# List of shipwrecks in 1971

The list of shipwrecks in 1971 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1971.
table of contents :
| ← 1970 1971 1972 → ||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr |
| May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
| Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Unknown date ||||
| References ||||

## January
### 7 January

List of shipwrecks: 7 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Kolno | Poland | The cargo ship ran aground off Falsterbo, Sweden, withdrawn from service as a result and converted to a floating boilerhouse. |
| West Shore | Norway | The supply vessel foundered in the North Sea one nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) off the oil rig Ocean Viking. All thirteen crew rescued. |

### 8 January

List of shipwrecks: 8 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Antilles | France | The ocean liner ran aground off Mustique, St Vincent and the Grenadines and caught fire when her fuel tanks ruptured. All passengers and crew took to the lifeboats and were rescued by Queen Elizabeth 2 ( United Kingdom). |

### 10 January

List of shipwrecks: 10 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Vrachos | Panama | The cargo ship caught fire at Galaţi, Romania and was beached in the Sulina Canal. Consequently scrapped. |

### 11 January

List of shipwrecks: 11 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Texaco Caribbean | Panama | It was struck by the 12,000-tonne Paracas ( Peru) at 4:10 in thick fog. Paracas had ignored the shipping lanes so that it could take a quicker route down the channel. Texaco Caribbean exploded from the bunker oil fumes in its hold. It split in two, the bow section sinking immediately, the stern section drifting for several hours before sinking too, resulting in 600 tonnes of bunker fuel being spilled. The incident occurred in the English Channel 13 km (8.1 mi) off Folkestone with the loss of at least eight lives. The explosion was so great that property was damaged in Folkestone. 20 survivors were rescued by Bravagos ( Norway) and the fishing vessel Viking Warrior ( United Kingdom). The survivors were taken to Dover. Paracas was towed to Hamburg. |

### 12 January

List of shipwrecks: 12 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Brandenburg | West Germany | Despite the British coastal authorities placing three vertical green lights on site to warn other ships of the presence of the wreck, the 2,695-ton Brandenburg struck the wreck of Texaco Caribbean ( Peru) at 07:30 and sank within minutes with the loss of 21 lives. Lifeboats did not have time to respond and only 11 survivors were picked out from the water by fishermen. |

### 14 January

List of shipwrecks: 14 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Pasteur | Panama | The Shelt-type coaster sank off the Alida Shoal 00°56′N 107°53′E﻿ / ﻿0.933°N 107.883°E﻿ / 0.933; 107.883 when on a voyage from Sibu, Sarawak to Singapore. She was well off the normal route at the time. |

### 18 January

List of shipwrecks: 18 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Arctic Sea | United States | The crab-fishing vessel was reported aground on Fairmount Island (60°52′20″N 147°26′07″W﻿ / ﻿60.8722°N 147.4353°W﻿ / 60.8722; -147.4353﻿ (Fairmount Island)) on the south-central coast of Alaska. |

### 27 January

List of shipwrecks: 27 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Norland | United States | The fishing vessel ran aground and broke up on Barlow Island (58°23′30″N 134°54′00″W﻿ / ﻿58.39167°N 134.90000°W﻿ / 58.39167; -134.90000﻿ (Barlow Island)) in Southeast Alaska approximately 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi) northwest of Juneau, Alaska. Her entire crew of three survived and was rescued by the buoy tender USCGC Clover ( United States Coast Guard). |

### 28 January

List of shipwrecks: 28 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Hoveringham II | United Kingdom | The dredger sprang a leak, capsized and sank off Puffin Island, Anglesey. Her four crew were rescued by the Holyhead Lifeboat. |

### 31 January

List of shipwrecks: 31 January 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Princess Margarethe | Denmark | The ferry ran aground off the Kullen Lighthouse, Sweden. All on board rescued by Kärmen ( Denmark). |

## February
### 3 February

List of shipwrecks: 3 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Decora | United States | The fishing vessel sank after striking Colorado Reef (56°38′20″N 132°56′10″W﻿ / ﻿56.63889°N 132.93611°W﻿ / 56.63889; -132.93611﻿ (Colorado Reef)) in Wrangell Narrows in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. The cutter USCGC Cape Henlopen ( United States Coast Guard) rescued her entire crew of five. |

