# List of shipwrecks in 1996

The list of shipwrecks in 1996 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1996.
table of contents :
| ← 1995 1996 1997 → ||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr |
| May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
| Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Unknown date ||||
| References ||||

## January
### 4 January

List of shipwrecks: 4 January 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Peril Cape | United States | The 44-foot (13.4 m) fishing vessel sank quickly off Sitkalidak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago after her hull failed. The fishing vessel Golden Nugget ( United States) rescued her entire crew of three from a life raft. |

### 8 January

List of shipwrecks: 8 January 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Calypso | France | The research vessel was rammed by a barge at Singapore and sank. Refloated on 16 January, repaired and returned to service. |

### 10 January

List of shipwrecks: 10 January 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Cape Chacon | United States | The 33-foot (10.1 m) fishing vessel ran aground and sank at Ratz Harbor (55°53′15″N 132°35′45″W﻿ / ﻿55.88750°N 132.59583°W﻿ / 55.88750; -132.59583﻿ (Ratz Harbor)) off the northeast coast of Prince of Wales Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. Her crew of two abandoned ship in a skiff and was rescued by the United States Coast Guard. |

### 14 January

List of shipwrecks: 14 January 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Daydreamer | United States | The 39-foot (11.9 m) fishing vessel was wrecked on a reef near Hog Island in Alaska′s Kodiak Archipelago outside of Afognak Bay (58°03′00″N 152°45′37″W﻿ / ﻿58.0499°N 152.7603°W﻿ / 58.0499; -152.7603﻿ (Afognak Bay)). All four people aboard survived. |

### 18 January

List of shipwrecks: 7 January 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| North Cape | | The tank barge ran aground on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, while under tow by the tugboat Scandia, which also ran aground. |
| Scandia | | Scandia (foreground) and North Cape (background) aground on 20 January 1996.The tugboat ran aground on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, after her engine room caught fire while she was towing the tank barge North Cape, which also ran aground. |

### 20 January

List of shipwrecks: 20 January 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Gurita | Indonesia | The ferry sank in the Strait of Malacca with the loss of about 260 lives. |

### 23 January

List of shipwrecks: 23 January 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Sally J | United States | The 45-foot (13.7 m) salmon seiner burned and sank in Uganik Bay 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska. |

### 27 January

List of shipwrecks: 27 January 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Pacesetter | United States | The 114-foot (34.7 m) crab-fishing vessel disappeared in the Bering Sea approximately 65 nautical miles (120 km; 75 mi) north of St. George Island with the loss of her entire crew of seven. |

## February
### 3 February

List of shipwrecks: 3 February 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| S S Viking | United States | The 55-foot (16.8 m) hatchery vessel struck a rock and sank at Montague Island at the entrance to Prince William Sound on the coast of Alaska. |

### 6 February

List of shipwrecks: 6 February 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Capt. Gil | United States | The tugboat sprang a leak and sank in the Gulf of Mexico off Steinhatchee, Florida. |

### 7 February

List of shipwrecks: 7 February 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ambition | United States | The 83-foot (25.3 m) fishing trawler sank in Unimak Pass in the Aleutian Islands. Her crew of five abandoned ship wearing survival suits and was rescued by the fishing vessel Lone Star ( United States). |

### 15 February

List of shipwrecks: 15 February 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Sea Empress | Liberia | Sea Empress oil spill: The tanker ran aground on rocks at the entrance to the Cleddau Estuary near Milford Haven, Dyfed loaded with 130,000 tonnes of crude oil. Later repaired and returned to service. |

### 19 February

List of shipwrecks: 19 February 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Gretchen I | Philippines | The overloaded ferry capsized and sank off Cadiz with the loss of 71 lives. There were at least 141 survivors. |

### 27 February

List of shipwrecks: 27 February 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Michael DePalma | United States | The retired 70-foot (21.3 m) barge was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean off Wildwood, New Jersey, at 38°56.970′N 074°41.337′W﻿ / ﻿38.949500°N 74.688950°W﻿ / 38.949500; -74.688950﻿ (Michael DePalma). |

### 29 February

List of shipwrecks: 29 February 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| All American | United States | All American in 1996.The 289-gross ton, 147.6-foot (45.0 m) crab-fishing vessel was wrecked on the north coast of St. George Island in the Bering Sea. A Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from the high endurance cutter USCGC Sherman ( United States Coast Guard) rescued her entire crew of five. Plans called for her wreck to be refloated, towed out to sea, and scuttled. |

