# List of shipwrecks in 2003

The list of shipwrecks in 2003 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 2003.
table of contents :
| ← 2002 2003 2004 → ||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr |
| May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
| Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Unknown date ||||
| References ||||

## January
### 1 January

List of shipwrecks: 1 January 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Vicky | Turkey | The cargo ship ran aground on the wreck of Tricolor ( Norway) in the English Channel off Dunquerque, Nord, France. Later refloated. |

### 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. |

### 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′N 152°10′W﻿ / ﻿57.617°N 152.167°W﻿ / 57.617; -152.167﻿ (Cape Chiniak)) on Kodiak Island. |

### 11 January

List of shipwrecks: 11 January 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Sunrunner | United States | The 58-foot (17.7 m) longline cod-fishing vessel sank off Twoheaded Island (56°54′N 153°35′W﻿ / ﻿56.900°N 153.583°W﻿ / 56.900; -153.583﻿ (Twoheaded Island)) in the Kodiak Archipelago. A United States Coast Guard helicopter and the fishing vessel Heritage ( United States) rescued her entire crew of five. |

### 24 January

List of shipwrecks: 24 January 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Combine | United States | The 41-foot (12.5 m) longline cod-fishing vessel struck a pinnacle off Popof Island (57°46′00″N 152°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. |

## February
### 17 February

List of shipwrecks: 17 February 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Tor I | Tonga | The cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Sicily, Italy with the loss of all eight crew. |

### 18 February

List of shipwrecks: 18 February 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Myra Jean | United States | The 42-foot (12.8 m) Alaska pollock trawler struck a rock, capsized and sank at the head of Wells Bay (60°53′30″N 147°28′30″W﻿ / ﻿60.89167°N 147.47500°W﻿ / 60.89167; -147.47500﻿ (Wells Bay)) in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska. The fishing vessel Anna Lee ( United States) rescued her crew of two. |

## March
### 16 March

List of shipwrecks: 16 March 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Copa Casino | flag unknown | The cruise ship sank off the coast of Dominican Republic while on her last voyage to Alang, India for scrapping. |

### 21 March

List of shipwrecks: 21 March 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bering Sea | United States | The 45-foot (13.7 m) longline halibut-fishing vessel was wrecked on the northwest coast of Yakobi Island in the Alexander Archipelago near Cape Bingham (58°05′30″N 136°31′00″W﻿ / ﻿58.09167°N 136.51667°W﻿ / 58.09167; -136.51667﻿ (Cape Bingham)) in Southeast Alaska. All three people and a dog on board abandoned ship in a life raft and were rescued by a United States Coast Guard helicopter. |

### 22 March

List of shipwrecks: 22 March 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| RMS Mulheim | Antigua and Barbuda | RMS Mulheim, September 2003. The cargo ship ran aground at Sennen Cove, United Kingdom. She was declared a constructive total loss on 24 March. |

### 24 March

List of shipwrecks: 24 March 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| New Viking | United States | The 52-foot (15.8 m) crab-fishing vessel sank in Southeast Alaska near Sullivan Island State Marine Park (58°57′48″N 135°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. |

## April
### 2 April

List of shipwrecks: 2 April 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Bigelow | United States Navy | The decommissioned Forrest Sherman-class destroyer was sunk as a target. |

### 11 April

List of shipwrecks: 11 April 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| ROCS Lai Yang | Republic of China Navy | The decommissioned Gearing-class destroyer was sunk as an artificial reef. (Formerly USS Leonard F. Mason ( United States Navy) the ship's name in Republic of China Navy service also is reported as ROCS Shuei Yang.) |

### 16 April

List of shipwrecks: 16 April 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| 361 | People's Liberation Army Navy | The Ming-class submarine was lost due to an engine run-on accident in the Bohai Sea. All seventy crew suffocated. |

### 22 April

List of shipwrecks: 22 April 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Al Munassir | Royal Navy of Oman | Vessel sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of Muscat. |

### 29 April

List of shipwrecks: 29 April 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Brittany Kaye | United States | The 29-foot (8.8 m) herring gillnetter struck a rock and sank in Kulukak Bay (58°49′N 159°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. |

## May
### 13 May

List of shipwrecks: 13 May 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| HMS Tireless | Royal Navy | The Trafalgar-class submarine collided underwater with an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean and was damaged. |