### 6 February

List of shipwrecks: 6 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Byzantium | Cyprus | The ship caught fire at Gibraltar, with its bridge deck and accommodation gutted. Repairs were deemed uneconomic and the ship was scrapped later in the year. |

### 10 February

List of shipwrecks: 10 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Aguedal | Italy | The cargo ship ran aground 15 nautical miles (28 km) off the coast of Libya. |

### 11 February

List of shipwrecks: 11 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Aragon | Cyprus | The Liberty ship Collided with the tanker Hydrophane ( Bulgaria) in the Strait of Dover (51°10′N 1°36′E﻿ / ﻿51.167°N 1.600°E﻿ / 51.167; 1.600). Aragon was Cuba to Rostock, East Germany. Declared uneconomic to repair, she was scrapped March. |

### 13 February

List of shipwrecks: 13 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Velta | Costa Rica | The cargo ship sprang a leak and sank in the Atlantic Ocean 200 nautical miles (370 km) south east of the Azores (32°07′N 23°26′W﻿ / ﻿32.117°N 23.433°W﻿ / 32.117; -23.433). She was on a voyage from Macapá, Brazil to Bilbao, Spain. |

### 18 February

List of shipwrecks: 18 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Achillet | Lebanon | The cargo ship sprang a leak and was abandoned 300 nautical miles (560 km) south west of Walvis Bay, South West Africa . She was on a voyage from Sfax, Morocco to Madras, Indial She foundered on 25 February at 19°00′S 10°19′E﻿ / ﻿19.000°S 10.317°E﻿ / -19.000; 10.317. |

### 22 February

List of shipwrecks: 22 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Endeavour II | New Zealand | The three-masted auxiliary barque was driven ashore in Parengarenga Harbour, a few miles south of North Cape. She was en route to New Zealand from Australia, and after being becalmed encountered a gale on rounding North Cape and failed to make Houhora Harbour. The crew of 13 men and one woman landed safely, there were no fatalities. She was the first square-rigged sailing vessel wrecked on the New Zealand coast for more than 50 years. Endeavour II had taken part in the 1970 bi-centenary re-enactment of James Cook's landing at Botany Bay, Sydney on 29 April 1970. |
| Ocean Castle | United States | The fishing vessel sank in the Gulf of Alaska near 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 after colliding with the tanker Hawaiian Standard (flag unknown). Hawaiian Standard rescued her crew of four. |

### 26 February

List of shipwrecks: 26 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Wafra | Liberia | The tanker ran aground at Cape Agulhas, South Africa. |

### 27 February

List of shipwrecks: 27 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Niki | Greece | A light ship and five light buoys were added above the site of the wreck of Texaco Caribbean ( Peru) by Trinity House. However, the ship Niki, sailing out of Dunkirk, ignored these and additional warnings of the nearby tanker Hebris. As observed by Hebris, Niki hit the submerged wreck(s) at approximately 8.16 pm and sank with the loss of all 21 crew and 1 passenger (the chief engineer's wife) before Hebris could perform a rescue of the men that had been observed in the water. Ten bodies were subsequently recovered. |
| Esso Antwerp | Belgium | The ship collided with Panachaikon ( Liberia) and sank in the River Scheldt. Later raised, repaired and returned to service. |

### 28 February

List of shipwrecks: 28 February 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Maureen Greer | United States | The crab-fishing vessel sank at the entrance to Uganik Bay (57°50′N 153°32′W﻿ / ﻿57.833°N 153.533°W﻿ / 57.833; -153.533﻿ (Uganik Bay)) on the coast of Kodiak Island in Alaska. Her crew of three survived. |

## March
### 1 March

List of shipwrecks: 1 March 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Reuben James | United States Navy | The decommissioned Buckley-class destroyer escort was sunk as a target. |

### 2 March

List of shipwrecks: 2 March 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Trinity Navigator | Sweden | The tanker ran aground off Berry Head, Devon, United Kingdom. |

### 3 March

List of shipwrecks: 3 March 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Henna | Panama | The bulk carrier sprang a leak and foundered in the Indian Ocean (34°57′S 72°08′E﻿ / ﻿34.950°S 72.133°E﻿ / -34.950; 72.133). Her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Bunbury, Western Australia to Savannah, Georgia, United States. |

