The Foundering of the HMS Birkenhead

"Women and Children first" a phrase many are familiar with. But do you know the origin? Half a century before the Titanic plunged beneath the waves a British Troopship was in mortal peril off the coast of South Africa. With half their lifeboats destroyed or useless, the nearly 600 men on board had to make a sacrifice that the world would never forget. Here is the origin of the Birkenhead drill, way back on that February day in 1852.
#History #Disaster
Works Cited:
The Wreck of the HMS Birkenhead by Charles River
www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bir...)
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[@MaritimeHorrors]

Attention all hands! I now have merch! My channel artist has made up some merch on her teepublic. All funds go to paying her for the wonderful work she does. So if you want to show your support for the channel and the great art she does, pick something up! www.teepublic.com/user/dragonrise_studio/albums/146205-maritime-horrors

[@thomasmills3934]

Where have you gone...?

[@johnwolf2829]

Fascinating contrast with some of the other disasters at that same time, where all the women & kids died. Every one of them. I can see why feminists always avoid this kind of subject.

[@HarborLockRoad]

Royal Navy: " weve plenty of limes to fight scurvy, and rum for morale." Excellent, how is the lifeboat situation? " Lifeboats??? We dont need lifeboats, we always win!"

[@SudrianTales]

RN: Besides, you see those seas? No lifeboat going to survive that.

[@naverilllang]

except a lot of them were rescued?

[@SudrianTales]

@@naverilllang Im thinking of the other 9/10 sinkings.

[@ivanlagayacrus1891]

@@naverilllang I wouldn't call

[@cgi2002]

@@ivanlagayacrus1891 when you consider the time in history this happened, 30% survival rate is frankly marvelous. It wasn't uncommon for a ship going down to have 100% casualties. There were no rescue services, organised searches, and even distress calls were exceptionally uncommon at that point in history, mostly been based on signal flares still, and hoping someone was close enough to see it. Sure this could have been better had the lifeboats been properly maintained, and a ferrying system setup to move men to and from the shore with them (if its close enough to swim, it's close enough to ferry people to). But this was at a time when the standard approach to an ship going down was every man for himself, and even having lifeboats aboard ship wasn't a requirement but a luxury.

[@JerryFisher]

Imagine it: a ship that is considered virtually unsinkable on her maiden voyage. Then it encounters an iceberg in the stormy North Atlantic. Despite being in contact with nearby ships, they are unable to find her and she sinks. You could be forgiven for thinking it was the Titanic, but it was another ship: the MS Hans Hedtoft. A ship that has a few eerie coincidences that remind people of the Titanic, but more tragic in that nobody survived. Nobody knows precisely where she sank and a life belt from her was the only piece of the ship ever found. Outside of Greenland and Denmark, she has been overlooked and forgotten. She could be a fascinating episode.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

Haha, I was worried this was leading to a Titanic suggestion. But this sounds VERY interesting. I'll definitely give it a look. Thanks for the suggestion, shipmate.

[@alexmcnutt5706]

@@MaritimeHorrors Drop your Titanic episode when you hit 100k Subscribers. So like August 2022.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

I do not have any plans of ever doing an episode on the RMS Titanic lol

[@trainknut]

@@alexmcnutt5706 There's really no point, it's just beating a dead horse at this point.

[@sorrenblitz805]

@@MaritimeHorrors another one you could do a video for is the Collins liner SS Arctic, a Transatlantic paddle wheel steamer which also tragically sank in the north Atlantic. The only vid I ever found about it was a rather shoddy text to speech information dump video.

[@stephanl1983]

When the Prussian King heard of the disaster, he gave order to read the news to his troops, as an example of the strict discipline of the British soldiers, and that He except the same discipline of his men, whenever they came in a similar situation!

[@stephanl1983]

@uNnHkP8mza the King of Prussia, later they became King of Prussia and Emperor of the German Empire.

[@0037kevin]

Oh man, the King of Prussia has the best shopping mall in the greater Philadelphia area. You should def. check it out.

