# List of shipwrecks in 1979

The list of shipwrecks in 1979 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1979.
table of contents :
| ← 1978 1979 1980 → ||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr |
| May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
| Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Unknown date ||||
| References ||||

## January
### 1 January

List of shipwrecks: 1 January 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ocean Cape | United States | The 80-foot (24.4 m) crab-fishing vessel sank in the Gulf of Alaska approximately 22 nautical miles (41 km; 25 mi) from Cape Fairweather (58°48′30″N 137°56′45″W﻿ / ﻿58.80833°N 137.94583°W﻿ / 58.80833; -137.94583﻿ (Cape Fairweather)) on the south-central coast of Alaska. The tug Stalwart ( United States) rescued her four survivors from a life raft on 5 January. |

### 6 January

List of shipwrecks: 6 January 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Two unidentified warships | Khmer Rouge | Battle of Ream: The warships were sunk by the corvettes HQ-05 and HQ-07 (both Vietnam People's Navy). |

### 7 January

List of shipwrecks: 6 January 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Unidentified warship | Khmer Rouge | Battle of Ream: The warship was sunk by the patrol boats T-208 and T-215 (both Vietnam People's Navy). |

### 8 January

List of shipwrecks: 8 January 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Betelgeuse | France | The tanker exploded and sank in Bantry Bay, Ireland, with the loss of 50 lives. |

### 10 January

List of shipwrecks: 10 January 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Two unidentified warships | Khmer Rouge | The warships were sunk by the corvette Pham Ngu Lao and the patrol boats HQ-03, T-197, T-199, T-203 and T-205 (all Vietnam People's Navy) off Ream, Cambodia. |

### 19 January

List of shipwrecks: 19 January 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Glacier Queen | United States | The floating hotel's wreck – refloated after sinking at anchor in November 1978 in Seldovia Bay (59°25′39″N 151°43′30″W﻿ / ﻿59.4274°N 151.7249°W﻿ / 59.4274; -151.7249﻿ (Seldovia Bay)) in Cook Inlet on the south-central coast of Alaska – was scuttled in 12,000 feet (3,700 m) of water in the Gulf of Alaska 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) west of Cape Saint Elias on the southwestern tip of Alaska's Kayak Island after being towed out to sea by the salvage tug Salvage Chief ( United States). |

## February
### 6 February

List of shipwrecks: 6 February 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Edna B | United States | The crab-fishing vessel was destroyed by fire in the Gulf of Alaska 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) south of Seward, Alaska. Her crew of four reached a cabin on the south-central coast of Alaska on the shore of Driftwood Bay (59°56′N 149°13′W﻿ / ﻿59.933°N 149.217°W﻿ / 59.933; -149.217﻿ (Driftwood Bay)), where one of them died. The cutter USCGC Cape Jellison ( United States Coast Guard) rescued the three survivors on 11 February. |

### 14 February

List of shipwrecks: 14 February 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| François Vieljeux | France | The container ship foundered in rough seas 45 nautical miles (83 km) south west of Cape Finisterre with the loss of 23 lives. |
| Home | United States | The 33-foot (10.1 m) sailboat was wrecked on the southern tip of Long Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska southwest of Ketchikan, Alaska. The family of four on board survived on shore in the wilderness for over a month, suffering severe frostbite and hypothermia, before being rescued. |
| Revi | Panama | She foundered 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km) (53°39′N 0°23′E﻿ / ﻿53.650°N 0.383°E﻿ / 53.650; 0.383) off the Humber Lightship ( United Kingdom). |

### 19 February

List of shipwrecks: 19 February 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Renown | United States | The 86-foot (26.2 m) crab-fishing vessel burned and sank without loss of life in the Gulf of Alaska approximately 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) south-southeast of Sitkinak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago. |