### 4 March

List of shipwrecks: 4 March 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Angela | United States | Carrying a cargo of powdered cement, the 420-foot (130 m), 8,512-gross register ton barge broke her towline during a storm and was wrecked on Old Cock Ledge, a reef off Westport, Massachusetts. She sank in waters up to 35 feet (11 m) deep, becoming partially submerged. |
| USS Gregory | United States Navy | The decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer was deliberately run aground on San Clemente Island off Southern California for use as a target. |

### 12 March

List of shipwrecks: 12 March 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Wafra | Liberia | The tanker was towed out to sea and sunk by bombing from South African Air Force aircraft. |

### 28 March

List of shipwrecks: 28 March 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Texaco Oklahoma | United States | The tanker broke in two on 27 March and foundered on 28 March, 100 miles (160 km) due east of Sandbridge off Virginia with the loss of 33 of her 44 crew. |

### 30 March

List of shipwrecks: 30 March 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Panther | Liberia | The tanker ran aground on the Goodwin Sands, off the coast of Kent, United Kingdom. She was refloated on 4 April. |

### 31 March

List of shipwrecks: 31 March 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Christos | Liberia | The cargo ship ran aground on Kandeliusa Island, Kos, Greece. She was refloated on 1 April but developed leaks and sank later the same day. |

## April
### 1 April

List of shipwrecks: 1 April 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Christos | Liberia | Aground on Kandeliusa Island, Kos, Greece, since 31 March, the cargo ship was refloated but developed leaks and sank at 36°32′N 26°57′E﻿ / ﻿36.533°N 26.950°E﻿ / 36.533; 26.950. |

### 12 April

List of shipwrecks: 12 April 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Adak | United States | The motor vessel sank near Eliza Harbor (57°09′N 134°17′W﻿ / ﻿57.150°N 134.283°W﻿ / 57.150; -134.283﻿ (Eliza Harbor)) on the coast of Admiralty Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. |

### 15 April

List of shipwrecks: 15 April 1956 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lynda K | United States | The fishing vessel was lost in the Gulf of Alaska somewhere between Homer and Seward, Alaska. |

### 20 April

List of shipwrecks: 20 April 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Cohansey | Panama | The T2 tanker collided with Marimunda ( Sweden) off Pladju, Indonesia. Arrested and laid up at Singapore, she was scrapped in 1973. |

### 21 April

List of shipwrecks: 21 April 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Stork | Royal Navy | The Troubles: The survey launch, attached to the survey ship HMS Hecate ( Royal Navy), was towed out to sea, bombed, and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Baltimore, Ireland, by a Provisional Irish Republican Army unit. |

### 26 April

List of shipwrecks: 26 April 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ostrich | Provisional Government of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini | Bangladesh Liberation War: The ship was sunk by Pakistan Air Force F-86 Sabre aircraft. |

### 27 April

List of shipwrecks: 27 April 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Kiejak | United States | The fishing vessel flooded, ran aground, and was lost in Dry Bay (59°08′N 138°25′W﻿ / ﻿59.133°N 138.417°W﻿ / 59.133; -138.417﻿ (Dry Bay)) on the south-central coast of Alaska. Her crew of four survived. |

### 28 April

List of shipwrecks: 28 April 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Whitehurst | United States Navy | USS Whitehurst sinking The Buckley-class destroyer escort was sunk as a torpedo target in the Pacific Ocean off the United States West Coast by the submarine USS Trigger ( United States Navy). |

### 30 April

List of shipwrecks: 30 April 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Pacific | United States | Carrying a cargo of heavy construction equipment, the motor vessel sank in Portage Bay on the coast of Alaska. Reports of the sinking do not indicate in which of several Alaskan bodies of water named "Portage Bay" the sinking took place. |

## May
### 2 May

List of shipwrecks: 2 May 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Tongass | United States | The fishing vessel ran aground and sank at the south end of Baranof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. Another fishing vessel rescued all six members of her crew. |

### 15 May

List of shipwrecks: 15 May 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Herulv | Norway | The tanker was involved in a collision off the coast of Kent, United Kingdom and was holed. |