[@brt-jn7kg]

" But to stand an' be still to the Birken'ead drill it was a damn tough bullet to chew.An' they did it the Jollies, Er Majesty Jollies, soldier and sailor too." Rudyard Kipling

[@aprylrittenhouse4562]

That was honor. Something missing in this new world

[@aprylrittenhouse4562]

Im sorry its Rudyard Kipling

[@aprylrittenhouse4562]

Essy mistayke

[@brt-jn7kg]

@@aprylrittenhouse4562 so very sorry for the late reply it is an excusable that it's taken 7 months. I fixed his name thank you for pointing that out by the way. Unfortunately the engineers that design the hardware on cell phones can't make them understand a Texan. I was a police officer and was injured very bad and because of it I can't feel my hands so I try to text like that it just comes out hdbfhdjsjtsi. Lol

[@alevine1951]

Recently learned of the USS Thresher incident, but I know you have an almost limitless number of maritime horrors to choose from.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

That's an interesting one, I'll add it to the list. Appreciate the suggestion.

[@alevine1951]

@@MaritimeHorrors "Interesting" in the way of the ancient Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times."

[@X737_]

@@MaritimeHorrors look up HMS Fittleton

[@daviddunsmore103]

@@MaritimeHorrors If the RMS Empress of Ireland isn't on your list already, I recommend that you add it forthwith. ⚓

[@justlucky8254]

The Thresher was drilled into the minds of myself and everybody else who went into various manufacturing apprenticeships at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard right after high-school. In the machine shop where I did my apprenticeship, Thresher was regularly pointed to while discussing various safety aspects of the work we did on subs, especially work involving watertight issues or hull integrity. That sinking was key to the creation of an intensive submarine safety program called SUBSAFE.

[@noxprsn]

Every time you pronounce things in foreign languages, I say "I love this guy."

[@ariahazelwood3842]

Right?? The clicks and everything...this channel is such high quality!

[@nietzchepreacher9477]

Yeah he really gave Khosa his best! And generally gets the UK locations close to correct too.

[@Slayer11747]

I’m from birkenhead an I just love how he emphasises the word when he says it haha

[@nietzchepreacher9477]

@@Slayer11747 UK towns and words so often confuse foreigners because there's so many rules/ so little rhyme and reason to how a word is spelled vs how it is pronounced

[@TheBigEvil]

Mad respect for him putting in the effort to treat other cultures with respect.

[@felixcat9318]

Having lived in Birkenhead for several years, this story isn't new to me. Those that stood on the sinking deck with absolutely no possibility of rescue or survival retained their dignity stoically.

[@daviddixon583]

Same lived hear all my life

[@doorhanger9317]

We love this "stoic dignity" shit in Britain. As brave as the soldiers and sailors were, they were still _killed._ They were victims of incredibly limited safety practices and dangerous leadership, and their deaths were completely avoidable.

[@felixcat9318]

@@doorhanger9317 I couldn't agree more! But if one is going to be killed and there's absolutely no way to prevent it, retaining one's dignity in death takes on a significance that may not be understood or respected by others...

[@PaulfromChicago]

They also knew they were protecting the women and children. It's easier to do that when you see your buddies' wife and kids (or your own) get off safely.

[@TheZackofSpades]

Stiff upper lips, indeed.

[@AJDraws]

I love how you always do your best to pronounce the linguistic words as accurately as possible. Might not always land well, but you do try, and that is appreciated.

[@Brahkolee]

Really caught me off guard when homie started clicking. Just wasn’t expecting to hear that lol. Ever have one of those moments where for a split second you’re like, “Wait, did that just happen?”

[@TBone-bz9mp]

I’m currently volunteering at the Argyll and Sutherlands museum in Stirling Castle. 63 members of the 91st regiment (Argylls) were on board the Birkenhead when she went down, only eight survived.

[@fabianzimmermann5495]

Respect to the soldiers patiently awaiting their deaths instead of trying to get into the lifeboats.

