MV Doña Paz 1987
Marker: recorded wreck position (Modern).
Key facts
| Name | MV Doña Paz | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1987 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Modern | derived from year |
| Ship type | ferry | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | Collision | Wikidata P828 has cause (on P793 event): ship collision |
| Nationality / flag | Philippines | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Operator | Sulpicio Lines | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Sea / ocean | Sibuyan Sea | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Philippines | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 19 km from land |
| Position | 13.1064, 121.9275 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
Doña Paz was a Japanese-built and Philippine-registered passenger ferry that sank after she collided with the oil tanker MT Vector on December 20, 1987. Built by Onomichi Dockyard Co., Ltd. (Onomichi Zosen) of Hiroshima, Japan, the ship was launched on April 25, 1963 as the Himeyuri Maru with a passenger capacity of 608. In October 1975, the Himeyuri Maru was bought by Sulpicio Lines and renamed the Don Sulpicio. After a fire aboard in June 1979, the ship was refurbished and renamed Doña Paz.
Traveling from Leyte island to the Philippine capital Manila, the vessel was severely overcrowded, with at least 2,000 passengers not listed on the manifest. The ship did not have a radio and the life jackets were locked away. However, official blame was directed at the tanker Vector, which collided with the Doña Paz and was found to be unseaworthy and to be operating without a license, a lookout, or a qualified master. With an estimated death toll of 4,363 people and only 25 survivors, it remains the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history, surpassing the sinking of the Titanic 75 years earlier.
Diving & visiting
A memorial honoring the victims of Doña Paz is at the Pieta Park in Catbalogan. Located adjacent to St. Bartholomew Church and Saint Mary's College of Catbalogan, the park now serves as a public space for families and friends of the victims.
The wreck of Doña Paz was located in April 2019 by the RV Petrel, with footage released on December 19. It lies upright at a depth of 500 meters (1,600 ft). The wreck of the Vector was found lying 2,200 meters (7,200 ft) away in the same state. Both wrecks are in good condition.
Location
- Recorded position: 13.1064, 121.9275 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Sibuyan Sea
- Nearest coast: Philippines
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Doña Paz (revision 1380386106), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Memorial”, “Wreck”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- Japanese battleship Musashi 1944 · 66 km
- San Diego 188 km
Browse more: Asia wrecks · wrecks off Philippines · Modern