### 28 February

List of shipwrecks: 28 February 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Alaska Roughneck | United States | The 198-gross register ton, 113.5-foot (34.6 m) or 130-foot (39.6 m) landing craft ran aground and sank near King Cove, Alaska, with the loss of two lives. The fishing vessel Seven Seas ( United States) rescued her two survivors. |
| Sirius | United States | The 72-foot (21.9 m) crab-fishing vessel ran aground on Douglas Reef (58°45′45″N 153°16′00″W﻿ / ﻿58.76250°N 153.26667°W﻿ / 58.76250; -153.26667﻿ (Douglas Reef)) north of Kodiak, Alaska, and was pounded to pieces by the surf. The crab-fishing vessel Polar Star ( United States) rescued her entire crew of six. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date February 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Unnamed drydock barge | United States | The retired 100-foot (30.5 m) drydock barge 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 75 feet (23 m) of water at 40°07.759′N 073°56.384′W﻿ / ﻿40.129317°N 73.939733°W﻿ / 40.129317; -73.939733﻿ (Drydock barge). Her wreck subsequently was pulverized by a large load of concrete dumped on top of it. |

## March
### 7 March

List of shipwrecks: 7 March 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| HDMS Fyen | Royal Danish Navy | The minelayer ran aground off Toftøya, Norway and was damaged. Subsequently repaired and returned to service. |

### 10 March

List of shipwrecks: 10 March 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Unknown cargo ship | Egypt | The cargo ship was sunk at Hodeidah by Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 aircraft of the South Yemen Air Force. |

### 15 March

List of shipwrecks: 15 March 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Kurdistan | Liberia | The tanker struck ice in the Cabot Strait which fractured her hull. She subsequently broke in two during a gale. Her crew were rescued by CCGS Sir William Alexander ( Canadian Coast Guard). The bow section was sunk on 1 April by HMCS Margaree ( Maritime Command); the stern section was towed to a European port where a new bow was constructed. She was returned to service. |

### 16 March

List of shipwrecks: 16 March 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Pacific Pride | United States | The 80-foot (24.4 m) fishing vessel was destroyed by fire off Harvester Island (57°39′N 154°00′W﻿ / ﻿57.650°N 154.000°W﻿ / 57.650; -154.000﻿ (Harvester Island)) in Uyak Bay on the coast of Kodiak Island. The fishing vessel Cougar ( United States) rescued her entire crew of four. |

### 29 March

List of shipwrecks: 29 March 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USCGC Cuyahoga | United States Coast Guard | The wreck of the cutter – sunk in a collision on 20 October 1978 and later refloated – was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) off the Virginia Capes to form an artificial reef. |

### 30 March

List of shipwrecks: 30 March 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Angelina Lauro | Italy | The vessel caught fire at Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands and sank. Refloated on 2 July. |

## April
### 7 April

List of shipwrecks: 7 April 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| City of Seattle | United States | The 84-foot (25.6 m) crab fishing-fishing vessel sank in the Gulf of Alaska 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) south of Yakutat, Alaska. The United States Coast Guard rescued everyone on board. |

### 18 April

List of shipwrecks: 18 April 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Joann | United States | The 86-foot (26.2 m) vessel sank off Alaska. The vessel Yankee Clipper ( United States) rescued her crew. |

### 27 April

List of shipwrecks: 27 April :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Tarek | Cyprus | Lebanese Civil War: The coaster was sunk by limpet mines while at anchor off Tyre, Lebanon. |

### 28 April

List of shipwrecks: 28 April 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Gino | Liberia | The tanker collided with Team Castor ( Norway) and sank in the English Channel. All crew rescued by a Soviet merchant ship. |

## May
### 13 May

List of shipwrecks: 13 May 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| R. B. Hendrickson | United States | The fishing vessel ran aground and sank. |

### 16 May

List of shipwrecks: 16 May 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Zerstörer 1 | German Navy | The decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Mediterranean Sea by a torpedo fired by the submarine U-29 ( German Navy). |

### 17 May

List of shipwrecks: 17 May 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| HMAS Air Sprite | Royal Australian Navy | The decommissioned air-sea rescue vessel was sunk as a target by a RIM-24 Tartar missile fired by the guided-missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane ( Royal Australian Navy). |

### 20 May

List of shipwrecks: 20 May 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Charlotte B | United States | The 80-foot (24.4 m) crab-fishing vessel sank in 27 feet (8.2 m) of water while docked in the small boat harbor at Kodiak, Alaska, pulling some of the dock under with her. She was refloated and scuttled at sea on 13 June. |

### 26 May

List of shipwrecks: 26 May 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Pillar Cape | United States | While returning from Togiak to Cold Bay, Alaska, the 32-foot (9.8 m) seiner sank off Cold Bay. |