[@ropeburnsrussell]

This is a breathtaking story. What courageous men.

[@apancher]

Imagine surviving the actual sinking, only to be attacked by a damn shark. Man, what a bad day.

[@pokeyscorpion8224]

Death by shark is still much better than death by exhaustion and/or drowning

[@carlmanvers5009]

To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about, Is nothing so bad when you’ve cover to ‘and, an’ leave an’ likin’ to shout; But to stand an’ be still to the Birken’ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew, An’ they done it, the Jollies - ‘Er Majesty’s Jollies - soldier an’ sailor too! ' _Soldier an' Sailor Too' - Rudyard Kipling_

[@captainahab1533]

Made my day! You’re channel is pure gold. I‘m completely addicted since the mighty algorithm recommended your video about the Franklin-Expedition...

[@darkphoenix22r]

Same here, I was searching for videos about the Franklin Expedition and found this great channel. Very interesting stuff and the presentation is excellent.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

I greatly appreciate it, shipmates. I'm glad you enjoy the videos!

[@spikespa5208]

Just discovered (late) this channel. These stories are just what I'm looking for. Anything that has to do with maritime history. Thank you for your efforts.

[@jamsistired]

Same for me! That video led to a binge session of about 15 or so on this channel.

[@teheyepatch]

As a contrast, you should do a video on the SS Arctic. That was an instance where the men looked at "women and children first," and said "Fuck that!"

[@jamsistired]

Yeah, I would just hop in a lifeboat and discard that rule. I just want to live I don’t care if your a man or a woman just throw me a lifeboat.

[@rambysophistry1220]

@@jamsistired Honestly, given how things have gone, I can't say I blame ya in the slightest. The reason to support the birkenhead drill is gone, so too ought be the drill. Not that such is the best outcome, really, but it is necessary outcome for equality.

[@pilotbug6100]

ah yes I watched Part-time explorer's video on it. truly terrible.

[@CJODell12]

La Bourgogne was the same, with only 1 woman surviving and none of the children survived

[@vorynrosethorn903]

The sailors stole the lifeboats and left the civilians to die, a good many of the remaining men attacked those trying to make a raft, drank all the alcohol on broad, armed themselves and then started ransacking the ship, robbing other passengers and then decided to violate the women on broad (of which there were many, along with many children, all of whom died in the subsequent sinking). Those survivors who had engaged in disgusting conduct proceeded to defame the character of those who hadn't in an attempt to hide their wrongdoing.

[@DaveSCameron]

I live in the town of Birkenhead, home of Cammell Lairds shipyard and builder of noteable ships such as the HMS Ark Royal, HMS Thetis and CMS Alabama and I'm grateful for your work and best wishes.. ☘️🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿📚

[@richardwolf8024]

Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany is said to have been greatly moved by this story. He had the story repeared to units of his army, or something like that.

[@ecannon649]

The Russian Submarine Kirsk is a true horrific tragedy you may want to consider. Great job on the Birkenhead..

[@ripwednesdayadams]

I think they have? Idk I’ve watched a few docs on youtube about the Kursk.

[@roadwarrior114]

@@ripwednesdayadams He hasn't.

[@RainbowDash2101]

Very tragic, but incredibly brave of the soldiers.

[@jeffreyhinton8634]

I know this is a year old but I still want say what a great job you did on this one. I've never heard this story before so I really appreciated it.

[@devinschroeder5840]

Just started working at a Harbor as a boat mechanic. Love listening to this on my lunch breaks.

[@ricksadler797]

Very brave. Thank you. God bless

[@jona.scholt4362]

Respect for trying to add the clicking pronunciation in "Xhosa War".

[@LeCharles07]

At first I thought it was an audio error but then he said it again and I was like, "Oh ok. That's pretty awesome."

