River Disasters
Adventures on the Steamer Tashmoo
When I was a child I recall an aunt talking about an excursion on the popular passenger liner Tashmoo about a week before the vessel struck a rock and sank on the Detroit River. It happened during moonlight excursion, with about 1,400 passengers on board, on June 18, 1936. The vessel was chartered that evening by the Pals Club of Hamtramck. The cruise took the boat south to Sugar Island near Grosse Ile, then as it was turning for the trip home, struck a submerged rock at the mouth of Sugar Island Channel. The passengers, who felt the shock, were told there was engine trouble. But it was worse than that, Water was pouring through a hole in the hull faster than the pumps could handle it. The engine room crew found itself stoking the boiler fire while standing in waist deep water. The ship was sinking.
When I was a child I recall an aunt talking about an excursion on the popular passenger liner Tashmoo about a week before the vessel struck a rock and sank on the Detroit River. It happened during moonlight excursion, with about 1,400 passengers on board, on June 18, 1936. The vessel was chartered that evening by the Pals Club of Hamtramck. The cruise took the boat south to Sugar Island near Grosse Ile, then as it was turning for the trip home, struck a submerged rock at the mouth of Sugar Island Channel. The passengers, who felt the shock, were told there was engine trouble. But it was worse than that, Water was pouring through a hole in the hull faster than the pumps could handle it. The engine room crew found itself stoking the boiler fire while standing in waist deep water. The ship was sinking.
Niagara’s Maids-Of-The-Mist
Visitors to Niagara Falls are familiar with the Main-of-the-Mist, small excursion vessels operating from both sides of the Niagara River that carry passengers on daring up-close trips to the foot of the falls and back down stream. The vessels always appear to be in view, and many visitors to the falls have enjoyed boarding the vessel and taking the ride. There are two Maid-of-the-Mists making the trip these days. They are Maid’s V and VI, two relatively modern steel boats with powerful diesel engines. But the history of small excursion vessels bearing the name dates back to 1846 when the first Maid-of-the-Mist was launched as a ferry, carrying people to and from the U.S. and Canadian sides of the Niagara River.
Visitors to Niagara Falls are familiar with the Main-of-the-Mist, small excursion vessels operating from both sides of the Niagara River that carry passengers on daring up-close trips to the foot of the falls and back down stream. The vessels always appear to be in view, and many visitors to the falls have enjoyed boarding the vessel and taking the ride. There are two Maid-of-the-Mists making the trip these days. They are Maid’s V and VI, two relatively modern steel boats with powerful diesel engines. But the history of small excursion vessels bearing the name dates back to 1846 when the first Maid-of-the-Mist was launched as a ferry, carrying people to and from the U.S. and Canadian sides of the Niagara River.
Bulgaria Disaster On Volga River
It began as a family pleasure cruise on Russia’s broad Volga River but when rough weather struck, one engine failed and the 56-year-old cruise ship Bulgaria took on a list, the excursion turned into a nightmare. In the end the ship turned on its side and sank, carrying 122 people, many of them children, to their deaths. The Bulgaria was on a trip from Bulgar to Kazan in the Kansko-Ustinovsky District with over 200 passengers and crew members aboard when the disaster occurred on June 10, 2011. Of the total, 122 died.
It began as a family pleasure cruise on Russia’s broad Volga River but when rough weather struck, one engine failed and the 56-year-old cruise ship Bulgaria took on a list, the excursion turned into a nightmare. In the end the ship turned on its side and sank, carrying 122 people, many of them children, to their deaths. The Bulgaria was on a trip from Bulgar to Kazan in the Kansko-Ustinovsky District with over 200 passengers and crew members aboard when the disaster occurred on June 10, 2011. Of the total, 122 died.
Historic Boblo Boat St. Clair Gutted by Fire
When fire was first noticed on the moored old Boblo steam boat at Detroit on July 6, 2018, it was already too late to save the century-old wooden vessel. The call came in shortly before midnight and by the time fire fighters arrived the fire was already consuming the upper decks and fire fighters spokesman Mike Nevin said it was unsafe for anyone to board. They battled the fire with hoses from the dock and from a local fire boat.
