Let's start with the storm that sank the Mongol ships, which may have been the marine calamity with the highest death toll in history. Because it occurred 750 years ago and the Mongols weren't the best at keeping records, specific figures are difficult to find.

Kublai Khan is said to have gathered a fleet of hundreds of ships and between 30,000 and 40,000 troops and traveled across the ocean to conquer Japan in 1274. About a third of his fleet was lost when a storm struck his men close to the island of Kyushu. That was 10,000 to 13,000 casualties right there, but it turned out that was just the beginning because the real disaster wasn't felt until the Mongols attempted again over a decade later.

Kublai Khan was prepared for another attack in 1281. With nearly 4,000 ships and 140,000 soldiers, he had amassed one of the biggest naval forces in history and tried an invasion on a scale that had never been seen before. There was no way anyone could stand against the Mongol Empire's power.

However, the fleet was once more besieged by a powerful typhoon as it returned to being close to Japan, completely decimating their numbers. At least half of the troops died, and the Japanese military executed many of the survivors who made it to the coast. The two typhoons that protected their island were renowned in Japanese folklore as "divine winds," or kamikaze, and it is estimated that up to 100,000 Mongols may have perished at sea during their attempts to conquer Japan.

Date: 1274, 1281

Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Deaths: 10,000 ~13,000 ( 1274), ~100,000 (1281)

Let's examine a maritime catastrophe that resulted in the largest pre-atomic explosion ever created by humans. What made it particularly terrible was that a significant portion of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was completely destroyed by the explosion, which didn't happen out in the middle of the ocean.

The SS Mont-Blanc and the SS Imo intended to pass each other through the Narrows, a strait that connected the harbor to Bedford Basin, on the morning of December 6, 1917. Unfortunately, the two vessels collided at a slow speed as a result of negligence. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but the Mont-Blanc was a French cargo ship loaded to the gills with explosives like TNT and other combustible materials. Benzol barrels fell over during the collision, flooding the ship. Sparks soon caused the fuel fumes to ignite, and the Mont-Blanc quickly took fire.

Sadly for Halifax, no one knew of the hazardous cargo on board the ship, so people gathered to the streets and their windows to gaze at the enormous fire. The explosives went off around fifteen minutes later, instantaneously killing over 1,600 people. The massive explosion also generated a tsunami that made its way to the adjacent city of Dartmouth. The Halifax Explosion resulted in somewhat fewer than 2,000 fatalities, thousands of demolished structures, as well as injuries and homelessness for many others.

Date: 6 December 1917
Time: 9:04:35 am (AST)
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Deaths: 1,782 (confirmed)
Non-fatal injuries: 9,000 (approximate)

Given that the Titanic is the one that everyone has heard of, it has become rather typical for any maritime disaster in the modern era to be compared to it. Therefore, it is not surprising that Africa has its own Le Joola, which is comparable to the Titanic.

The Senegalese ferry MV Le Joola capsized on September 26, 2002, off the coast of the Gambia, taking over 1,850 people with it and leaving only 64 survivors. The ship was significantly overloaded when it sank, carrying nearly four times as many passengers as it could hold, as was frequently the case with such tragedies. As the ferry was traveling out in rough sea conditions when it had been designed primarily for coastal waters, negligence may have been another element that contributed to the accident.

Following the catastrophe, the Senegalese government came under fire for avoiding legal action and rejecting international assistance to remove the debris in an effort to put the incident behind it as soon as possible.

Date: 26 September 2002

Time: ~11pm

Location: off the coast of Gambia

Survivors: 64 passengers including only one woman

The English and French engaged in combat in the West Indies off the coast of Dominica in early April 1782 in the Battle of the Saintes. Technically, this was a part of the American Revolution, but in actuality, it was a part of a larger war between France and England over control of the Caribbean seas. The fight ended with a stunning triumph for England, who not only reclaimed control of the region but also took four line ships as prizes, including the Ville de Paris, the French flagship.

This new fleet was placed under the leadership of Admiral Thomas Graves, who had his work cut out for him. All the ships were obviously in need of repairs as they had just participated in a fight, but since there were no adequate dockyards in the West Indies, the only option was to sail back to England.

The fleet was struck in a catastrophic hurricane on September 16, 1782. Along with two British ships and six merchant ships that had joined the force, all but one of the French prizes were sunk. Over 3,000 sailors, soldiers, travelers, and prisoners of war were thought to have perished.

Date: September 16, 1782

Location: crossing from Destrehan, Louisiana on the East Bank to Luling, Louisiana on the West Bank

Deaths: over 3,000

Strangely enough, despite a potential death toll of 1,800 persons, the biggest maritime disaster to ever occur in the United States is largely forgotten today. The Sultana, a wooden steamboat originally constructed in 1863 to transport cotton down the Mississippi River, was the vessel in question. However, because of the American Civil War, it was mostly employed to transport troops; although having a 376-person capacity, it frequently carried more than 2,000 people.

On the morning of April 27, 1865, the Sultana set sail on its tragic voyage with about 2,300 passengers and crew aboard, the majority of whom were recently freed Union POWs. They believed they were finally on the road to freedom, but their expectations were quickly dashed when three of the Sultana's four boilers exploded, setting the wooden ship on fire. There are many different estimates, but anything from 1,000 to 1,800 people died in the ensuing turmoil.