## June
### 12 June

List of shipwrecks: 12 June 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Restless C | United States | The 52-foot (15.8 m) fishing vessel capsized and sank in Hallo Bay on the south coast of the Alaska Peninsula in Alaska, perhaps after colliding with another vessel. Two of her four crewmen were lost; the other two were rescued by the vessel Awtam ( United States) |
| Spirit | United States | The 50-foot (15.2 m) fishing vessel capsized and sank without loss of life in the Gulf of Alaska approximately 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) north of the Barren Islands (58°57′N 152°15′W﻿ / ﻿58.950°N 152.250°W﻿ / 58.950; -152.250﻿ (Barren Islands)) off the south-central coast of Alaska. |

### 13 June

List of shipwrecks: 13 June 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Charlotte B | United States | After sinking on 20 May at her dock in the small boat harbor at Kodiak, Alaska, the 80-foot (24.4 m) crab-fishing vessel was refloated, towed out to sea, and scuttled in the Gulf of Alaska. |

### 18 June

List of shipwrecks: 18 June 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Regal Sword | Liberia | Carrying a cargo of scrap iron, the bulk carrier sank very quickly in 275 feet (84 m) of water in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Cod, 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) southeast of Chatham, Massachusetts, at 41°28′N 069°22′W﻿ / ﻿41.467°N 69.367°W﻿ / 41.467; -69.367﻿ (Regal Sword) after colliding in fog with the tanker Exxon Chester ( United States). Her entire crew of 38 abandoned ship in her lifeboats and was rescued by Exxon Chester. |

### 21 June

List of shipwrecks: 21 June 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Petro Bouscat | Senegal | The vessel was stranded in the Sanaga River (3°29′N 9°44′E﻿ / ﻿3.483°N 9.733°E﻿ / 3.483; 9.733) and abandoned as a constructive total loss. |

### 26 June

List of shipwrecks: 26 June 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lady Fame | United States | A storm destroyed the motor vessel off the south-central coast of Alaska near Cordova. |

### 30 June

List of shipwrecks: 21 June 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bunga Kenanga | Malaysia | The ship ran aground in the Kori Creek, India and was abandoned. |

## July
### 1 July

List of shipwrecks: 1 July 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Seasprite | Greece | The cargo ship ran aground in Kori Creek, in the Gulf of Kutch and was a total loss. |

### 3 July

List of shipwrecks: 3 July 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Kairali | India | The bulk carrier disappeared in the Arabian Sea about 500 nautical miles (930 km) west of Margao, India, after sending a final radio message on this date. |

### 4 July

List of shipwrecks: 4 July 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Brown Bear | United States | The 86-foot (26.2 m) fish tender burned and sank in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) south of Glacier Island (60°53′N 147°11′W﻿ / ﻿60.883°N 147.183°W﻿ / 60.883; -147.183﻿ (Glacier Island)). The vessels Glacier Queen and Lulubell (both United States) rescued all five people aboard. |

### 5 July

List of shipwrecks: 5 July 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Hokuto Maru No. 5 | Japan | The fishing vessel sank in the Bering Sea southwest of Saint Paul Island with the loss of six lives after colliding with the fish processing vessel Tsuda Maru ( Japan). The United States Coast Guard rescued 20 survivors from both vessels. |

### 19 July

List of shipwrecks: 19 July 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Atlantic Empress | Greece | Collided with Aegean Captain ( Greece) off Trinidad and Tobago, causing a large oil spill. |
| USS Tiru | United States Navy | The decommissioned Balao-class submarine was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean 200 nautical miles (370 km) off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at 36°N 73°W﻿ / ﻿36°N 73°W﻿ / 36; -73﻿ ("USS Tiru (SS-416)") by the submarine USS Silversides ( United States Navy). |

### 24 July

List of shipwrecks: 24 July 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bev Ann | United States | The motor vessel sank in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska. |

## August
### 3 August

List of shipwrecks: 3 August 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Atlantic Empress | Greece | Sank in deep water following damage sustained in collision on 19 July. |

### 5 August

List of shipwrecks: 5 August 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Blue Pacific | United States | The 98-foot (29.9 m) crab-fishing vessel ran aground in Izhut Bay (58°11′N 152°15′W﻿ / ﻿58.183°N 152.250°W﻿ / 58.183; -152.250﻿ (Izhut Bay)) on the coast of Afognak Island in Alaska's Kodiak Archipelago and was destroyed by the surf. Her crew survived. |