### 17 May

List of shipwrecks: 17 May 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ellinis | Greece | The ocean liner ran aground off Calshot, Hampshire, United Kingdom. She was refloated undamaged after two hours. |

### 20 May

List of shipwrecks: 20 May 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Marjorie H | United States | The 40-gross register ton, 50-foot (15.2 m) halibut-fishing vessel struck a snag and sank off the Kenai Peninsula on the south-central coast of Alaska, 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) west of Resurrection Bay. Her crew of five abandoned ship in a life raft and were rescued by another fishing vessel on 22 May. |

### 31 May

List of shipwrecks: 31 May 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Gyro Jumbo | United States | The fishing vessel sank during a storm with the loss of one life in the Copper River Delta on the south-central coast of Alaska. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: unknown :
| Ship | State | Description |
| ROKS PB 7 | Republic of Korea Navy | The PB 3-class patrol craft was wrecked. |
| Viking L&R | Cayman Islands | The converted yacht foundered in Montego Bay, Jamaica. |

## June
### 1 June

List of shipwrecks: 1 June 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Bugara | United States Navy | The Balao-class submarine sank in the Pacific Ocean off Cape Flattery, Washington while under tow. |

### 2 June

List of shipwrecks: 2 June 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Agulleit | United States | The 23-ton, 54-foot (16.5 m) motor vessel was destroyed by ice at Emmonak, Alaska. |

### 28 June

List of shipwrecks: 28 June 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Husky II | United States | The pilot boat was destroyed by fire approximately 1,000 yards (910 m) off Bethel, Alaska. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date June 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| RPS Batanes | Philippine Navy | The LSM-1-class medium landing ship ran aground. She was decommissioned in 1971 as a result and was scrapped in 1972. |

## July
### 1 July

List of shipwrecks: 1 July 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Clyde Venture | United Kingdom | The coastal tanker sank in the Rothesay Dock, Clydebank due to the actions of vandals. |
| HMS Artemis | Royal Navy | The Amphion-class submarine foundered at her moorings at Gosport, Hampshire. Subsequently raised and sold for scrap. |

### 3 July

List of shipwrecks: 3 July 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Harlequin | United States | The motor vessel sank at Seward, Alaska. |

### 4 July

List of shipwrecks: 4 July 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Koyo Maru | Japan | The coaster collided with another ship and sank off Japan. |
| Naniward Abone | Indonesia | The cargo ship collided with Ocean Prime ( Liberia) and sank off Waikayama, Japan. |
| Rakusui Maru | Japan | The coaster collided with another ship and sank off Waikayama with the loss of eight of her nine crew. |

### 5 July

List of shipwrecks: 5 July 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ocean Glory | Liberia | The cargo ship sprang a leak and foundered in the Bay of Bengal. All crew rescued by Chilka ( United Kingdom). |

### 13 July

List of shipwrecks: 13 July 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Iron Mule | United States | The fishing vessel sank in bad weather in Cook Inlet near Kalgin Island on the south-central coast of Alaska. Two skiffs from a United States Air Force helicopter squadron from Elmendorf Air Force Base rescued all eight people and a spaniel who had been aboard Iron Mule. |

### 15 July

List of shipwrecks: 15 July 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Selamat | Singapore | The coaster was driven ashore on Kalampunian Island, Malaysia and was abandoned by her crew. She was on a voyage from Sandakan to Kuching. She was a total loss. |

### 17 July

List of shipwrecks: 17 July 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Selamat | Singapore | The vessel ran aground at Kalampunian Island, Borneo. The ship was abandoned as a total loss. |

## August
### 5 August

List of shipwrecks: 5 August 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bat Tiran | Israel | The cargo ship suffered an explosion and fire in Greek waters and was beached, a total loss. Palestinians claimed responsibility for the explosion. Later taken to Kartal, Turkey and scrapped. 1 crewman killed. |
| Mania | Liberia | Caught fire off Bari, Italy and abandoned. Beached at Split, Yugoslavia on 8 August. Scrapped in November 1971. |

### 7 August

List of shipwrecks: 7 August 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Stag | United States | The crab-fishing vessel sank in bad weather off Land's End (59°37′N 151°27′W﻿ / ﻿59.617°N 151.450°W﻿ / 59.617; -151.450﻿ (Land's End)) on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. A pleasure craft rescued her entire crew of three. |