## March
### 25 March

List of shipwrecks: 25 March 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bom Re | Portugal | The dredger foundered south west of Madeira with the loss of both crew. |

### 29 March

List of shipwrecks: 29 March 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Evelyn Mary Louise | United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m) fishing vessel burned and sank without loss of life at Metlakatla, Alaska. |

### 30 March

List of shipwrecks: 30 March 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| SLNS P-458 | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: The P-453 (Dvora-class) patrol boat was sunk by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam with an explosive motorboat. |

## April
### 4 April

List of shipwrecks: 4 April 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Desiree C | United States | The 38-foot (11.6 m) fishing vessel capsized and was lost in 25-foot (7.6 m) seas in Chiniak Bay (57°42′N 152°20′W﻿ / ﻿57.700°N 152.333°W﻿ / 57.700; -152.333﻿ (Chiniak Bay)) off Kodiak Island in Alaska′s Kodiak Archipelago. The two men aboard lost their lives. |

### 15 April

List of shipwrecks: 15 April 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Duchess | United States | The 142-gross ton, 79-foot (24.1 m) fishing vessel caught fire off Spruce Island near Spruce Cape (57°55′N 152°25′W﻿ / ﻿57.917°N 152.417°W﻿ / 57.917; -152.417﻿ (Spruce Cape)) in Alaska′s Kodiak Archipelago. After a United States Coast Guard helicopter lifted off her crew of three, the tug Chenaille Rouge ( United States) took her under tow, but Duchess capsized and the towline parted. Duchess′s wreck washed ashore on Spruce Island on 17 April. She was deemed a total loss. |

### 19 April

List of shipwrecks: 19 April 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Antares | United States | The retired 41-foot (12.5 m) steel-hulled sailboat was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean 3.1 nautical miles (5.7 km; 3.6 mi) off Barnegat, New Jersey, at 39°45.067′N 074°01.892′W﻿ / ﻿39.751117°N 74.031533°W﻿ / 39.751117; -74.031533﻿ (Antares). |

## May
### 14 May

List of shipwrecks: 14 May 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Solar Wind | flag unknown | The trimaran and its two-person crew were reported missing after encountering a tropical storm. |

### 21 May

List of shipwrecks: 21 May 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bukoba | Tanzania | The passenger vessel sank in Lake Victoria, drowning some 800 people. |

### 25 May

List of shipwrecks: 25 May 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ruby | United States | The 34-foot (10.4 m) fishing vessel was destroyed by fire in Tongass Narrows in Southeast Alaska without loss of life. |

## June
### 4 June

List of shipwrecks: 4 June 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Marjo | United States | The 48-foot (14.6 m) vessel was destroyed by fire in Salisbury Sound in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. |

### 11 June

List of shipwrecks: 11 June 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| SLNS P-232 | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: The patrol boat was sunk by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam mines. |
| SLNS P-243 | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: The patrol boat was sunk by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam mines. |

### 20 June

List of shipwrecks: 20 June 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Starlite | United States | The 35-foot (10.7 m) salmon gillnetter was destroyed by a stack fire and sank in Prince William Sound near Hinchinbrook Entrance (60°20′N 146°50′W﻿ / ﻿60.333°N 146.833°W﻿ / 60.333; -146.833﻿ (Hinchinbrook Entrance)) on the south-central coast of Alaska. The only person aboard survived. |

### 23 June

List of shipwrecks: 23 June 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Nadine | flag unknown | The 167-foot (50.9 m) yacht sank en route from the Italian mainland to Sardinia during a mistral storm. All passengers and crew were rescued by the Italian coast guard. A fictionalized version of the sinking is depicted in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street. |

## July
### 2 July

List of shipwrecks: 2 July 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Kamishak Queen | United States | The 76-foot (23.2 m) fishing vessel sank off Gore Point (59°12′00″N 150°57′30″W﻿ / ﻿59.20000°N 150.95833°W﻿ / 59.20000; -150.95833﻿ (Gore Point)) on Nuka Island off the Kenai Peninsula on the south-central coast of Alaska. Her crew of two survived. |

### 4 July

List of shipwrecks: 4 July 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Divemaster | United States | The 30-foot (9.1 m) fishing vessel struck a submerged object and sank 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) south of Wrangell, Alaska. The only person aboard survived. |

### 16 July

List of shipwrecks: 16 July 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| MS Fortune | United States | The 38-foot (11.6 m) fishing vessel was destroyed by fire in the Bering Sea at Cape Seniavin (56°24′N 160°09′W﻿ / ﻿56.400°N 160.150°W﻿ / 56.400; -160.150﻿ (Cape Seniavin)) on the north coast of the Alaska Peninsula. |