### 30 May

List of shipwrecks: 30 May 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Racona II | United States | 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″N 152°20′00″W﻿ / ﻿57.82083°N 152.33333°W﻿ / 57.82083; -152.33333﻿ (Spruce Cape)) near Kodiak, Alaska. The fishing vessel Compromise ( United States) rescued her two-man crew. |

### 31 May

List of shipwrecks: 31 May 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Fu Shan Hai | China | The bulk carrier collided with Gdynia ( Cyprus) off Bornholm, Denmark and sank. |

## June
### 12 June

List of shipwrecks: 12 June 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Al-Mansur | Iraqi Navy | Saddam Hussein's presidential yacht was bombed and damaged at Basra by Grumman F-14 Tomcat aircraft of the United States Navy in March, 2003 during the Iraq War. Capsized and sank at dock at Basrah, Iraq after being looted. |

### 14 June

List of shipwrecks: 14 June 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Taki-Tooo | United States | 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. |

### 19 June

List of shipwrecks: 19 June 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| ex-USS Richard E. Byrd | Hellenic Navy | 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. |

### 27 June

List of shipwrecks: 27 June 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Unidentified barge | United States | 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′N 073°59.300′W﻿ / ﻿40.059333°N 73.988333°W﻿ / 40.059333; -73.988333﻿ ("Barbar Ann"). Her wreck is known as "Barbara Ann." |
| Unidentified barge | United States | 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′N 073°59.391′W﻿ / ﻿40.059750°N 73.989850°W﻿ / 40.059750; -73.989850﻿ (Swensen Barge). Her wreck is known as the "Swensen Barge." |

## July
### 8 July

List of shipwrecks: 8 July 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Miss Everett | United States | The 34-foot (10.4 m) troller sank near Kruzof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska, approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) north of Sitka, Alaska. The only person aboard perished. |
| Nazreen-1 | Bangladesh | The ferry sank in the Meghna River near Chandpur, Bangladesh, causing the deaths of 400 people. |

### 17 July

List of shipwrecks: 17 July 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Four Daughters | United States | The 86-foot (26.2 m) fishing trawler and clam dredger 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′N 073°11.25′W﻿ / ﻿39.99100°N 73.18750°W﻿ / 39.99100; -73.18750﻿ (Lady Gertrude). |

### 21 July

List of shipwrecks: 21 July 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Dixon | United States Navy | 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″N 073°57′46.2″W﻿ / ﻿31.271639°N 73.962833°W﻿ / 31.271639; -73.962833﻿ ("USS Dixon (AS-37)). |
| USS Seneca | United States Navy | The decommissioned Navajo-class fleet tug was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina. |

### 22 July

List of shipwrecks: 22 July 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| HMCS Nipigon | Maritime Command | The decommissioned Mackenzie-class destroyer was sunk in the St. Lawrence River north-east of Rimouski as an artificial reef. |
| USS Samuel Gompers | United States Navy | The decommissioned Samuel Gompers-class destroyer tender sank in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina at 31°17′N 073°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. |

### 28 July

List of shipwrecks: 28 July 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Tasman Spirit | Greece | The tanker ran aground in the Arabian Sea off Karachi, Pakistan. She broke up and sank on 14 August. |

### 29 July

List of shipwrecks: 29 July 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Ingersoll | United States Navy | The decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer was sunk as a target. |

### 30 July

List of shipwrecks: 30 July 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Neptun | Germany | 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. |

## August
### 1 August

List of shipwrecks: 1 August 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Leftwich | United States Navy | The decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Hawaii at 22°48′47″N 160°34′00″W﻿ / ﻿22.81306°N 160.56667°W﻿ / 22.81306; -160.56667﻿ ("USS Leftwich (DD-984)"). |
| USS Merrill | United States Navy | The decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Hawaii at 22°43′53″N 160°29′23″W﻿ / ﻿22.73139°N 160.48972°W﻿ / 22.73139; -160.48972﻿ ("USS Merrill (DD-976)"). |

### 4 August

List of shipwrecks: 4 August 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| United Malika | Morocco | United Malika The reefer ship ran aground near Ras Nouadhibou in Mauritania. Its crew were rescued by the Mauritanian Navy. |