### 10 August

List of shipwrecks: 10 August 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Sugi | Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | The decommissioned escort ship — formerly theTacoma-class patrol frigate USS Coronado ( United States Navy) — was sunk as a target by a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ship in the Pacific Ocean south of Nojimazaki, Japan. |

### 16 August

List of shipwrecks: 16 August 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Al-Abbas | Pakistan | Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines at Chittagong. |
| Hormux | Pakistan | Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines at Chittagong. |
| No. 6 | Pakistan | Bangladesh Liberation War: The barge was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines at Chittagong. |

### 17 August

List of shipwrecks: 17 August 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Red Sea | Hong Kong | Typhoon Rose: The cargo ship was driven ashore at Lanatu Island, Hong Kong. Refloated but scrapped the following month. |
| USS Regulus | United States Navy | USS Regulus Typhoon Rose: The Denebola-class stores ship was driven ashore at Kau-i-chau, Hong Kong. Subsequently declared a constructive total loss. |

### 19 August

List of shipwrecks: 19 August 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Billy | Liberia | Typhoon Rose: The cargo ship was driven aground at Hong Kong. Declared a constructive total loss and sold for scrap. |
| HAM 308 | Netherlands | The dredger collided with Polycastle ( Norway) and sank in Jade Bight off Wilhelmshaven, West Germany with the loss of five crew and two other persons. |

### 30 August

List of shipwrecks: 30 August 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Bertha Denz | West Germany | The trawler was in collision with Achatina ( United Kingdom) and sank 25 nautical miles (46 km) west of Heligoland. Two crew rescued by Achatina. |

## September
### 3 September

List of shipwrecks: 3 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Viking King | United States | The 87-foot (27 m) crab fishing vessel sank with the loss of two lives when she was swamped off Akun Island near Unalaska, Alaska. Her two survivors reached shore by clinging to an overturned life raft. |

### 4 September

List of shipwrecks: 4 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ricardo Manuel | Panama | The coaster was cut in two by Zagora ( Morocco) and sunk at entrance to Casablanca harbour, Morocco. Ricardo Manuel was on a voyage from Lisbon, Portugal to Casablanca. |

### 5 September

List of shipwrecks: 5 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Eleni | Greece | The cargo ship collided with Princess Ragnhild ( Norway). Declared uneconomic to repair, scrapped in April 1972 at Santander, Spain. |

### 18 September

List of shipwrecks: 18 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Chubby | United States | The fishing vessel was found adrift near Eldred Rock in Lynn Canal in Southeast Alaska. The only person who had been aboard disappeared without trace. |

### 21 September

List of shipwrecks: 21 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Precious Pearl | Hong Kong | The ship caught fire and sank in the South China Sea. |

### 22 September

List of shipwrecks: 22 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Shapta Dinga | Pakistan | Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines at Chalna. |

### 24 September

List of shipwrecks: 24 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Teviotbank | United Kingdom | The Bank Line cargo ship was damaged by East Bengal guerrillas at Chalna, East Pakistan. |

### 25 September

List of shipwrecks: 25 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Clara J | United States | The motor vessel was destroyed by fire in Hoodoo Bay (60°03′30″N 148°00′30″W﻿ / ﻿60.05833°N 148.00833°W﻿ / 60.05833; -148.00833﻿ (Hoodoo Bay)) in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska. |

### 29 September

List of shipwrecks: 29 September 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Apollo | Cyprus | Stranded four nautical miles (7.4 km) off Skije. |

## October
### 14 October

List of shipwrecks: 14 October 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| London Valour | United Kingdom | The bulk carrier had run aground and broken her back at Genoa in April 1970, but Smit Tak International had refloated the after portion on 12 October 1971 and was towing it to be scuttled on the Balearic Abyssal Plain. About 90 miles (78 nmi; 140 km) out from Genoa the hulk sank in the early hours of 14 October. |

