KOCAELI — 1958 · Major Tragedy

Üsküdar Ferry Disaster

ClosedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On 1 March 1958, the small passenger ferry Üsküdar, sailing from İzmit towards Karamürsel, capsized and sank off Derince in the Gulf of İzmit during a violent southwesterly storm. Many of the passengers were students of İzmit's high school and technical institute returning home for the weekend. Official records put the death toll at 392; only about 40 passengers survived. The ferry was reported to have been carrying more passengers than its capacity. It is regarded as the deadliest civilian maritime disaster in the Republic's history and is commemorated every 1 March in Gölcük.

Date: 1958
Place: Gulf of İzmit (off Derince), Kocaeli
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Closed
Coordinates: 40.7300, 29.8300 ↗

Timeline of Events

1 March 1958The Üsküdar ferry sank in a storm in the Gulf of İzmit.
March 1958Official records put the dead at 392.

Later yearsA school and memorial cemetery were established in Gölcük.
Every 1 MarchThe victims are commemorated in Gölcük.

Sources

Wikipedia — Üsküdar Vapuru faciası tr.wikipedia.org ↗
Gölcük Kaymakamlığı — 1 Mart şehitleri törenle anıldı golcuk.gov.tr ↗
Wikipedia
Gölcük District Governorate

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