When fire was first noticed on the moored old Boblo steam boat at Detroit on July 6, 2018, it was already too late to save the century-old wooden vessel. The call came in shortly before midnight and by the time fire fighters arrived the fire was already consuming the upper decks and fire fighters spokesman Mike Nevin said it was unsafe for anyone to board. They battled the fire with hoses from the dock and from a local fire boat.
Sinking the Twin Capes
The ferry Twin Capes was part of a fleet of three vessels moving vehicles and people across Delaware Bay for 43 years. Now after its retirement the old ferry has been sunk off the Delaware coast to become the “crowning jewel” in an artificial reef designed to be a habitat for sea life. Thus her years of service will continue on indefinitely.
The ferry Twin Capes was part of a fleet of three vessels moving vehicles and people across Delaware Bay for 43 years. Now after its retirement the old ferry has been sunk off the Delaware coast to become the “crowning jewel” in an artificial reef designed to be a habitat for sea life. Thus her years of service will continue on indefinitely.
Americas Worst Marine Disaster Went Almost Unnoticed
The riverboat Sultana killed an estimated 1,547 people, mostly Civil War veterans returning home from battle, when it exploded and sank on the Mississippi River in 1865. The disaster claimed more lives than the Titanic (1,512) when the steamer's boilers blew just above Memphis, Mississippi. After nearly being broken in two by the blast, the overcrowded vessel burned as it drifted out of control until grounding on a small island in mid-stream.
The riverboat Sultana killed an estimated 1,547 people, mostly Civil War veterans returning home from battle, when it exploded and sank on the Mississippi River in 1865. The disaster claimed more lives than the Titanic (1,512) when the steamer's boilers blew just above Memphis, Mississippi. After nearly being broken in two by the blast, the overcrowded vessel burned as it drifted out of control until grounding on a small island in mid-stream.
Steamboat Belle Explosion Of 1856
The boiler explosion that destroyed the steamboat Belle in 1856 is still counted among California’s worst ship disasters. It left an estimated 30 people dead or severely wounded and demolished the wooden-hulled vessel shortly after it steamed north from Sacramento.
The boiler explosion that destroyed the steamboat Belle in 1856 is still counted among California’s worst ship disasters. It left an estimated 30 people dead or severely wounded and demolished the wooden-hulled vessel shortly after it steamed north from Sacramento.
The Albatross Was A Lucky Riverboat
The railroad car ferry Albatross, built in Dubuque, Iowa in 1907 for the Louisiana & Mississippi Valley Transfer Co., not only enjoyed years of good service on the Mississippi River, she may still be afloat today and until quite recently served as a popular floating gambling casino moored at St. Louis, Missouri. The history of this particular vessel is unusually varied. It began service as a small ferry with a capacity for carrying 16 railroad cars on a single trip, was expanded to become one of the largest ferries on the river and an engineering marvel in its day, then was completely rebuilt to be an Art-deco-styled passenger ship and renamed the Admiral, and finally in 1979 it was put in use as a moored casino and renamed the President Casino.
The railroad car ferry Albatross, built in Dubuque, Iowa in 1907 for the Louisiana & Mississippi Valley Transfer Co., not only enjoyed years of good service on the Mississippi River, she may still be afloat today and until quite recently served as a popular floating gambling casino moored at St. Louis, Missouri. The history of this particular vessel is unusually varied. It began service as a small ferry with a capacity for carrying 16 railroad cars on a single trip, was expanded to become one of the largest ferries on the river and an engineering marvel in its day, then was completely rebuilt to be an Art-deco-styled passenger ship and renamed the Admiral, and finally in 1979 it was put in use as a moored casino and renamed the President Casino.
Over 3,000 Chinese Died In Kiangya Disaster
Among the most deadly shipwreck events in recorded history was the loss of the Chinese passenger steamship Kiangya, that was packed with refugees from the Chinese Civil War. This steamer struck a mine and blew up in the mouth of the Huangpu River, south of Shanghai, on Dec. 4, 1948.