[@adirondacktrekking1972]

Yeah I thought it was something like that ,thank you for clarification 🙏…Props for recognizing 👍

[@GREGORYABUTLER]

except he mispronounced it The Xhosas don't have that click sound in their language. Xhosa is pronounced "kosa" - no click. The Khoikhoi and the San peoples have clicks in their languages, but they're distinct linguistically and culturally from the Xhosas

[@Erikaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

@@GREGORYABUTLER Come on Greg, give him some credit

[@waynewalters426]

@@Erikaaaaaaaaaaaaa Don't listen to him he's full of it. MH mispronounced it a little tbf but I don't really fault him for that. It's cool just to see him try to incorporate the click. I'm very glad my native tongue is click free, they seem kind of tedious. Xhosa uses clicks, especially in place of letters C, Q, and X. So in the word Xhosa the click would come at the start of the word.

[@danastumpe8992]

So glad I found your channel! Listening to videos like these makes me feel the same way scary children's stories used to back when I was a kid. It's this slightly unsettled but still cozy feeling.

[@4exgold]

visited the Danger Point lighthouse in the Cape a few years ago. There's a small museum there and you could climb the steep steps to the top if you're able bodied, but even just reading the information boards about the Birkenhead beside the lighthouse and standing on the bluff looking out over the often windswept and turbulent coastline there is a memorable experience. It actually amazes me that 80 or so of the soldiers were able to swim the 2 miles to reach the shore. Even though the weather was apparently calm at the time, the water temperature would still be cool, I'd guess anywhere between 14-19 celsius, and of course the shark problem. Incredible bravery all round!

[@nathanreed174]

Ive been binge watching your videos for 4 days now. Your doing a great job and service to us old mariners. I have a few frightening tales to tell as well but fortunately most of them never ended in such tragedy. Like most, if not all retired captains we count our lucky stars not to have been the topic of such horrendous outcomes. I'm sure we have all come close a time or two though... So thank you for your excellent and heart wrenching videos.

[@arnepianocanada]

Splendid presentation of a deeply moving story.

[@grimtea1715]

Do a video on the USS Indianapolis, The HMS Jersey, or Japanese Hell ships. All three are true Maritime horrors.

[@buenapilapil5513]

What are the Japanese hell ships?

[@grimtea1715]

@@buenapilapil5513 They were ships used by the Imperial Japanese to transport POWs. They would gain the name of Hell Ships because of how awful they really were.

[@buenapilapil5513]

@@grimtea1715 no doubt

[@OlOleander]

The Indianapolis incident breaks my heart every time. The IJN at least had human villains, faces and men who perpetrated the atrocities and crimes against humanity during the war. But the Indianapolis? There was only negligence, bad luck, and the vast, uncaring ocean. If you don't know much about the incident, some recommend the book "All the Drowned Sailors."

[@queer_dreams_of_soothing_r9641]

Thank you for your attempted pronunciation. It’s fantastic to hear foreigners and family from all over learn each others language

[@alexmcnutt5706]

My favorite channel on KZbin!

[@devastator6570]

You should do the story of the SS Arctic. This was a ship that also tried the women and children first when she sank except the crew and passenger instead panicked and swamped the lifeboats

[@nathanielwhittemore5092]

Keep up the great work! Great story, would never have heard of it otherwise.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

It's a lesser known one. I'm glad I could shed some light on it.

[@MagnanimousEntropy]

An excellent video as always. You honour the men who died that day by telling their story. If i might make a suggestion for a future video, i would suggest the Texas Tower disaster from the annals of the US Navy. It is a sad and disturbing tale.

[@Ayoosi]

What an incredibe story! As a former American soldier, I both understand and amazed at the heroism and stocism shown by those British soldiers, knowing they faced their own deaths yet standing orderly to meet it

[@erasedsoul555]

Love your channel, listen to it while I drive for work

[@sonkies5117]

Such a great channel. Thanks Legal Vices!

[@straswa]

Great vid MH. Really enjoying your content. RIP to the fallen.

[@stevenwilson3563]

Segments are always fascinating and entertaining. My new favorite channel. Well done! Keep 'em coming.

[@blakefrancis6635]

Can you please do a video on the Wilhelm Gustloff?

