The list of shipwrecks in 1971 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1971. 
   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  | Kolno  |    Poland  |  The cargo ship ran aground off Falsterbo, Sweden, withdrawn from service as a result and converted to a floating boilerhouse.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.[1]  | 
  8 January
  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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[6] 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. [6][3][4]  | 
  14 January
  18 January
  27 January
  28 January
  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).[12]  | 
  February
 3 February
  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.[15]  | 
  11 February
  13 February
  18 February
  22 February
  26 February
  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.[22][3]  | 
  | Esso Antwerp  |    Belgium  |  The ship collided with Panachaikon (  Liberia) and sank in the River Scheldt. Later raised, repaired and returned to service.[23]  | 
  28 February
  March
 1 March
  2 March
  3 March
  4 March
  12 March
  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.[29][30]  | 
  30 March
  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
  12 April
  15 April
  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.[33]  | 
  21 April
  26 April
  27 April
  28 April
  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.[20]  | 
  May
 2 May
  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.[39]  | 
  17 May
  20 May
  31 May
  Unknown date
  June
 1 June
  2 June
  28 June
  Unknown date
  July
 1 July
  3 July
  4 July
   List of shipwrecks: 4 July 1971   | Ship |  State |  Description  | 
  | Koyo Maru  |    Japan  |  The coaster collided with another ship and sank off Japan.[46]  | 
  | Naniward Abone  |    Indonesia  |  The cargo ship collided with Ocean Prime (  Liberia) and sank off Waikayama, Japan.[46]  | 
  | Rakusui Maru  |    Japan  |  The coaster collided with another ship and sank off Waikayama with the loss of eight of her nine crew.[46]  | 
  5 July
  13 July
  15 July
  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.[49][50]  | 
  | Mania  |    Liberia  |  Caught fire off Bari, Italy and abandoned. Beached at Split, Yugoslavia on 8 August. Scrapped in November 1971.[51]  | 
  7 August
  10 August
  16 August
  17 August
  19 August
  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.[57]  | 
  September
 3 September
  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
  21 September
  22 September
  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.[65]  | 
  25 September
  29 September
   List of shipwrecks: 29 September 1971   | Ship |  State |  Description  | 
  | Apollo  |    Cyprus  |  Stranded four nautical miles (7.4 km) off Skije.[66]  | 
  October
 14 October
  15 October
  16 October
  18 October
  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.[71]  | 
  30 October
  November
 4 November
  5 November
  8 November
  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.[75] The ship was repaired and returned to service.[76]  | 
  | 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.[75]  | 
  14 November
  17 November
  22 November
  23 November
  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.[78]  | 
  30 November
   List of shipwrecks: 30 November 1971   | Ship |  State |  Description  | 
  | Juliana  |    Liberia  |  The tanker ran aground off Niigata, Japan and broke in two.[79]  | 
  Unknown date
  December
 3 December
  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.[80]  | 
  | 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.[81]  | 
  | 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.[81]  | 
  | 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).[81]  | 
  | 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).[81]  | 
  5 December
  6 December
  8 December
  9 December
  10 December
  12 December
  13 December
  14 December
  16 December
  19 December
  Unknown date
  Unknown date
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