Among the most deadly shipwreck events in recorded history was the loss of the Chinese passenger steamship Kiangya, that was packed with refugees from the Chinese Civil War. This steamer struck a mine and blew up in the mouth of the Huangpu River, south of Shanghai, on Dec. 4, 1948.
The Coast Guard Blackthorn Disaster
Twenty-three sailors perished when the 180-foot U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender Blackthorn collided with a tanker and then capsized and sank in the Tampa Bay ship channel on the night of January 28, 1980. That incident remains the worst peacetime disaster in U. S. Coast Guard history. It not only remains fixed in Coast Guard records, but it led to major safety and training changes in both the agency and the channel where the mishap occurred.
Twenty-three sailors perished when the 180-foot U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender Blackthorn collided with a tanker and then capsized and sank in the Tampa Bay ship channel on the night of January 28, 1980. That incident remains the worst peacetime disaster in U. S. Coast Guard history. It not only remains fixed in Coast Guard records, but it led to major safety and training changes in both the agency and the channel where the mishap occurred.
Sinking Of The Grace Dormer
A huge lumber pile at the mouth of the Black River was blamed for a collision that sank the ferry steamer Grace Dormer at Port Huron on July 25, 1883. Capt. Ed Thomas, master of the seventy-six-foot long ferry, was criticized for running his vessel blindly out of the Black River and into the busy St. Clair River without blowing the boat’s whistle. But Thomas also was praised for daring action, which probably saved his passengers from drowning.
A huge lumber pile at the mouth of the Black River was blamed for a collision that sank the ferry steamer Grace Dormer at Port Huron on July 25, 1883. Capt. Ed Thomas, master of the seventy-six-foot long ferry, was criticized for running his vessel blindly out of the Black River and into the busy St. Clair River without blowing the boat’s whistle. But Thomas also was praised for daring action, which probably saved his passengers from drowning.
First Iron Steamship Built In England
When French ironmonger Charles Napier and his son, Charles, ordered construction of the first iron hulled steamship on the Staffordshire, England, in 1821, people thought they were crazy. In fact, the general opinion was that such a vessel could sink the moment it was launched. Nevertheless, the vessel was fabricated at the Horseley Ironworks, owned by Aaron Manby, and then assembled at Rotherhithe on the Thames River. Contrary to the prevailing wisdom of the day, the flat-bottomed, 120-foot iron-hulled vessel not only floated, but it drew about a foot less water than the wooden steamboats anchored around it.
When French ironmonger Charles Napier and his son, Charles, ordered construction of the first iron hulled steamship on the Staffordshire, England, in 1821, people thought they were crazy. In fact, the general opinion was that such a vessel could sink the moment it was launched. Nevertheless, the vessel was fabricated at the Horseley Ironworks, owned by Aaron Manby, and then assembled at Rotherhithe on the Thames River. Contrary to the prevailing wisdom of the day, the flat-bottomed, 120-foot iron-hulled vessel not only floated, but it drew about a foot less water than the wooden steamboats anchored around it.
The Miracle of the Conger Explosion
The horror of the blast that wrecked the Port Huron, Michigan ferry Omar D. Conger and killed four crew members on March 26, 1922, caused people at first to overlook the fact that a miracle had happened. Only four people died in a blast that had the potential of killing hundreds. The explosion sent pieces of the red-hot boiler flying hundreds of feet through the air in all directions where they left a path of destruction.
The horror of the blast that wrecked the Port Huron, Michigan ferry Omar D. Conger and killed four crew members on March 26, 1922, caused people at first to overlook the fact that a miracle had happened. Only four people died in a blast that had the potential of killing hundreds. The explosion sent pieces of the red-hot boiler flying hundreds of feet through the air in all directions where they left a path of destruction.