### 15 August

List of shipwrecks: 15 August 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Downes | United States Navy | The decommissioned Knox-class frigate was sunk as a target near Mare Island, California, at 31°10′01″N 119°48′03″W﻿ / ﻿31.16694°N 119.80083°W﻿ / 31.16694; -119.80083﻿ ("USS Downes (FF-1070)"). |
| USS Henry B. Wilson | United States Navy | The decommissioned Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer was sunk as a target. |

### 20 August

List of shipwrecks: 20 August 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Donna Ann | United States | 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″N 154°29′30″W﻿ / ﻿57.57500°N 154.49167°W﻿ / 57.57500; -154.49167﻿ (Tanglefoot Bay)) near Karluk, Alaska. Her crew survived. |

### 28 August

List of shipwrecks: 28 August 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| North Star | United States | 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′N 70°21′W﻿ / ﻿42.383°N 70.350°W﻿ / 42.383; -70.350). The two crew members were picked up by Half Fast. |

### 30 August

List of shipwrecks: 30 August 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| K-159 | Russian Navy | The November-class submarine sank in the Barents Sea while under tow to a scrapyard. Nine of her ten crew were killed. |

## September
### 11 September

List of shipwrecks: 11 September 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Moby Magic | Italy | The ferry ran aground in the Mediterranean Sea off Porto Cervo, Sardinia. All 160 people on board were rescued. |

### 25 September

List of shipwrecks: 25 September 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| A. J. McAllister | United States | The retired 106-foot (32.3 m), 263-gross register ton tug was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean east of Cape May, New Jersey, at 38°58.004′N 074°10.721′W﻿ / ﻿38.966733°N 74.178683°W﻿ / 38.966733; -74.178683﻿ (A. J. McAllister). |
| Diver′s Abyss | United States | The retired 104-foot (31.7 m) tug was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean east of Cape May, New Jersey, at 38°57.984′N 074°10.771′W﻿ / ﻿38.966400°N 74.179517°W﻿ / 38.966400; -74.179517﻿ (Diver′s Abyss). |

## October
### 8 October

List of shipwrecks: 8 October 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| ROCS Fu Yang | Republic of China Navy | The decommissioned Gearing-class destroyer was sunk as a target. |

### 14 October

List of shipwrecks: 14 October 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| ROCS An Yang | Republic of China Navy | The decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer was sunk as a target. |
| ROCS Huei Yang | Republic of China Navy | The decommissioned Allen M. Sumner-class guided-missile destroyer was sunk as a target. |

### 15 October

List of shipwrecks: 15 October 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Andrew J. Barberi | United States | 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. |

### 25 October

List of shipwrecks: 25 October 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Hartford | United States Navy | USS Hartford. USS Hartford grounding: The Los Angeles-class submarine ran aground at La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy. She was subsequently repaired and returned to service |

## November
### 7 November

List of shipwrecks: 7 November 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Jay Jay | United States | The retired 90-foot (27.4 m) tug was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean south of Long Island 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) off Moriches Inlet, New York. |

### 18 November

List of shipwrecks: 18 November 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Yosemite | United States Navy | The decommissioned destroyer tender was sunk as a target. |

### 25 November

List of shipwrecks: 25 November 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Dieu Merci | Democratic Republic of the Congo | The ferry capsized and sank in Lake Mai-Ndombe, killing 163 people on board. Over 200 people were rescued. |

## December
### 1 December

List of shipwrecks: 24 December 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Jassim | Bolivia | The vessel sank while anchored at Wingate reef, Sudan about 1,113.11 metres (3,651.9 ft) away from the wreck of Umbria. |

### 9 December

List of shipwrecks: 24 December 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Stellamare | Netherlands | The Dutch heavy-lift vessel capsized while loading power generator components at the Port of Albany with the loss of three crew members. 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. The ship was salvaged but declared a constructive total loss. |

### 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. |

## Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 2003 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Alec N | United States | The retired 45-foot (13.7 m) fishing trawler was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean off Fire Island south of Long Island, New York sometime in 2003. |
| Mary N | United States | The retired 50-foot (15.2 m) fishing trawler and clam dredger was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean off Fire Island south of Long Island, New York sometime in 2003. |
| SLNS P-413 | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: The patrol boat was sunk by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sometime in 2003. |
| SLNS P-416 | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: The patrol boat was sunk by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sometime in 2003. |
| SLNS P-495 | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: The patrol boat was sunk by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sometime in 2003. |