### 13–14 August

List of shipwrecks: 11–15 August 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Charioteer | United Kingdom | 1979 Fastnet race: The sailing yacht sank in a storm during the race from Cowes, England, to Fastnet Rock south of Ireland to Plymouth, England. |
| Gringo | | 1979 Fastnet race: The sailing yacht was abandoned and presumably sank in a storm during the race from Cowes, England, to Fastnet Rock south of Ireland to Plymouth, England. |
| Magic | United Kingdom | 1979 Fastnet race: The sailing yacht sank in a storm during the race from Cowes, England, to Fastnet Rock south of Ireland to Plymouth, England. |
| Polar Bear | United Kingdom | 1979 Fastnet race: The sailing yacht sank in a storm during the race from Cowes, England, to Fastnet Rock south of Ireland to Plymouth, England. |

### 26 August

List of shipwrecks: 26 August 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Quebecois | Canada | The lake freighter ran aground on a mud bank at the entrance to Lake St. Clair due to an electronic malfunction. The vessel was freed after nine hours without suffering significant damage. |

### 27 August

List of shipwrecks: 27 August 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Shadow V | United Kingdom | The Troubles: The fishing boat was destroyed off Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ireland, by a bomb planted by the Provisional IRA. Lord Mountbatten of Burma and three other people died in the blast. |

### 31 August

List of shipwrecks: 31 August 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Almirante Juan Alejandro Acosta | Dominican Navy | The Admiral Juan Alejandro Acosta-class patrol frigate ran aground and was wrecked in the Dominican Republic. |

## September
### 6 September

List of shipwrecks: 6 September 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Scotia Bay | Canada | The ship capsized and sank while overladen, after hauling in a large load of fish. The crew survived. |

### 14 September

List of shipwrecks: 14 September 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Yakutat | United States | The barge dragged her anchor in the Kaliakh River, was swamped, and sank north of the river and west of Cape Yakataga, Alaska. Two men on board were swept overboard and died; a 15-year-old girl survived by clinging to wreckage in the water all night and swimming to shore in the morning. |

### 19 September

List of shipwrecks: 19 September 1927 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Austri | Norway | The roll-on/roll-off cargo ship capsized in stormy weather in the Sognefjord and drifted ashore at Byrknesøyna, Norway. Of the nine-man crew, five were lost, while four were rescued by local boats. |

### 21 September

List of shipwrecks: 21 September 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| HDMS Spækhuggeren | Royal Danish Navy | The Delfinen-class submarine capsized at Copenhagen. Subsequently repaired and returned to service. |

### 23 September

List of shipwrecks: 23 September 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Transilvania | Romania | The passenger ship capsized at Galaţi. She was declared a constructive total loss. |

### 24 September

List of shipwrecks: 24 September 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Angelina Lauro | Italy | The retired passenger liner sank in the Pacific Ocean while under tow to shipbreakers in Taiwan |

### 29 September

List of shipwrecks: 29 September 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| HDMS Springeren | Royal Danish Navy | The Delfinen-class submarine partly sank at Copenhagen. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date September 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Ozark | United States Navy | USS Ozark agroundThe decommissioned mine countermeasures support ship, serving as a target ship, was driven aground near Perdido Key, Florida, in Hurricane Frederic. She was salvaged and returned to service as a target ship. |

## October
### 6 October

List of shipwrecks: 6 October 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Harder | United States | The 48-foot (14.6 m) vessel sank near Kodiak, Alaska. The charter vessel Ten Bears ( United States) rescued her crew. |

### 8 October

List of shipwrecks: 9 October 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Angel Marie | United States | The shrimp-fishing vessel was blown onto rocks in Chugach Bay (59°11′N 151°34′W﻿ / ﻿59.183°N 151.567°W﻿ / 59.183; -151.567﻿ (Chugach Bay)) on south coast of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula and broke up in the surf. Her crew of two survived. |

### 12 October

List of shipwrecks: 12 October 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Alfred A. Cunningham | United States Navy | The decommissioned Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer was sunk as a target by five laser-guided bombs in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California. |

