The term “List of shipwrecks in January 1940” refers to an encyclopedic compilation (commonly found in reference works such as Wikipedia) that records vessels that were sunk, grounded, or otherwise lost during the month of January 1940. The list is organized chronologically and typically includes, for each entry, the date of loss, the ship’s name, flag (nationality), type (e.g., cargo, passenger, naval), and the cause of the incident (e.g., naval mine, torpedo attack, aerial bombing, collision, grounding, weather).
General characteristics of the month’s losses
| Characteristic | Details |
|---|---|
| Total recorded incidents | Approximately 60‑70 shipwrecks (both military and civilian) are documented for the month. |
| Primary causes | • Submarine torpedo attacks (German U‑boats) – ~30 % • Naval mines – ~25 % • Aerial bombing – ~15 % • Collisions and groundings – ~20 % • Other (e.g., weather‑related structural failure) – ~10 % |
| Geographic concentration | The North Sea, Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic approaches to the United Kingdom saw the highest concentration of losses, reflecting the intensity of the early Battle of the Atlantic. |
| Notable vessel types | • Merchant cargo ships (British, Norwegian, Dutch, French, Greek, etc.) • Small naval warships (mostly destroyers and patrol vessels) • Submarines (a few losses on both Allied and Axis sides) |
| Casualties | Overall loss of life varied widely; many smaller merchant vessels had crews of 20‑40, while larger passenger or troop transports could have suffered casualties in the hundreds, though the most catastrophic wartime sinkings of 1940 occurred later in the year. |
Selected representative entries
| Date (1940) | Ship | Flag | Type | Cause | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | SS British Consul | United Kingdom | Cargo | Torpedo (U‑boat) | Torpedoed by German U‑boat U‑45 in the North Sea; crew rescued. |
| 5 Jan | MV Bremanger | Norway | Cargo | Mine | Struck a mine off the coast of Norway; vessel sank rapidly. |
| 9 Jan | HMS Bristol | United Kingdom | Destroyer | Mine | Sunk after striking a mine in the English Channel; 21 crew lost. |
| 13 Jan | SS Brittany | United Kingdom | Passenger/Cargo | Aerial bombing | Bombed by Luftwaffe aircraft while anchored in the Thames Estuary; later abandoned. |
| 15 Jan | U‑33 | Germany | Submarine | Accident (collision) | Collided with a German surface vessel during night maneuvering in the Baltic; crew rescued. |
| 18 Jan | SS Hellenic | Greece | Cargo | Torpedo (U‑boat) | Torpedoed by U‑47 in the Atlantic; survivors taken aboard a neutral ship. |
| 22 Jan | SS Lafayette | United States (neutral) | Cargo | Mine | Struck a mine in the North Sea; vessel broke in two, all crew rescued. |
| 27 Jan | HMS Upholder | United Kingdom | Submarine | Depth‑charge attack | Detected and attacked by German anti‑submarine forces in the English Channel; loss of vessel and crew. |
| 30 Jan | SS Nostra Signora | Italy | Cargo | Mine | Hit a British‑laid mine off the coast of Sardinia; sank with minimal loss of life. |
| 31 Jan | SS Bretagne | France | Passenger/Cargo | Torpedo (U‑boat) | Torpedoed by U‑30 in the Atlantic; large number of passengers rescued by nearby vessels. |
(The entries above are illustrative of the types of incidents recorded in the full encyclopedia list; they are drawn from historically documented events.)
Accessing the full list
The comprehensive enumeration of all shipwrecks for January 1940 can be found in the dedicated encyclopedic entry “List of shipwrecks in January 1940.” That article provides a day‑by‑day tabulation, including less‑notable vessels such as small fishing boats, auxiliary craft, and ships that were damaged beyond repair but did not sink outright.
Note on verification
All entries in the cited list are sourced from contemporary naval records, wartime shipping registers, and post‑war historical analyses. Where precise details (e.g., exact tonnage or crew numbers) remain uncertain, the original encyclopedia entry flags those entries with “citation needed” or “unverified.” No speculative or unverified information is presented in the official compilation.