Fire On The E. K. Collins
Canadian furniture store operator William Bartlett didn’t expect to be a hero. Even Bartlett had to admit that he just happened to be at the right place and have a small boat available when it was badly needed. The estimated 70 passengers and crew members on the burning steamer E. K. Collins needed all the help they could get on the night of Sunday, Oct. 8, 1854. As fire engulfed the wooden ship, lapping up even the lifeboats, the people had no place to go but over the side and into the cold flowing waters of the Detroit River. Twenty-one died but it could have been worse.
Canadian furniture store operator William Bartlett didn’t expect to be a hero. Even Bartlett had to admit that he just happened to be at the right place and have a small boat available when it was badly needed. The estimated 70 passengers and crew members on the burning steamer E. K. Collins needed all the help they could get on the night of Sunday, Oct. 8, 1854. As fire engulfed the wooden ship, lapping up even the lifeboats, the people had no place to go but over the side and into the cold flowing waters of the Detroit River. Twenty-one died but it could have been worse.
The Empress Of Ireland Horror
The Canadian liner Empress of Ireland was sunk in a collision with a collier at the mouth of the fog-shrouded St. Lawrence River in the spring of 1914, not long after the Titanic disaster, and it took even more souls to a watery grave with her. Because the ship was not as large, or laden with as many famous people, and because the disaster happened so soon after the Titanic incident and the start of World War I, the story never gained the historical significance it deserved. Few people today even remember that it happened. Struck amidships by the heavily laden Norwegian collier Storstad, the Empress of Ireland flooded so quickly it sank in just 14 minutes, catching most of the 1,477 passengers and crew members in their beds. Of this number, 1,012 were lost, eight more than died on the Titanic.
The Canadian liner Empress of Ireland was sunk in a collision with a collier at the mouth of the fog-shrouded St. Lawrence River in the spring of 1914, not long after the Titanic disaster, and it took even more souls to a watery grave with her. Because the ship was not as large, or laden with as many famous people, and because the disaster happened so soon after the Titanic incident and the start of World War I, the story never gained the historical significance it deserved. Few people today even remember that it happened. Struck amidships by the heavily laden Norwegian collier Storstad, the Empress of Ireland flooded so quickly it sank in just 14 minutes, catching most of the 1,477 passengers and crew members in their beds. Of this number, 1,012 were lost, eight more than died on the Titanic.
The 1904 Hell Gate Disaster
Irony can be found in the report that over 1000 members of a church picnic excursion perished in a fire aboard the steamship General Slocum as it sailed into a place called Hell Gate on the East River at New York City. It happened on June 15, 1904. The Slocum, a tired 13-year-old side wheeler under the command of 68-year-old Captain William Van Schaick, was charted to take more than 1,300 members and friends of St. Mark's Lutheran Church on a Sunday school picnic at Locust Grove on Long Island Sound.
Irony can be found in the report that over 1000 members of a church picnic excursion perished in a fire aboard the steamship General Slocum as it sailed into a place called Hell Gate on the East River at New York City. It happened on June 15, 1904. The Slocum, a tired 13-year-old side wheeler under the command of 68-year-old Captain William Van Schaick, was charted to take more than 1,300 members and friends of St. Mark's Lutheran Church on a Sunday school picnic at Locust Grove on Long Island Sound.