[@pamyuhnke8143]

Love your stories! Thank you!

[@santafewarbonnetproductions]

make a video about the Css Alabama

[@joebarratt9101]

I’m so glad I’ve found your channel!

[@earlofcumbrae-Ground_Zero]

Great Content ! I've Subscribed. Greetings from the French Alps. 🐕🔊💖

[@johanvandersandt8904]

Haha... Xhosa is said with a click bud. Love your videos!

[@FM_1819]

Isn't the Laird shipyard the same that built the CSA Alabama?

[@MaritimeHorrors]

It was indeed, well spotted. Built there 10 years after Birkenhead sunk.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

When The Alabama keel was laid. Roll Alabama Roll! It was laid in the town of Birkenhead. Roll Alabama Roll! It was laid in the Yard of Jonathan Laird. Roll Alabama Roll.....

[@FM_1819]

@@kirkmorrison6131 Down Mersey channel she sailed then! Roll Alabama roll! And Liverpool gave her guns and men! Oh roll Alabama roll!

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

Form the Western Isles she sailed forth To destroy the commerce of the North.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

@@FM_1819 Yep I just didn't want to type it all out. There are a total of 16 verses I have found.

[@stoneymcneal2458]

Yet another brilliant narration

[@Aesyrbane]

Great analysis mate thanks.

[@FM_1819]

Love your videos m8! you deserve more subs

[@UraniumChef]

Fantastic video! Rip to all the souls lost to the sea.

[@robinrodriguez480]

Excellent video !!!👍👍

[@daytonvause8714]

This channel rocks!

[@gregfox5453]

I live in Birkenhead, and my father worked at the laird shipyard (cammell lairds) so woman and children first is from this sinking, great video.

[@Connecticutsparky]

There was a whaling ship that sank somewhere near elephant island. Shackleton wanted to use the cave they stayed in. If you could find that I’d love to see it.

[@jared1870]

Maritime horror stories and now shirts, it doesn't get better than this.

[@n1k0abc34]

Bro all of your pronunciations are so good! Good job

[@jamesvanderpoel2135]

Can you do the Mikhail Lermontov wreck and rescue? As well as the last stand of Taffy 3

[@Erikaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

The last stand of Taffy 3 is a bit of a weird choice for a channel about naval disasters and tragedies. Taffy 3 is just... a battle. A heroic and interesting battle, yes, but a battle.

[@PatrickDickey52761]

I found your channel from your Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald video. I'd love to see more Great Lakes shipwreck videos.

[@rebeccahauser2649]

This one gave me chills.

[@samkelleher1731]

2:40 Great video, that’s Thomas Cochrane though, of the HMS Speedy (amongst other vessels).

[@decrepitfrogman8814]

Commenting to bump. Good content

[@roblacksnail8615]

Good video

[@FalconKPD]

HMS Captain would be a fantastic subject to cover.

[@mauricedavis8261]

HERORIC!!!🙏👍

[@simonrisley2177]

A well-known story, but very well told.

[@vegasspaceprogram6623]

You should do a video on the wahine ferry. She foundered in wellington harbor during a huge storm, within a km of land but unable to do anything...

[@Dav1Gv]

Side paddle wheels were also out of favour on warships as a single hit on one would leave you going round in circles. There is a memorial to those lost in BUry St Edumnds. There is also a poem about the incident 'Let us haste away before the sea this barque devours/This man, of course, no officer of ours/" The Birkenhead Drill' also gets a mention in a poem by Kipling about the Royal Marines referring to the loss of HMS Victoria from collision with another RN ship due to a fatally stupid order by the Admiral.

[@maurorazukfilho5997]

Congratulations on the channel! Your video on the Franklin Expedition was brilliant, as were the others. If I may suggest: could you do a video on the tragedy of the Costa Concordia? I believe most of us here followed that story live and it would be incredibly interesting to have a more historical perspective on an event that happened not so long ago. Best regards!

