Highest death toll from a ship disaster (iceberg)

Of the 2,021 people on board the RMS Titanic, an estimated 1,517 (equating to 68%) perished after the cruise liner struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic, south of Newfoundland, Canada, on 14 April 1912 during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK, to New York City, USA.

The Titanic struck the iceberg just 30 seconds after it was spotted at 11.40 p.m. and had sank within two hours 40 minutes. Originating from the west coast of Greenland, the iceberg was estimated to rise 50–100 ft (15–30 m) above the water and measure between 200 and 400 ft (60–120 m) long.

The iceberg was not isolated; survivor Charles Dahl later claimed that in the immediate area of the sinking he spotted 19 icebergs from the lifeboat he was in.

The 700 or so survivors in lifeboats were rescued by the RMS Carpathia which arrived at about 3.30 a.m. on 15 April.

Potentially the most deadly shipwreck of all time was that of the paddle steamer Sultana which sank on the Mississippi River, USA, on 21 April 1865 as a result of its boilers exploding, with the loss of more than 1,650 lives – perhaps as many as 1,800.