### 15 October

List of shipwrecks: 15 October 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ben Jon | United States | The 25-ton motor vessel sank in Kamishak Bay on the south-central coast of Alaska. |
| Precious Pearl | Singapore | The cargo ship caught fire 150 nautical miles (280 km) east of Hong Kong (22°00′N 116°54′E﻿ / ﻿22.000°N 116.900°E﻿ / 22.000; 116.900). She was taken in tow the next day by the tug Elbe ( Netherlands), but sank on 17 October at 22°16′N 118°07′E﻿ / ﻿22.267°N 118.117°E﻿ / 22.267; 118.117. Precious Pearl was on a voyage from Kaohsiung, South Korea to Saigon, Vietnam. |

### 16 October

List of shipwrecks: 16 October 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Softuk | United States | The motor vessel was found abandoned in Orca Inlet in Prince William Sound on the south-central coast of Alaska. One person aboard her was lost. |

### 18 October

List of shipwrecks: 18 October 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Panaghia | Greece | The coaster sprang a leak 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) south of Cape Gata, Cyprus ande was abandoned the next day. She was taken in tow by Pelas ( Greece) but sank the next day (34°27′N 33°30′E﻿ / ﻿34.450°N 33.500°E﻿ / 34.450; 33.500). Panaghia was on a voyage from "Marina de Caratta" to Beirut, Lebanon. |

### 22 October

List of shipwrecks: 22 October 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Loch Seaforth | United Kingdom | The mailboat ran aground off Skye. All 26 passengers rescued, ship later refloated. |

### 30 October

List of shipwrecks: 30 October 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Nam Sanh | South Vietnam | The coaster was stranded and wrecked at Chu Lai, South Vietnam, during a typhoon. |

## November
### 4 November

List of shipwrecks: 4 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Mahtab Javed II | Pakistan | Bangladesh Liberation War: The tanker was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines near Chittagong. |

### 5 November

List of shipwrecks: 5 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lynda | United States | The fishing vessel was wrecked near Cape Mordvinof (54°56′45″N 164°26′00″W﻿ / ﻿54.94583°N 164.43333°W﻿ / 54.94583; -164.43333﻿ (Cape Mordvinof)) on the northwest coast of Unimak Island in the Aleutian Islands. |

### 8 November

List of shipwrecks: 8 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Saratoga | United States | The fishing vessel was wrecked on rocks near the mouth of Little Tonki Bay (56°20′N 152°04′W﻿ / ﻿56.333°N 152.067°W﻿ / 56.333; -152.067﻿ (Little Tonki Bay)) on Afognak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago in the Gulf of Alaska. All seven men on board reached a rock, where a United States Coast Guard helicopter rescued them. |

### 9 November

List of shipwrecks: 9 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Heythrop | United Kingdom | The OBO carrier exploded and caught fire 150 nautical miles (280 km) East London, South Africa. All on board were rescued by Showa Venture ( Liberia). The captain and five officers later reboarded the ship, which was towed by the tugs Arctic and Statesman to Port Elizabeth. The ship was repaired and returned to service. |
| Maori | France | The cargo ship sank 250 nautical miles (460 km) off the coast of Spain. There was only one survivor of her 39 crew. |

### 14 November

List of shipwrecks: 14 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Samuel B. Roberts | United States Navy | USS Samuel B. Roberts being sunk The decommissioned Gearing-class destroyer was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean 195 nautical miles (361 km) north of Puerto Rico at 21°42.8′N 65°55.1′W﻿ / ﻿21.7133°N 65.9183°W﻿ / 21.7133; -65.9183﻿ ("USS Samuel B. Roberts (DD-823)). |

### 17 November

List of shipwrecks: 17 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Elcano | Spain | The tanker sank off the Cape Verde Islands following an onboard explosion with the loss of four of her 35 crew. |
| Louise II | United States | The seiner ran aground on rocks and broke up in bad weather on Clam Island (55°58′48″N 133°15′30″W﻿ / ﻿55.98000°N 133.25833°W﻿ / 55.98000; -133.25833﻿ (Clam Island)) in Southeast Alaska between Craig and Klawock, Alaska. Her crew of three survived. |