[@Ayoosi]

Sidenote: Internet Historian's Costa Concordia video is one of the best documentaries I've seen about it, and told through memes...

[@MiTBender]

Vada a bordo, cazzo!

[@timwilliams2343]

Interesting channel. You might have a look at the Estonia, a massive loss of life in the Baltic.

[@jonathanlang754]

Another accident to consider is the sinking of the SS Ville du Havre. It was this sinking that the hymn It Is Well With My Soul was written after the song writer Horatio Spafford lost his four daughters in that sinking.

[@Ulquiorra4163]

I knew this story sounded familiar, it's another of the shipwreck stories detailed in a shark book I mentioned in my comment in the Dona Paz video. The account you gave was quoted to the letter as well as another survivor account (book is still MIA, I hope to find it as it's out of print). Out of the 200 soldiers on deck, only 3 actually followed the swimmers only order. The Lt Col drown as he couldn't swim and the Captain was killed by the falling smokestacks. I'll detail a deck soldier account once I find that book, thanks for covering this tragedy. Edit: I've found the book again and I'll share the whole of what was written below, take note that it appears the Lt Col may have gotten a posthumous promotion as the book calls him Colonel Seton and my double checking on Wikipedia has listed him as such but he was also accounted as Lt Col Seton so take it with a grain of salt there. Also note there may have been some confusion when the masts and smokestacks collapsed when it was written. 'On 26th February 1852, the English frigate Birkenhead struck a reef south of the Cape of Good Hope at 2 o'clock in the morning, only 1600 meters of Danger Point. On board were 490 English soldiers with 25 of their wives and 31 children, in addition to a crew of 134 men under the command of Captain Robert Salmond. In the first few minutes following the collision, confusion reigned on board as the soldiers, sailors, and passengers all rushed on to deck to escape the flood of water invading the front of the ship. The officers quickly re-established composure by ordering the men to regroup at the aft end of the boat and Colonel Seton commanded his officers to see to it that all of Captain Salmond's orders were carried out immediately. The latter ordered the women and children to board a rowboat, detailing a sub-lieutenant and a sergeant to separate the women from their husbands by force. A second boat was launched with 30 men on board. There were no more lifeboats for the 600 men left aboard the Birkenhead, whose deck was leaning more and more towards the bow. Many passengers trapped below deck had already drowned, and others had died when the masts crashed down onto the deck. Others still had been hurled overboard, and screams of terror were already coming from the surrounding waters. The victims could not see the drama unfolding around them in the night, but they guessed that the screams were those of the swimmers snatched towards the depths by the sharks. There were 200 men left on deck when Captain Salmond climbed a few meters up the foremast to shout for everyone's attention: "Every man for himself now. Your only chance if you can swim is to jump into the water and try to cling to anything floating, but I beg you to avoid the rowboat with the women and children, it's already overloaded. I am asking you in fact to stay where you are." Three men only were to jump overboard, and, of the rest of the 200, nobody moved, stoically obeying orders. A few moments after Salmond's harangue, the ship's hull broken in two, all the deck having disappeared under the water while the stern rose above the surface to completely expose the rudder. A surviving officer was to later write: "Every man did what he had been ordered to do, and there was not a shout, not a murmur among them, until the ship finally went down... The officers had received their orders and executed them, as if the men were embarking instead of going straight to the bottom of the sea. There was only one difference: I have never seen embarkation carried out with so little noise or confusion." The Birkenhead sank exactly thirty minutes after hitting the reef. The sea was red with blood, and on the surface could be seen what appeared to be hardly recognizable human remains, torn up by sharks. Lieutenant Girardot described to his father: "I remained on deck until the boat sank. I was dragged underwater by the suction and a man caught my leg. I succeeded in freeing myself by kicking him and got to the surface, where I hung onto to some pieces of wood. I remained in the water for five hours... The sea was so high that many perished trying to reach land. Practically all those who found themselves in the water without clothes were taken by sharks: hundreds of them surrounded us, and I saw a number of men seized right next to me, but, as I was dressed... they preferred the others." More then 60 men managed to swim the 1600 meters separating them from the coast, but the majority of the Birkenhead's passengers could not swim, including Colonel Seton, who drowned. Captain Salmond was hurled overboard and killed by the falling masts. The shipwreck claimed 455 lives, and the proportions of the deaths due to the sharks were certainly of the same order of magnitude as that due to the ship and the sea. When the account of the drama reached London on 15th April 1852, the complete list of victims was published, but not a word was mentioned about sharks.' The book is 'The Jaws of Death. Sharks as Predator. Man as Prey' by Xavier Maniguet. It's a good read but has VERY graphic shark attack victim photos as well as croc attack victims as he has a portion of the book dedicated to other water predators like crocs, barracudas, and piranhas. A final reminder of the sad night is actually tied to the sharks themselves as locals have since called the great whites there "Tommy sharks" after the nicknamed given to British soldiers, the nickname still used to this very day.

