April 27, 1865 the large Mississippi River Steamboat SS Sultana exploded shortly after leaving Memphis, TN. she was contracted to the US Government to carry soldiers and former prisoners of war back to St. Louis at $5.00 a head for enlisted and $10.00 for officers. rated to carry 376 passengers she was severely overloaded with between 1,800 and 2,100 soldiers. she had suffered some boiler problems which were minimally repaired at Vicksburg, MS before she loaded passengers. she proceeded upriver to Helena, AR. were she was photographed with her decks crowded with soldiers. she then went on to Memphis, TN after which stop she proceeded further north. in the early morning of April 27, 3 of her boilers exploded and she burned to the waterline before sinking. the explosion took many lives including the officers and Captain J. Cass Mason commanding the Sultana. the subsequent fire and sinking killed the rest. the Mississippi was in spring flood so was full of water which was very cold. many perished of hypothermia. the official toll was 1,547 lives lost but up to 1,800 may have died in the catastrophe. official conclusions attributed the disaster to low boiler water and the temporary repairs done at Vicksburg, MS. due to the recent end of the war and the assassination of President Lincoln not as much attention was paid to the disaster as would normally have been done. to this day this is a little known event in US history. the first picture is from Harper's Weekly and pictures the ship burning with many passengers in the water. the second picture is the photograph from 1865 of SS Sultana at Helena, AR. notice the decks totally crowded with soldiers. the last picture is a mural which can be seen at Vicksburg,MS of Sultana loading soldiers before leaving that city. there has been no other maritime disaster in the US which killed so many people.
April 27, 1865 the large Mississippi River Steamboat SS Sultana exploded shortly after leaving Memphis, TN. she was contracted to the US Government to carry soldiers and former prisoners of war back to St. Louis at $5.00 a head for enlisted and $10.00 for officers. rated to carry 376 passengers she was severely overloaded with between 1,800 and 2,100 soldiers. she had suffered some boiler problems which were minimally repaired at Vicksburg, MS before she loaded passengers. she proceeded upriver to Helena, AR. were she was photographed with her decks crowded with soldiers. she then went on to Memphis, TN after which stop she proceeded further north. in the early morning of April 27, 3 of her boilers exploded and she burned to the waterline before sinking. the explosion took many lives including the officers and Captain J. Cass Mason commanding the Sultana. the subsequent fire and sinking killed the rest. the Mississippi was in spring flood so was full of water which was very cold. many perished of hypothermia. the official toll was 1,547 lives lost but up to 1,800 may have died in the catastrophe. official conclusions attributed the disaster to low boiler water and the temporary repairs done at Vicksburg, MS. due to the recent end of the war and the assassination of President Lincoln not as much attention was paid to the disaster as would normally have been done. to this day this is a little known event in US history. the first picture is from Harper's Weekly and pictures the ship burning with many passengers in the water. the second picture is the photograph from 1865 of SS Sultana at Helena, AR. notice the decks totally crowded with soldiers. the last picture is a mural which can be seen at Vicksburg,MS of Sultana loading soldiers before leaving that city. there has been no other maritime disaster in the US which killed so many people.
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