The Kiangya

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