### 18 July

List of shipwrecks: 18 July 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lady Launi | United States | While under tow with no one aboard, the 48-foot (14.6 m) fishing vessel sank approximately 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) southwest of Kodiak, Alaska. |

### 19 July

List of shipwrecks: 19 July 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| SLNS Ranavirh | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: First Battle of Mullaitivu: The Type 062 patrol boat was sunk by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam with two explosive motorboats. Lost with all 36 hands. |

### 22 July

List of shipwrecks: 22 July 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Caroline | United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m) salmon gillnetter burned and sank in Kvichak Bay on the Bristol Bay coast of Alaska. Her crew of three survived. |

### 25 July

List of shipwrecks: 25 July 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Estella | United States | The 58-foot (17.7 m) fishing vessel ran aground and sank in Sukoi Inlet (57°14′N 135°36′W﻿ / ﻿57.233°N 135.600°W﻿ / 57.233; -135.600﻿ (Sukoi Inlet)) in Southeast Alaska. All six people aboard survived. |

## August
### 2 August

List of shipwrecks: 2 August 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Martie | United States | The 43-foot (13.1 m) salmon seiner sank at Evans Island in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska. Her entire crew of five survived. |

### 3 August

List of shipwrecks: 3 August 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Colleen | United States | The retired 92-foot (28.0 m), 150-gross register ton Erie Canal tug 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°02.794′N 073°59.350′W﻿ / ﻿40.046567°N 73.989167°W﻿ / 40.046567; -73.989167﻿ (Colleen). |

### 6 August

List of shipwrecks: 6 August 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lou-Ann-Marie | United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m) fishing vessel burned and sank in the Bering Sea approximately 120 nautical miles (220 km; 140 mi) northwest of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Her crew of three survived. |

### 7 August

List of shipwrecks: 7 August 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Alice M | United States | The 29-foot (8.8 m) gillnet salmon-fishing vessel burned and sank in Nushagak Bay on the Bristol Bay coast of Alaska. |

### 20 August

List of shipwrecks: 20 August 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS YOGN-8 | United States Navy | The decommissioned 165-foot (50.3 m) non-self-propelled gasoline barge was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean 6.5 nautical miles (12.0 km; 7.5 mi) off Harvey Cedars, New Jersey, in 80 feet (24 m) of water at 39°37.564′N 074°01.341′W﻿ / ﻿39.626067°N 74.022350°W﻿ / 39.626067; -74.022350﻿ (YOGN-8). Her wreck is known as "John Dobilas." |

### 25 August

List of shipwrecks: 25 August 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ocean Beauty | United States | The 30-foot (9.1 m) fishing vessel was wrecked at Port Moller (59°59′30″N 160°34′30″W﻿ / ﻿59.99167°N 160.57500°W﻿ / 59.99167; -160.57500﻿ (Port Moller)), Alaska. Her crew of two survived. |

## September
### 2 September

List of shipwrecks: 2 September 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| North Wind | Unknown flag | The 86-foot (26.2 m) motor scow ran aground and sank in Fancy Cove on the coast of British Columbia in Canada. |
| Thomas W | United States | The 35-foot (10.7 m) vessel sank in Gibson Cove (57°46′45″N 152°26′40″W﻿ / ﻿57.77917°N 152.44444°W﻿ / 57.77917; -152.44444﻿ (Gibson Cove)) in Alaska. No one was aboard her at the time. |
| Uniceb | Panama | The livestock carrier suffered an engine fire in the Pacific Ocean north of the Seychelles. She was abandoned by her crew and subsequently sank. |

### 5 September

List of shipwrecks: 5 September 1960 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ivanof II | United States | The 36-foot (11.0 m) fishing vessel was destroyed 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) north of Seldovia, Alaska, by a fire that started in her cook stove. Her crew of two survived. |

### 12 September

List of shipwrecks: 12 September 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Sea Lion | United States | The 32-foot (9.8 m) fishing vessel was wrecked at Fox Island (60°10′N 144°37′W﻿ / ﻿60.167°N 144.617°W﻿ / 60.167; -144.617﻿ (Fox Island)) near Katalla, Alaska. |

### 15 September

List of shipwrecks: 15 September 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Sauniere | Canada | The self-unloading bulk carrier ran aground on the Bay State Shoal in the St. Lawrence River near Brockville, Ontario. The bottom shell plating on the starboard side was damaged and the #1 starboard ballast tank being was holed in three places. After being freed, Sauniere sailed to Hamilton, Ontario to unload its cargo and then to Port Weller Dry Docks at St. Catharines, Ontario for repairs. |