[@thomasgiles2876]

The active commander at the time (shows picture of 12 year old child) lieutenant colonel...

[@IK_MK]

I love your honest attempt to pronouncing Xhosa 😂❤️ To save time, just pronounce it as _"Kosa"_

[@danielpothier9990]

Could you do a video on the USS Pueblo if you haven't already

[@tomsucksatvideoames732]

nice

[@superzobat]

I appreciate your attempt to pronounce Xhosa lol. Most people don't even try and just say zo-sah or jo-sah. There's like 4 clicks in the Xhosa language and you used the wrong kind, but you were very close!

[@coyohti]

Is there any further information on how the wives and their children were compensated, if at all? "Women and children first" is an honorable sentiment but in a time when women had very little agency over their own well-being leaving them on their own, especially with children, could be considered by some worse than a death sentence. If they didn't have family who were of means it wasn't uncommon at the time for widows to have to turn to prostitution, in order to put food on the table for them and their children. I honestly hope the women and their children who were saved were truly saved.

[@grendelgrendelsson5493]

Quite often it was common for military widows to remarry swiftly after the deaths of their husbands. Some of the widows of those who fell in the Charge of the Light Brigade were married to other soldiers within weeks. One Light Brigade widow lost her trooper husband but married a sergeant thereby improving her situation. Usually because of the small number of wives who were allowed to travel with their husbands and the lack of women in foreign postings any widow would have no lack of suitors. I hope that this is of some interest.

[@coyohti]

@@grendelgrendelsson5493 Thanks for replying! I hope this was the case for these women. Since they ended up far from home and potentially surrounded by single men I can see how it's probable that many were able to find new partners. Not an ideal situation but, well, we can't change history.

[@grendelgrendelsson5493]

@@coyohti Indeed it was not ideal and we can only hope that they attained some level of security if not happiness.

[@timferguson1593]

Have you done a piece on the Halifax explosion? That was horrifying.

[@jeffbybee5207]

Small note the reason she was made a transport from a warship was her iron hull in the cold north Atlantic her hull acted brittle instead of ductile when hit by solid shot and the iron turned into shrapnel.

[@captainhindsight8779]

The discipline of the Royal Navy is commendable throughout its long history.

[@ThroneOfBhaal]

If it's called 'Danger Point' shouldn't you be a little careful?

[@jaysonlima9271]

They more or less were, an adequate look out posted, and taking soundings, on a routine voyage, in that era thats about the best you can do.

[@pokeyscorpion8224]

Considering the time period, they did all they could

[@TheRoflcopter84]

Great job as always! I love the variety of stories we get. One thing that I’m curious about is how accurate the whole “these guys were model of dying with honor” sentiment is. I’m not knocking them for dying, but I highly doubt they just stood there and accepted their fate as reported. To me, this sounds like when the officers of the Titanic refused to say that the ship broke because would look bad for the shipbuilder/shipping line/Edwardian society as a whole.