Historians blame Americans' overabundance of knowledge for the tragedy's lack of widespread recognition today. General Lee's signing of a cease-fire on April 9 effectively brought an end to the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth killed President Lincoln five days later. The tragedy of the Sultana did not have the same effect it would have on another occasion because it was a busy month for America.

Date: April 27, 1865

Deaths: ~1,800

The Titanic being included on this list shouldn't come as a surprise. The British passenger ship sailed from Southampton to New York on its maiden trip on April 10, 1912. There were barely enough lifeboats on board for half of the passengers and crew when it drowned on April 15 after hitting an iceberg. As a result, more than 1,500 people perished in the catastrophe.

But because you already know the majority of what there is to know about the Titanic, let's talk about the Taiping, an Asian steamer that came very near to meeting its demise. Because of its high death toll—more than 1,500 passengers and crew members perished on January 27, 1949, when the Taiping sank after colliding with a smaller cargo boat—it is frequently referred to as the "Titanic of the East."

Thousands of mainland Chinese refugees were trying desperately to reach Taiwan when the Taiping, like the Kiangya, was sailing during the Chinese Civil War. The ship was carrying more than 1,500 people even though it was only intended to carry 500 or so passengers. It was cruising in silence at night without lights in an effort to avoid alerting Taiwan's Communist authorities as it made its way to Keelung Harbor. Unfortunately, because other ships couldn't see it, it struck the Chienyuan, killing all but 37 of the passengers.

Date: The Titanic: April 10, 1912; The Taiping: January 27, 1949

Deaths: The Titanic: over 1,500 ; The Taiping: over 1,500

When the cargo ship Bywell Castle and the passenger paddle steamer SS Princess Alice collided while crossing the River Thames on September 3, 1878, between 600 and 700 persons perished in England. Both ships were found to be at blame for the collision after a subsequent investigation, and the tragedy inspired tighter guidelines for Thames navigation.

Even though it still has the dreadful record for greatest interior canal accident in Britain, the manner in which those unfortunate persons died makes it one of the most terrible maritime calamities. The Princess Alice went down at an area called Gallions Reach, right between two pipes that had just released thousands of tons of raw sewage into the water. It was well known that the Thames was a badly polluted, foul river.

"Both the taste and smell were something horrible... - having been down to the bottom and having rose again with my mouth full of it I could give a pretty excellent image of it - it was the most horrid water I ever tasted," one survivor recalled.

Date: September 3, 1878

Deaths: 600 ~700

The full impact of a calamity may not always be readily quantified. Although a considerable loss of life, the 1120 sinking of the White Ship in the English Channel, which claimed over 300 lives, pales in contrast to the other entries on this list. However, the tragedy had far-reaching effects since William the Aetheling, the 17-year-old Duke of Normandy and heir to the English throne, was among those who died on the White Ship.

Only 50 years had passed since William the Conqueror had defeated the Anglo-Saxons in battle and ruled England as the first Norman ruler. Due to the ongoing hostilities between the two sides, Henry I, the next Norman monarch, wed Queen Matilda of Scotland, a member of both the Scottish and Anglo-Saxon royal families.

They believed that having children of their own who were both Norman and Anglo-Saxon would appease both sides. However, that child was none other than William the Aetheling, and as a result, all preparations for a peaceful transfer of power perished with the White Ship. The Anarchy, a 15-year civil war between England and Normandy that resulted, caused a great deal more agony and suffering and much more deaths.

Date: 1120

Location: English Channel

Deaths: over 300

Prior to the Doa Paz's sinking, the Chinese passenger steamship SS Kiangya held the regrettable title of "worst maritime accident during peacetime." On December 3, 1948, the ship struck a World War II mine that was likely laid there by the Imperial Japanese Navy while it was moving up the Huangpu River towards Shanghai. In 1956, her wreck was removed from the channel and her hull was repaired so that she could resume operations. She received the new name SS Dongfang Hong 8.

Similar to the Doa Paz, the Kiangya was carrying many, many more passengers than its stated capacity of 1,186, the majority of whom were Chinese Civil War refugees in desperate need of safety. The precise number of casualties aboard the Kiangya is yet unknown, though. There were 2,150 passengers reported on the manifest, but there could have been just as many stowaways. Although about 1,000 passengers were saved by other ships, 3,920 people ultimately perished.

Date: 1948

Deaths: 3,920

The MV Doa Paz, a passenger ferry built in Japan and registered in the Philippines, was the deadliest maritime accident ever recorded during peacetime. As previously stated, the list is not in any particular order. The ship departed a Philippine island early on December 20, 1987, and it was sailing toward Manila. The Doa Paz crashed with MT Vector, an oil tanker carrying more than a million liters of gasoline, that same evening. The Doa Paz experienced a large fire that swiftly spread throughout the vehicle, shocking the majority of the passengers. Only 25 people were able to escape unharmed.

Even though this was already among the worst maritime disasters in history, things only became worse as the accident inquiry went on. The Doa Paz had a capacity of roughly 1,500 passengers, but it soon became clear that the actual number of passengers on board was significantly greater. Due to the fact that it being the Christmas season and many more tickets had been sold illegally, no little children were included on the manifest.

The sobering estimate of the actual death toll grew and eventually surpassed 4,000. A special task force wasn't able to identify every single victim of the Doa Paz accident, which claimed 4,386 lives, until 1999.

Date:1987

Survivors: 25