### 16 September

List of shipwrecks: 16 September 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| GB22, GB23, GB24 | Eritrean Navy | The GB11-class patrol boats were lost on this date. |

### 18 September

List of shipwrecks: 18 September 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Unidentified Sang-O-class submarine | Korean People's Navy | The Sang-O-class submarine ran aground on the east coast of South Korea near Jeongdongjin while trying to retrieve a three-person North Korean special operations reconnaissance team it had landed there three days earlier. Its crew abandoned it, and it was captured by South Korean forces. |

### 24 September

List of shipwrecks: 24 September 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Grom | United States | The 39-foot (11.9 m) gillnet salmon-fishing vessel was wrecked in Shelter Bay (60°26′N 146°39′W﻿ / ﻿60.433°N 146.650°W﻿ / 60.433; -146.650﻿ (Shelter Bay)) in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska. |

### 27 September

List of shipwrecks: 27 September 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Gypsy | United States | The 33-foot (10.1 m) vessel sank in Marmot Bay (58°00′N 152°06′W﻿ / ﻿58.000°N 152.100°W﻿ / 58.000; -152.100﻿ (Marmot Bay)) in Alaska′s Kodiak Archipelago. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Captain Keith Tibbetts | Cayman Islands | The decommissioned Koni-class frigate was scuttled as an artificial reef off Grand Cayman Island sometime in September. |
| HMFS Kiro | Republic of Fiji Navy | The decommissioned Redwing-class minesweeper was being towed to sea to be scuttled but broke loose when the tow pad ripped loose from her rotten deck and she was wrecked on a reef off Suva. The wreck was disposed of by burning. |

## October
### 2 October

List of shipwrecks: 2 October 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Margaret N | United States | The 30-foot (9.1 m) fishing vessel sank at Hydaburg, Alaska. Her crew of two survived. |

### 4 October

List of shipwrecks: 4 October 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Tracy | United States | The vessel was wrecked on rocks in Gibson Cove (57°46′45″N 152°26′40″W﻿ / ﻿57.77917°N 152.44444°W﻿ / 57.77917; -152.44444﻿ (Gibson Cove)) on the coast of Kodiak Island near Kodiak, Alaska. Her owner burned the wreck after stripping it. |

### 5 October

List of shipwrecks: 5 October 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Alaska Dawn | United States | The 90-foot (27.4 m) fishing vessel was wrecked on the north coast of Andronica Island in Alaska′s Shumagin Islands off the south coast of the Alaska Peninsula after her captain fell asleep at her helm. Her crew of four abandoned ship and were taken by a skiff from the vessel Vardal ( United States) to the vessel Exodus ( United States). Alaska Dawn later was scuttled. |

### 17 October

List of shipwrecks: 17 October 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Matt Turecamo | United States | The retired 86-foot (26.2 m) tug was scuttled as an artificial reef in the North Atlantic Ocean 3.6 nautical miles (6.7 km; 4.1 mi) off Sea Girt, New Jersey, in 80 feet (24 m) of water at 40°07.514′N 073°56.465′W﻿ / ﻿40.125233°N 73.941083°W﻿ / 40.125233; -73.941083﻿ (Matt Turecamo). Her main deck is at a depth of 65 feet (20 m). |

### 24 October

List of shipwrecks: 24 October 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Rebecca B | United States | The 77-foot (23.5 m) longline fishing vessel was wrecked on a shoal 50 feet (15 meters) off the coast at Cape Sasmik (51°36′30″N 177°55′00″W﻿ / ﻿51.60833°N 177.91667°W﻿ / 51.60833; -177.91667﻿ (Cape Sasmik)) on Tanaga Island in the western Andreanof Islands in the southwestern Aleutian Islands. A United States Navy salvage tug rescued her entire crew of seven. |

### 28 October

List of shipwrecks: 28 October 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lucky Logger | United States | The 26-foot (7.9 m) bowpicker sank at the entrance to Day Harbor on the south-central coast of Alaska. A United States Coast Guard helicopter rescued the only person aboard. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: unknown October 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| SLNS P-457 | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: The Dvora-class patrol boat was sunk by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sometime in October. |

## November
### 4 November

List of shipwrecks: 4 November 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bristol Storm | United States | The 117-foot (35.7 m) crab-fishing vessel sank in heavy weather in 228 feet (69 m) of water in the Bering Sea northwest of Port Moller (56°50′N 162°34′W﻿ / ﻿56.833°N 162.567°W﻿ / 56.833; -162.567﻿ (Port Moller)), Alaska, after uncontrollable flooding began in her pump room. The fishing vessel New Venture ( United States) rescued her crew of six. |