### 22 November

List of shipwrecks: 22 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Astron | United States | After suffering an explosion, the 107-gross register ton, 74.8-foot (22.8 m) fishing vessel was destroyed by fire in the Bering Sea six nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) north of Akutan Island in the Aleutian Islands. Her crew of four abandoned ship in a seven-foot (2.1 m) rubber life raft and was rescued on 25 November by the fishing trawler Chidori Maru No 51 ( Japan) near North Head (54°14′00″N 165°56′00″W﻿ / ﻿54.2333333°N 165.9333333°W﻿ / 54.2333333; -165.9333333﻿ (North Head)) on the coast of Akutan Island. |
| Chrysovalandou | Greece | Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines in the Pussur River. |

### 23 November

List of shipwrecks: 23 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Mastro Stelius | Greece | Bangladesh Liberation War: The cargo ship was sunk by Mukti Bahini frogmen with limpet mines in the Pussur River. |

### 25 November

List of shipwrecks: 25 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Barataria | United States | The 68-foot (20.7 m) tug sank in 136 feet (41 m) of water during a storm in Long Island Sound north-northeast of Southold, Long Island, New York. Two of her four crew members lost their lives. Her sinking was attributed to improper modifications that had been made to her. |

### 30 November

List of shipwrecks: 30 November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Juliana | Liberia | The tanker ran aground off Niigata, Japan and broke in two. |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date November 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| USS Roberts | United States Navy | The decommissioned Cannon-class destroyer escort was sunk as a target. |

## December
### 3 December

List of shipwrecks: 3 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Seven Seas | United States | The fishing vessel disappeared near Kodiak Island off the south-central coast Alaska during a voyage to Wide Bay (57°22′N 156°11′W﻿ / ﻿57.367°N 156.183°W﻿ / 57.367; -156.183﻿ (Wide Bay)) with the loss of all four people on board. |

### 4 December

List of shipwrecks: 4 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| PNS Comilla | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Rajshahi-class patrol craft was sunk by Indian Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft in the Bay of Bengal off Chittagong. |
| PNS Ghazi | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Ghazi-class submarine was sunk in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam, India, by Indian surface ships, or loss by accidental explosion while laying mines, with the loss of her entire crew of 92. |
| PNS Khaibar | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Trident: The Badr-class destroyer was sunk in the Arabian Sea south of Karachi, Pakistan, by two SS-N-2 Styx missiles fired by the missile boat INS Nirghat ( Indian Navy). 289 crewmen killed. |
| PNS Muhafiz | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Trident: The Mahmood-class minesweeper was sunk in the Arabian Sea south of Karachi, Pakistan, by two SS-N-2 Styx missiles fired by the missile boat INS Veer ( Indian Navy). |
| Venus Challenger | Liberia | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Trident: The cargo ship was sunk in the Arabian Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi) south of Karachi, Pakistan, by an SS-N-2 Styx missile fired by the missile boat INS Nipat ( Indian Navy). |

### 5 December

List of shipwrecks: 5 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| PNS Salamat | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The patrol craft was sunk by Breguet Alize aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy) in the Bay of Bengal. |
| PNS Shahbaz | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The patrol craft was sunk by Breguet Alize aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy) in the Bay of Bengal. |

### 6 December

List of shipwrecks: 6 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Lightning | Ethiopia | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian Air Force aircraft at Chulna. |
| Ondarroa | Spain | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian Air Force aircraft at Chulna. |
| Thetic Charley | Greece | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy). |

### 8 December

List of shipwrecks: 8 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Unidentified patrol craft | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: Four patrol craft were sunk by gunfire in the Bay of Bengal by INS Brahmaputra ( Indian Navy). |

### 9 December

List of shipwrecks: 9 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| PNS Balaghat | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The patrol craft was sunk by Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy). |
| Gulf Star | Panama | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Python: The cargo ship was sunk by one SS-N-2 Styx missile fired by the missile boat INS Vinash ( Indian Navy) at Karachi, Pakistan. |
| Harmattan | United Kingdom | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 - Operation Python: The cargo ship was sunk by one SS-N-2 Styx missile fired by the missile boat INS Vinash ( Indian Navy) at Karachi, Pakistan. Seven crew were killed. |
| INS Khukri | Indian Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Khukri-class frigate was torpedoed and sunk in the Arabian Sea 35 nautical miles (65 km) southwest of Diu by PNS Hangor ( Pakistan Navy) with the loss of 194 of her crew. |
| Makran | Pakistan | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft at Chalna, East Pakistan. |
| Mustali | Pakistan | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft in Chalna, East Pakistan. |
| Two unidentified landing craft tank | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The two landing craft tanks were sunk by Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy). |
| Zoe | Greece | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 - Operation Python: The tanker was shelled and set on fire at Karachi, Pakistan. |

