Maritime Disaster

Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.
— The Navy Hymn

"Being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned."
— Samuel Johnson

Basic Information

Over three quarters of the globe is covered with water. We don't belong there. And sometimes, to remind us of that fact, the Sea lashes out at the puny ships we air-breathers send out upon her surface. The result is often a Maritime Disaster.

Maritime Disasters usually involve ships sinking in storms, although sometimes they hit icebergs, run aground on rocks, collide with each other, are sunk by hostile forces or just plain disappear.

Notable Maritime Disasters

• RMS Titanic
• SS Edmund Fitzgerald
• RMS Lusitania
• USS Iowa Turret Explosion
• Deepwater Horizon

See Also:

• Bermuda Triangle
• Shipwreck

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia Article: List of maritime disasters

Game and Story Use

• The PCs could be searching for the wreck of a ship that sank
  • Perhaps it contained valuable cargo that they want to recover
  • Or perhaps they are trying to discover exactly why it sank
• They might be on board a ship which is in danger of sinking
  • This is pretty much guaranteed for any sea voyage before the advent of modern shipbuilding and navigation (most of the medieval and classical period). Travelling by sea should be a hair-raising experience for any character who isn't an experienced sailor.
  • Time travelers on board the Titanic makes a good plot.