### 11 November

List of shipwrecks: 11 November 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bever | Netherlands | The tug capsized and sank in the North Sea off Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, United Kingdom with the loss of one of her two crew. |

### 14 November

List of shipwrecks: 14 November 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Cordigliera | Panama | After placing a distress call to Durban Radio at 10:30 pm requesting immediate assistance due to a leak in a hold, the freighter sank off South Africa off Port St Johns with the loss of all 23 lives. |
| Princess Jihan | Egypt | The riverboat capsized and sank in the Nile at Qalh al-Jabal with the loss of over 20 lives. |

### 15 November

List of shipwrecks: 15 November 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Aunt Bergit | United States | The 38-foot (11.6 m) fishing vessel was destroyed by fire off Hinchinbrook Island off the south-central coast of Alaska. Her crew of three survived. |

### 26 November

List of shipwrecks: 26 November 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Franz Hals | Russia | Franz Hals The factory ship was driven ashore at Biarritz, France. She was refloated on 21 December. |
| Tamra Dawn | United States | The 29-foot (8.8 m) sea cucumber and sea urchin dive boat sank off Dall Head (55°08′N 131°45′W﻿ / ﻿55.133°N 131.750°W﻿ / 55.133; -131.750﻿ (Dall Head)) southwest of Ketchikan in Southeast Alaska during a diving expedition for sea cucumbers. Her entire crew of three perished. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lene Marie | Denmark | The ketch was abandoned in a storm in the North Atlantic. |

## December
### 2 December

List of shipwrecks: 2 December 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Billy B | United States | The 30-foot (9.1 m) fishing vessel was swamped in the surf and sank off Warren Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska near Klawock, Alaska. Her crew of two survived. |

### 3 December

List of shipwrecks: 3 December 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Deann | United States | The 25-foot (7.6 m) fishing vessel sank off Fish Egg Island (55°29′20″N 133°10′15″W﻿ / ﻿55.48889°N 133.17083°W﻿ / 55.48889; -133.17083﻿ (Fish Egg Island)) in Southeast Alaska. All three people aboard survived. |

### 5 December

List of shipwrecks: 5 December 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| El Dan | United States | The 61.3-foot (18.7 m) crab-fishing vessel capsized and sank in Portage Bay (57°34′05″N 156°02′15″W﻿ / ﻿57.56806°N 156.03750°W﻿ / 57.56806; -156.03750﻿ (Portage Bay)) on the south coast of the Alaska Peninsula just west of Kanatak, Alaska, during a storm. Wearing survival suits, her crew of five abandoned ship in a life raft and was rescued. |

### 9 December

List of shipwrecks: 9 December 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Alexandria | United States | The schooner sank in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. |

### 12 December

List of shipwrecks: 12 December 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Oceanic | United States | The 48-foot (14.6 m) shrimp-fishing vessel sank with the loss of one life in the Gulf of Alaska 23 nautical miles (43 km; 26 mi) southwest of Craig, Alaska. There were two survivors. |

### 14 December

List of shipwrecks: 14 December 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Makani Kanalio | United States | The 39-foot (11.9 m) fishing vessel burned and sank at Unalaska, Alaska. The only person aboard survived. |

### 25 December

List of shipwrecks: 25 December 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| F174 | | The wooden ship sank overnight 19 nautical miles (35 km; 22 mi) from Portopalo di Capo Passero, Sicily, Italy, while transporting illegal immigrants to Italy after either breaking up in stormy weather or colliding with the cargo ship Iohan El Hallal ( Malta), killing at least 283 people. |

### 30 December

List of shipwrecks: 30 December 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| 270 unidentified boats | United States | A snowy Pacific Northwest windstorm caused the roof collapse of 17 of the 19 structures at the Edmonds, Washington, marina, sinking 270 boats out of the 400 moored at the marina. |

## Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1996 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Dystos | Greece | Sank with some loss of life. |
| Mr. J | United States | The crab processor – a former PCE-842-class patrol craft and auxiliary minelayer – was towed out into the Pacific Ocean and scuttled sometime in the 1990s. |
| SLNS P-225 | Sri Lanka Navy | Sri Lankan Civil War: The patrol boat was sunk by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sometime in 1996. |
| Unidentified barge | United States | The retired 80-foot (24.4 m) steel-hulled barge 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. |