^Cole, Michelle; Hunsberger, Brent; Larabee, Mark (15 June 2003). "Wave flips boat, killing 9 in accident; two others missing". The Oregonian. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
^Dooris, Pat (10 January 2019). "'It was immediate': Taki-Tooo survivor remembers 2003 sinking that claimed 11 lives on Oregon coast". KGW. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
^"163 die as ferry capsizes". The Times. No. 67932. London. 28 November 2003. col H, p. 27.
^"M/S KATTEGAT". faktaomfartyg. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
^ abAichele, Richard O. (28 February 2007). "Three dead as heavy-lift ship capsizes while loading generator". Professional Mariner. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
^"Capsizing of the M/V Stellemare" (PDF). Investigating Officer's Report of Investigation. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
^"Crew arrested". The Times. No. 67956. London. 27 December 2003. col H, p. 25.
^ ab"njscuba.net Fire Island Artificial Reef". Archived from the original on 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
^ abc"Naval Battles of the Sri Lanka Civil War". Soviet-Empire. Retrieved 8 May 2020.