### 13 October

List of shipwrecks: 13 October 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lady Sarah | United States | The 86-foot (26.2 m) fishing vessel sank in the Bering Sea near Akutan Island in the Aleutian Islands. The fishing vessels Sea Wolf and Ocean Leader (both United States) rescued her crew. |

## November
### 4 November

List of shipwrecks: 4 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Aeolian Sky | Greece | The ship sank off St Aldhelm's Head after collision with Anna Knueppell ( West Germany) the previous day. |

### 6 November

List of shipwrecks: 6 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Pool Fisher | United Kingdom | The ship sank off the Isle of Wight. Thirteen of the fifteen on board were killed. |

### 8 November

List of shipwrecks: 8 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ryoto Maru No. 2 | Japan | During a storm, the factory trawler was wrecked without loss of life in Village Cove (57°07′31″N 170°17′07″W﻿ / ﻿57.12531°N 170.28517°W﻿ / 57.12531; -170.28517﻿ (Village Cove)) near Tolstoi Point (57°07′40″N 170°16′40″W﻿ / ﻿57.12778°N 170.27778°W﻿ / 57.12778; -170.27778﻿ (Tolstoi Point)) on Saint Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands. A United States Navy explosive ordnance disposal detachment and United States Coast Guard personnel later demolished the wreck with explosives and thermite grenades as part of a post-wreck clean-up. |

### 10 November

List of shipwrecks: 10 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| The Showboat Mayflower | United States | The former sidewheel paddle steamer — formerly the 184-foot (56 m), 728-gross register ton passenger ship and excursion steamer Mayflower, aground since the 1940s on Nantasket Beach at Hull, Massachusetts, to serve as the nightclub "The Showboat Mayflower" — was destroyed by fire. |

### 14 November

List of shipwrecks: 14 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| El Lobo del Mar | United States | The motor vessel sank off Juneau, Alaska. |
| Pelican | United States | The barge ran aground in Chichagof Bay (55°01′30″N 131°58′50″W﻿ / ﻿55.02500°N 131.98056°W﻿ / 55.02500; -131.98056﻿ (Chichagof Bay)) on the southeast coast of Prince of Wales Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. She later broke up during a storm. |

### 15 November

List of shipwrecks: 15 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Independenţa | Romania | The crude oil tanker collided with the motor vessel Evriali ( Greece) and sank with the loss of 43 crew. |

### 23 November

List of shipwrecks: 23 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Hellion | United States | The 38-gross register ton, 59-foot (18.0 m) crab-fishing vessel disappeared during a storm near Dutch Harbor, Alaska, with the loss of her entire crew of three. |

### 24 November

List of shipwrecks: 24 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ocean Pride | United States | The fishing vessel sank in the Bering Sea. |

### 30 November

List of shipwrecks: 30 November 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Daylight | United States | The 37-foot (11.3 m) troller was blown onto rocks, capsized, and sank in a gale in Seven Fathom Bay (56°47′30″N 135°18′45″W﻿ / ﻿56.79167°N 135.31250°W﻿ / 56.79167; -135.31250﻿ (Seven Fathom Bay)) in Southeast Alaska 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi) south of Sitka, Alaska. A United States Coast Guard helicopter rescued the two men aboard. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Berge Vanga | Liberia | The ship sank in the South Atlantic with the loss of all 40 crew. |
| Jayawang | Singapore | The vessel sank off Bangkok, Thailand. |

## December
### 1 December

List of shipwrecks: 1 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Nickel Ferry | Panama | Caught fire at La Unión, El Salvador and declared an irrecoverable total wreck. |

### 5 December

List of shipwrecks: 5 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Salinta | Canada | The badly damaged 33-foot (10.1 m) gillnet fishing vessel was found washed ashore at Tree Point (54°48′15″N 130°55′45″W﻿ / ﻿54.80417°N 130.92917°W﻿ / 54.80417; -130.92917﻿ (Tree Point)) in Southeast Alaska. She had departed Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, on 2 December for a day trip to Portland Inlet on the coast of British Columbia, but had not returned. All three adults (a man and two women) and seven children (three boys and four girls) on board were lost. |

