The Terrible Disaster of the SS ARCTIC (1854)
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Published 2022-05-21
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On this channel, we've studied the Titanic, the Lusitania, the Atlantic, Lexington, Swallow, and others. However, the wreck of the Collins Liner SS Arctic in 1854 is the most tragic, shocking, and shameful maritime ordeals I've yet to cover. This story is not for the faint of heart.
After departing Liverpool and approaching the coast of Newfoundland en route for New York, the SS Arctic was struck by the French steamship Vesta, tearing open her side, and leading to a terrible calamity aboard both vessels, where most men turned to cowards and villains while only a few rose to be the heroes the situation called for.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Introduction
0:34 - The Arctic and the Collins Line
2:28 - The Voyage
5:59 - The Collision
8:55 - Inspecting the Damage
12:02 - Mad Dash for Land
15:17 - Evacuation and Mutiny
20:46 - Building the Raft
24:10 - The Arctic Founders
27:13 - Rescue
31:30 - The Aftermath and Conclusion
3D Ocean design by Michael at 3d-illusions.co.uk/
All Comments (21)
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Fantastic re-telling of this story. I haven't heard of it until now and it's pretty shocking. Thanks for shedding some much needed light on a an often not talked about era of shipping!
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This story is the epitome of "but wait, it gets worse"
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That woman deciding the keep running the pump until her body failed her is one of the most heroic and badass things I’ve ever heard. Makes you think about all the unknown heroes of history.
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Stewart Holland, the young man who stood by his post and continued to fire the signal cannon until the end. Last recorded words were, 'Tell the world at least one man stood by his post.' Mr. Stewart Holland, acted honorably and with great courage in the face of such a horrific scene. Stewart Holland; may his name be remembered 170+ years after his passing as the brave soul who stood by his post in an effort to save others. Much respect.
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The fact that he says not a single women or child survived is horrible and shows just how significant the toll of the actions of those selfish men were.
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For those who think that the moral values of society have collapsed, let this story remind you that evil and wickedness have been around for a long, long time. It's nothing new.
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I dont blame Capt Luce for never sailing again. Besides the crushing guilt he must have felt, how could he ever trust a crew after it seems most of them selfishly ignored his orders?
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It is completely despicable that not a single woman or child survived that
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You warned us, but this was still more gruesome and horrific than I ever could have imagined. A well-told story. Thanks for sharing it.
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Funny how the initially "doomed" ship survived just because it had watertight bulkheads and a crew that wasn't absolutely incompetent.
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Honestly, while the captain is ultimately in charge, Captain Luce wasn’t making horrible decisions here imo. He tried to do the noble thing and save the passengers but it was his crew that destroyed any semblance of an evacuation that screwed the passengers’ chances of surviving. They ultimately deserve the blame, not him.
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This story just destroys your faith in humanity. No matter how dreadful the sinkings of the Titanic, the Lusitania, etc were, you at least had a great deal of chivalry and selfless heroism from many of the passengers and crew on those ships. Sadly, it seems those qualities were in short supply aboard the SS Arctic… It’s no wonder her sinking has been forgotten to history; it shows our species at its very worst.
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I think one of the most horrific details was that some of the casualties from the Vista got trapped in the paddlewheel and literally got torn to pieces right in front of everyones eyes. Horrible
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Woman with the bloody hands, the young man that said “tell the world at least 1 man stood by his post to the end” are the reasons I liked this video. Those 2 folks, who may’ve never met the other, are the epitome of heroes.
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The woman manning the pump, who went down with the ship, was more courageous and more of an able seaman than any of the ships crew, save for the Captain and the gunnersmate who fired the signals cannon. That is sad.
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Being fortunate enough to be a father, hearing the captain's son's death teared me up a bit. Survives so much, only to be killed in a freakish way.
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The true heroes were Captain Luce, Steward Holland, and Anna Downer. Captain Luce did everything he could, and Steward and Anna stood true to their words and stayed at their post until the very end. I believe they died heroes. It was truly such an unfortunate event and it is completely understandable that Captain Luce chose to never sail again.
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The level of survivor's guilt captain luce must have experienced is absolutely beyond me
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Its amazing how you can have a whole ocean and still crash into each other due to human error
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First, let me say thank you so much for narrating it yourself, and not using the stupid AI voices that others refer to. Second just wow what an amazing piece of history research and production. This is a wonderful piece of work and you should be very proud of it. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you.