[@20thCenturyManTrad]

It is likely accurate, because the women and children had no reason to lie. Finally once the ship was gone they made way to shore, had they not shown rigid discipline, those lifeboats could surely have been made more shark bait. The officers on the Titanic did not lie, those who testified to it sinking whole were in a state of peril, in a night black as pitch, it would have been difficult to see anything at all, let alone a ship sinking with the lights gone out. Only the stars lit the night, Ocean liner designs did a simulation of what it was like that night. No film portrays it accurately, mainly because to tell the tale the viewer must see what goes on. Officer Charles Lightholler was running a balancing act on the overturned collapsible A lifeboat, whether the ship split apart was not his concern, all he saw was a black silhouette go below the ocean and heard the ship go down. Only the most discerning person of excellent eyesight could have been certain the Titanic split at the time.

[@20thCenturyManTrad]

Also note the tail of the Arctic from 1854, in a different desperate situation crew and passengers mutinied and got all the women and children killed. Also 19th century soldiers were still well trained in line warfare, even recruits, and that alone proves that they had the capability of standing still in the face of death. As line warfare is standing till ordered otherwise and march in line with likelihood of death always there. The chaps aboard the Birkenhead did not have the violent deaths that a breaking line infantry unit would have seen, so till the ship was gone, panic would have been folly.

[@argylemcgoogin3298]

2:41 that is Thomas Cochrane, 10th Lord Dundonald,lol! :)

[@godblessusa1036]

Hi Maritime Horrors. I've been enjoying your videos and want to suggest a subject. Would you please make a video about the U.S.S. Pueblo that was captured in international waters off North Korea in 1968. Would you make the focus on what happened to the Captain and crew during their time with the North Koreans. I'd also like to know what happened to the ship itself. Thank you for your consideration.

[@chrisgustavsson6902]

From paddle wheel fregatte to screw propelled ship? So they went from frig'it to screw it?

[@ThunderGod9182]

The saddest part was the horse that drowned.

[@TheCamberwell]

Can you do a feature on the Wahine disaster 10 April 1968 Wellington Harbour New Zealand? Cheers.

[@MulToyVerse]

Try saying "Another shock shook the ship" five times fast.

[@hauntedcliffside]

Idk if you take requests but is it possible the two warships USS hornet cv8 and cv12

[@banjohero1182]

lieutenant colonel at 14. impressive!

[@mysticdragonwolf89]

Now I finally know the strange tradition of loading the women and children first For longest I thought it was due the superstition of “women shouldn’t be on a ship, it’s bad luck” soooo removing them and the children was the best way to remove said bad luck and the distraction of kids do the men could focus on saving the ship if at all possible

[@schizophrenicdad6726]

Empress of Ireland is one of my favorite ships sad story though

[@russelljones3493]

rudyard kiplings soldier an sailor too

[@mojoemurphy]

80 out of the 100 swimming over 2 miles to shore is pretty impressive, honestly

[@SnafuFourTwo]

2:38 When you recognize the ship captain but not for a good reason😂 that’s the dude that fired on Fort McHenry (the event that Francis Scott Key wrote down and which became the Star Spangled Banner).

[@samkelleher1731]

I think the guy you’re thinking of is Alexander Cochrane. The man in the image is his nephew, Thomas Cochrane. Famous for lots of things but possibly most famous for his capture of the El Gamo.

[@submarinesailor5140]

Gonna be honest, that captain was a bit of an idiot. Unless there's something I'm missing, why tf would he back off of the rocks?

[@R0ckmans]

Most likely an overestimation of hull integrity combined with the idea that the captain was likely under the impression that the damage was minor enough to stave off flooding with pumps until it could be repaired. So maybe not so much a lack of intelligence, but hubris. Common issue in the history of the Royal Navy.

[@tterrag1987]

Alexander looks like he's at most 10 years old.

[@jojoreztorc0396]

Wow, the Birkenhead was designed by a guy I share a name with, though his Laird is a last name and mine’s a middle name. Still, it’s cool that we both share John Laird as a name.

[@Lucasxd331]

2:38 That's Thomas Cochrane, not captain Robert Salmond.