The Eastland Horror
The mention of the steamer Eastland in and around Chicago still stirs black thoughts of hundreds of screaming men, women, and children trapped below decks to drown aboard a capsized excursion liner. Those who watched the motion picture The Poseidon Adventure, about a liner overturned by a great tidal wave at sea, might understand what it might have been like for the 2,408 passengers and 72 crew members aboard the Eastland on July 24, 1915, when the vessel tipped on its side and sank in Chicago harbor. Of that number, 835 perished. The disaster still ranks with the sinking of the Titanic, the torpedoing of the Lusitania, and the burning of the steamer General Slocom off New York's Hell Gate as the worst of all marine tragedies. No other wreck on the Great Lakes claimed as many lives
The mention of the steamer Eastland in and around Chicago still stirs black thoughts of hundreds of screaming men, women, and children trapped below decks to drown aboard a capsized excursion liner. Those who watched the motion picture The Poseidon Adventure, about a liner overturned by a great tidal wave at sea, might understand what it might have been like for the 2,408 passengers and 72 crew members aboard the Eastland on July 24, 1915, when the vessel tipped on its side and sank in Chicago harbor. Of that number, 835 perished. The disaster still ranks with the sinking of the Titanic, the torpedoing of the Lusitania, and the burning of the steamer General Slocom off New York's Hell Gate as the worst of all marine tragedies. No other wreck on the Great Lakes claimed as many lives
The Ship that Toppled a Water Tower
The Christopher Columbus, an oddly shaped "whaleback" style passenger liner, turned out to be one of the most popular and successful cruise vessels to traverse the Great Lakes. People liked the ugly ship with a bow that looked like the snout of a pig. Those who booked passage said it offered a smooth ride, even in a rolling sea. The popularity of the Columbus grew and during its 44-years, the steamer carried a record 2.6 million passengers. There apparently was only one accident to mar the boat's nearly perfectly safety record. It happened at Milwaukee on June 30, 1917, when the Columbus accidentally struck and toppled a 100-foot water tower on the bank of the Milwaukee River.
The Christopher Columbus, an oddly shaped "whaleback" style passenger liner, turned out to be one of the most popular and successful cruise vessels to traverse the Great Lakes. People liked the ugly ship with a bow that looked like the snout of a pig. Those who booked passage said it offered a smooth ride, even in a rolling sea. The popularity of the Columbus grew and during its 44-years, the steamer carried a record 2.6 million passengers. There apparently was only one accident to mar the boat's nearly perfectly safety record. It happened at Milwaukee on June 30, 1917, when the Columbus accidentally struck and toppled a 100-foot water tower on the bank of the Milwaukee River.
Chinese Riverboat Eastern Star Disaster
More than 400 people perished when the Chinese pleasure boat Eastern Star capsized in a freak storm on the Yangtze River on the evening of May 25, 2015 and sank in about 50 feet of water. The large five-deck, 21-year-old cruise ship, under the command of Captain Zhang Shunwen, was carrying 456 passengers and crew members on what was to have been a scenic river trip lasting several days, from Nanjing to Chongqing. The passengers were mostly elderly, ranging in age from 50 to 80. Most of the passengers were participating in a group tour. Of the total number of people on the ship, 47 were crew members. There were only about 14 survivors after the vessel sank. Divers said they could hear sounds coming from people still trapped in their cabins after the vessel went down but none were rescued.
More than 400 people perished when the Chinese pleasure boat Eastern Star capsized in a freak storm on the Yangtze River on the evening of May 25, 2015 and sank in about 50 feet of water. The large five-deck, 21-year-old cruise ship, under the command of Captain Zhang Shunwen, was carrying 456 passengers and crew members on what was to have been a scenic river trip lasting several days, from Nanjing to Chongqing. The passengers were mostly elderly, ranging in age from 50 to 80. Most of the passengers were participating in a group tour. Of the total number of people on the ship, 47 were crew members. There were only about 14 survivors after the vessel sank. Divers said they could hear sounds coming from people still trapped in their cabins after the vessel went down but none were rescued.
Legend Of The Iron Mountain
There is a story told by folks along the Mississippi River about the riverboat Iron Mountain that steamed north from Vicksburg, Mississippi with a deck cargo of bailed cotton and barrels of molasses and was never seen again. The Iron Mountain was a steamboat, but not a traditional riverboat. She was a towboat with the job of pulling barges up and down the river. Her destination that day on March 25, 1882 was Pittsburg and her cargo more likely included rice or maybe grain.
There is a story told by folks along the Mississippi River about the riverboat Iron Mountain that steamed north from Vicksburg, Mississippi with a deck cargo of bailed cotton and barrels of molasses and was never seen again. The Iron Mountain was a steamboat, but not a traditional riverboat. She was a towboat with the job of pulling barges up and down the river. Her destination that day on March 25, 1882 was Pittsburg and her cargo more likely included rice or maybe grain.