### 6 December

List of shipwrecks: 6 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Malmi | | The cargo ship capsized and sank in the Baltic Sea 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi) northeast of Gotska Sandön after her cargo shifted in heavy weather. |
| Norrona | United States | The herring packing vessel heeled over and sank in a few minutes after her stern became submerged in heavy seas 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) off North Cape (56°35′45″N 135°08′15″W﻿ / ﻿56.59583°N 135.13750°W﻿ / 56.59583; -135.13750﻿ (North Cape)) near Whale Bay (56°37′09″N 135°00′00″W﻿ / ﻿56.6192°N 135.0000°W﻿ / 56.6192; -135.0000﻿ (Whale Bay)) on the southwest coast of Baranof Island in the northern Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. The fishing vessel Lazaria ( United States) rescued her entire crew of three. |

### 14 December

List of shipwrecks: 14 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Caroline of Leigh | United Kingdom | The Moody 36 yacht sank three miles (4.8 km) off Lulworth, Dorset while heading for Bordeaux, France with the loss of four lives. |

### 16 December

List of shipwrecks: 16 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Heye P | West Germany | The vessel was driven ashore in a gale at Prawle Point, Devon, United Kingdom and wrecked. |

### 18 December

List of shipwrecks: 18 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Columbia | United States | The 105-foot (32.0 m) vessel sank at Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands with the loss of one life. |

### 19 December

List of shipwrecks: 19 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Arctic Wind | United States | The 117-foot (35.7 m) fishing vessel sank in Kalekta Bay (53°58′41″N 166°19′45″W﻿ / ﻿53.9780°N 166.3292°W﻿ / 53.9780; -166.3292﻿ (Kalekta Bay)) on coast of Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Islands. She was salvaged in June 1980, repaired, and returned to service. |
| Rough Draft | United States | The fishing vessel was wrecked in Southeast Alaska in the vicinity of Inian Island (58°15′N 136°19′W﻿ / ﻿58.250°N 136.317°W﻿ / 58.250; -136.317﻿ (Inian Island)) near Elfin Cove, Alaska. Both members of her crew perished. |

### 20 December

List of shipwrecks: 20 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ulysses | Panama | The coaster was driven ashore near Naples, Italy. She was a total loss. |

### 24 December

List of shipwrecks: 24 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| E. M. Ford | USA | The 428-foot (130.5 m) cement carrier broke free from her mooring lines and sank after striking a dock in Milwaukee, she was raised and returned to service. |

### 25 December

List of shipwrecks: 25 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lee Wang Zin | Panama | After departing Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, with a cargo of 30,000 tons of Bleached Kraft Pulp and a Taiwanese crew of 30 aboard, the 741-foot (225.9 m) bulk carrier capsized with the loss of all hands in a storm in Dixon Entrance on the Canada-United States border between British Columbia and Alaska, possibly after running aground on Celestial Reef. Her overturned hull drifted 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) and ran aground in Kendrick Bay (54°52′27″N 132°00′36″W﻿ / ﻿54.8741667°N 132.01°W﻿ / 54.8741667; -132.01﻿ (Kendrick Bay)) on Prince of Wales Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska on 27 December. The United States Coast Guard later attempted to tow her out to sea and scuttle her in deep water, but the towline broke 9 miles (14 km) south of Forrester Island and she sank in 1,000 feet (300 m) of water. |

### 26 December

List of shipwrecks: 26 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lindblad Explorer | Panama | The cruise ship ran aground off Wiencke Island, Antarctica. Later refloated and returned to service. |

### 30 December

List of shipwrecks: 30 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Leschi | United States | The fish processing vessel – a retired Washington sternwheel steam paddle ferry – sank in shallow water in Shotgun Cove (60°48′05″N 148°32′30″W﻿ / ﻿60.80139°N 148.54167°W﻿ / 60.80139; -148.54167﻿ (Shotgun Cove)) in Prince William Sound near Whittier, Alaska. Her wreck became a popular recreational dive site. |

### 31 December

List of shipwrecks: 31 December 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Kowther | Cyprus | The ship, ex Adriatica di Navigazione (Adriatica Line) passenger/cargo ship MV Enotria (1951-1975), broke tow on the way to shipbreakers in Spain running aground at Temistokleas Bay, Piraeus, Greece. |

## Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1979 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Epimonos | Greece | The tanker caught fire off Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France. She was declared a constructive total loss. |
| William R. Farrell | United States | The tug sank in 55 feet (17 m) of water in the North Atlantic Ocean off Harvey Cedars, New Jersey. |