### 10 December

List of shipwrecks: 10 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Ocean Enterprise | Pakistan | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian aircraft at Chalna-Mongla East Pakistan. |
| Nordpol/North Pole | Unknown | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk by Indian aircraft at Chalna-Mongla East Pakistan. |
| Padma | Provisional Government of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Ford-class ASW ship was sunk at Kulna on the Pussur River by Indian Air Force Folland Gnat aircraft. 14 survivors of Padma and Palash were rescued by INS Panvel ( Indian Navy). |
| Palash | Provisional Government of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Ford-class ASW ship was sunk at Kulna on the Pussur River by Indian Air Force Folland Gnat aircraft. 14 survivors of Padma and Palash were rescued by INS Panvel ( Indian Navy). |

### 12 December

List of shipwrecks: 12 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Al-Abbas | Pakistan | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk at Chittagong by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft. |
| Anisbaksh | Pakistan | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was sunk at Chittagong by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft. |
| Avlos | Brazil | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The tanker was sunk at Chittagong by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft. Raised and scrapped April 1972. |

### 13 December

List of shipwrecks: 13 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Surma | Pakistan | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The cargo ship was bombed, capsized and sank at Chittagong by Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft. |

### 14 December

List of shipwrecks: 14 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Katata Maru | Japan | The 310-foot (94.5 m) fish processing vessel – which had caught fire 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) west of Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands, been abandoned by her crew (which the United States Coast Guard rescued), and then been towed to Adak, where she was pumped full of water to extinguish the fire – was towed out of the harbor at Adak by a United States Navy tug to a point 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) away in the Bering Sea, where she capsized and sank in deep water. |

### 16 December

List of shipwrecks: 16 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Saint Mark | United States | The 139-gross register ton, 79.6-foot (24.3 m) crab-fishing vessel disappeared in the Gulf of Alaska during a voyage from Kodiak to Seward, Alaska, with the loss of all four people on board. She was last seen off Port William on Shuyak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago, apparently trying to escape rough seas. |

### 19 December

List of shipwrecks: 19 December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Tralee Trader | Panama | The coaster foundered 10 nautical miles (19 km) off Land's End, United Kingdom. All crew rescued by the trawler Petronella ( Netherlands). |

### Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown December 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| PNS Jessore | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Rajshahi-class patrol craft was damaged on 4 or 11 December by Breguet Alize aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy) in the Bay of Bengal and beached. Refloated after the War, repaired and put in Bangladeshi Navy service. |
| PNS Sylhet | Pakistan Navy | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971: The Rajshahi-class patrol craft was sunk on 4 or 6 December by aircraft from INS Vikrant ( Indian Navy) in the Bay of Bengal. |

## Unknown date

List of shipwrecks: Unknown date 1971 :
| Ship | State | Description |
| Altair | Italian Navy | The frigate was sunk as a target. |
| Hela | United States | The 32-gross register ton 52.1-foot (15.9 m) motor vessel sank in the Lower Yukon River in central Alaska. |
| Katmai | United States | The crab-fishing vessel sank in deep water off the Alaska Peninsula. Her crew of four survived. |
| Menlo | United States | The 23-gross register ton, 47.4-foot (14.4 m) fishing vessel sank with the loss of three lives after striking an unidentified submerged object in the waters of Alaska. Some reports claim that the incident occurred on 24 April near Portland Bank off the south end of the Kenai Peninsula at 58°25′N 150°15′W﻿ / ﻿58.417°N 150.250°W﻿ / 58.417; -150.250﻿ (FV Menlo), others that it happened on 24 April near Seldovia, and still others that it took place sometime in June in Southeast Alaska 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) southeast of Juneau. |
| Nissei Maru | Japan | The 90-ton fishing vessel capsized and sank in the Bering Sea north of Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Islands with the loss of ten lives. Other fishing vessels rescued her eight survivors. |