Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,994
The largest ship of its time disappears without a trace...
On March 11, 1841, the crew of the British paddle steamer "President"...
... casts off the lines in the port of New York...:
The "President"...
... owned by the "British and American Steam Navigation Company" in Liverpool, with a length of 74 metres, a width of 12 meters and a displacement of 2,366 tons, is the largest steamship of her time, surpassing the - previously largest - "Great Western" ...
... a lot.
Destination of the "President" is her home port Liverpool...
... on board are 109 passengers and crew members.
Captain Richard Roberts, a reserve lieutenant in the Royal Navy, is in command on board. Roberts has extensive experience with the new steamships - he has been the captain of the Sirius...
... when it was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic in April 1838...:
However, this time the "President" is loaded with cargo up to its capacity limit, since in addition to the paid freight an extra load of coal was taken on board.
The steam engine of the new ship had proved to be extraordinarily "coal-eating" - and against the prevailing westerly winds (= headwind!) Captain Roberts did not want to take any chances!
Eyewitnesses who witnessed the departure of the "President" from the port will later unanimously testify that the ship was unusually deep in the water - and therefore had significantly less freeboard than usual.
On March 13, the "President" is seen between the Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank by the crew of the sailor "Orpheus", which is heading in the opposite direction from Bermuda to New York...:
The "Great Banks" are - to this day - a notorious weather corner where exceptionally strong storms can occur.
(This is how the action of the movie "The Perfect Storm" takes place in the waters of the "Great Banks".)
The captain of the "Orpheus" notes the sighting of the "President" in his logbook and adds that the paddle steamer fought at full speed against stormy winds and increasingly high waves.
This is the last time the "President" will be seen!
After that, the ship with man and mouse disappeared without a trace - to this day! Not the smallest piece of debris is found - highly unusual for a ship built of wood.
One can only speculate about what happened to the "President":
Experts believe that she got caught in one of the infamous "Northwest" storms over the "Grand Banks"...
...the ship took on far too much water, the engine room filled up and the steam engine failed, the ship then struck across the sea and was sunk so quickly by the breaking ground seas in the relatively shallow waters that no lifeboat was left in the water could...
On March 11, 1841, the crew of the British paddle steamer "President"...
... casts off the lines in the port of New York...:
The "President"...
... owned by the "British and American Steam Navigation Company" in Liverpool, with a length of 74 metres, a width of 12 meters and a displacement of 2,366 tons, is the largest steamship of her time, surpassing the - previously largest - "Great Western" ...
... a lot.
Destination of the "President" is her home port Liverpool...
... on board are 109 passengers and crew members.
Captain Richard Roberts, a reserve lieutenant in the Royal Navy, is in command on board. Roberts has extensive experience with the new steamships - he has been the captain of the Sirius...
... when it was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic in April 1838...:
However, this time the "President" is loaded with cargo up to its capacity limit, since in addition to the paid freight an extra load of coal was taken on board.
The steam engine of the new ship had proved to be extraordinarily "coal-eating" - and against the prevailing westerly winds (= headwind!) Captain Roberts did not want to take any chances!
Eyewitnesses who witnessed the departure of the "President" from the port will later unanimously testify that the ship was unusually deep in the water - and therefore had significantly less freeboard than usual.
On March 13, the "President" is seen between the Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank by the crew of the sailor "Orpheus", which is heading in the opposite direction from Bermuda to New York...:
The "Great Banks" are - to this day - a notorious weather corner where exceptionally strong storms can occur.
(This is how the action of the movie "The Perfect Storm" takes place in the waters of the "Great Banks".)
The captain of the "Orpheus" notes the sighting of the "President" in his logbook and adds that the paddle steamer fought at full speed against stormy winds and increasingly high waves.
This is the last time the "President" will be seen!
After that, the ship with man and mouse disappeared without a trace - to this day! Not the smallest piece of debris is found - highly unusual for a ship built of wood.
One can only speculate about what happened to the "President":
Experts believe that she got caught in one of the infamous "Northwest" storms over the "Grand Banks"...
...the ship took on far too much water, the engine room filled up and the steam engine failed, the ship then struck across the sea and was sunk so quickly by the breaking ground seas in the relatively shallow waters that no lifeboat was left in the water could...
