This Day in History January 23, 1909

I find this interesting that this happened three years prior to the Titanic. This was also a White Star Line ship called the RMS Republic.  It collided with the Italian ship Florida due to dense fog.  And on this date in 1909, a distress signal went out over the radio.  And thus began the first ever radio rescue at sea.  Those who survived the initial collision were evacuated to the RMS Baltic.

For more information:
http://famousdaily.com/history/the-first-radio-rescue-at.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Republic_(1903)
http://www.rms-republic.com/index.php

This Day in History December 12, 1939 (or the 13th)

I had never heard of today's feature--maybe you have.  The SS Indigirka was a Soviet ship that began transporting prisoners in 1919.  It was named after a river in Siberia, and it served under several different names throughout its "career."  It was able to hold about 1500 prisoners.

On December 8, 1919, it left Magadan to Vladivastok.  It left with the following aboard:

• 39 crew
• 249 fisherman and their families
• 50 prisoners that were kept under guard
• 835 prisoners who had technical skills needed for the war effort

On this date (or the 13th, it's unclear), 1939, at 2:20 A.M., the ship ran aground due to a blizzard. It was off the Japanese coast, and the prisoners were prevented from getting off the ship.  The ship came to rest in shallow water, and the captain, most of the crew and fishermen were rescued.  On December 16, rescue of the prisoners began.  Only 28 survivors were found (one later died), and the death toll was 741.

For more information:

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?138974

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Indigirka#cite_note-8

This Day in History July 20, 1985

Did you know that real buried treasure was discovered on this date in 1985?  That's right.  Just ask Mel Fisher.  Here is the story of a real-life treasure discovery.

On September 4, 1622, 28 ships left Havana headed for Spain.  These ships were loaded with treasures being carried to the great Spanish empire.  The next day, there was a hurricane in their path.  And then on by September 6, eight of these ships lay at the bottom of the sea.  The Atocha was one of these.

In 1969, Mel Fisher and his crew began to search for the treasures of the Atocha.  They knew they were getting close when the hull of the ship was discovered in May of 1980.  However, it was not until this date in 1985 that the wealth of the ship was finally uncovered.

At this point, only half of the treasure has been found.  It was located in an area just 40 miles from Key West.  Forty tons of treasure were unearthed estimated at $400 million.

For more information:
http://www.internetstones.com/image-files/mel-fisher-atocha-gold-chain.jpg
http://www.newworldtreasures.com/atochastory.htm
http://www.atocha.com/atocha_history.php
http://famousdaily.com/history/treasure-hunters-discover-atocha.html

This Day in History April 28, 1789

You have probably heard about this ship, and it was on this date in 1789 that mutiny happened on the HMS Bounty.  The story goes that in 1787, the ship headed to Tahiti from England to collect fruit that would serve as food for slaves.  While in Tahiti, the crew became accustomed to an idyllic lifestyle.  On April 4, 1789, the ship departed Tahiti.  And less than a month later, First Mate Fletcher Christian and 25 petty officers seized the ship.  They set the captain and 18 of his loyal supporters on a boat in the middle of the Pacific (that miraculously made it to the East Indies.  The mutineers attempted to set up a colony on the island of Tubuai.  In 1808, an American whaling ship found what was left of this "colony," and it was discovered that lots of problems had ensued.  It was not the idyllic colony that had been envisioned.

I did not realize that this island they colonized, Pitcaim Island, is still in existence today, and it is part of the British Empire.  Some of the descendants of the island can trace their heritage back to the original mutineers.

For more information, please check out:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mutiny-on-the-hms-bounty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_on_the_Bounty

This Day in History April 27, 1965

I will admit that I have never heard of this disaster that I am featuring today.  Interestingly enough, it was on this day in 1965 that the worst maritime disaster in U.S.  history occurred--the sinking of the S.S. Sultana.  It was more costly than the sinking of the Titanic.  Comparatively, 1517 people died in the sinking of Titanic compared with 1700 on the Sultana.  Interestingly enough, the sinking of the Sultana disaster is an event that is forgotten today.

Steamboat Sultana was carrying Union POW's back to their families.  In addition to these, there were some relatives aboard--including women.  About 2300 people were on board this ill-fated steamer, and before it left, its boiler sprung a leak.  Instead of properly fixing the problem, the captain took the quick way out and essentially applied a bandaid to the problem.

As it went along the Mississippi, it was known that it was overcrowded, but no one really cared.  It was on this date at 2 A.M. that the repaired boiler exploded.  And two more boilers exploded as well.  Many were killed instantly from falling debris amongst other things.  Many drowned, but there were some survivors.  The ship did sink, and still today it lies at the bottom of the muddy river.

For more information, please check out:
http://www.civilwaracademy.com/sultana.html
http://www.tngenweb.org/civilwar/newspaper/sultana.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0501_river5.html
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2269

This Day in History April 10, 1912

I probably don't need to say much of anything about this day's feature.  On this date in 1912, Titanic took off on its first (and what would be its last) voyage.  It is a great tragedy, as most of us know.  I have had a fascination with this tragedy since I was in sixth grade and had an opportunity to write a research paper on it.

In spite of the tragedy, there are great stories that have come out of it.  Of course, you have John Jacob Astor who went down with the ship as a hero.  He helped many get off the ship.  Then there is the story of the Strausses.  She refused to leave him when given the chance, and they went down with the ship together.  And they were the owners of Macy's!  There is always the story of Molly Brown who inspired the members of her lifeboat to not give up hope.  In some ways, I liken this ship to the Tower of Babel.  I think whenever we humans think we have built something that "rivals" our Lord, I think He does allow things to happen to sort of keep us in check.  This was the ship that was "unsinkable."  It was said that God Himself could not sink it.  While I don't believe that God caused the tragedy, He did allow it.  Just like He allowed the languages to be jumbled and confused at Babel.  Just my observation.   

I had heard about some memorial cruise, and that began yesterday.  I will post the video that talks about that.  

  http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/04/09/titanic-memorial-cruise-sets-sail?videoId=233014150&newsChannel=lifestyleMolt

And for more info, check out:

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00504/Sea_pages/titanic.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/titanic-large-image-1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17649500

This Day in History November 20, 1820

I really found this story I will share today interesting and sad.  I have always heard of Moby Dick, and I had heard that there may be some truth in the book--have not read it yet.  Much to my surprise, it was on this day in 1820 when a similar story happened.

It all concerned the ship called the Essex.  It was on a two and a half year sea journey from Nantucket, and the purpose of its journey was whaling.  The Essex weighed 238 tons, and there were 20 crew members.  They happened to be in the South Pacific on this date in 1820, and it just so happens that a sperm whale weighing 80 tons attacked the ship and repeatedly rammed it.

According to the accounts of the ship, the crew members escaped in three boats.  Their hope was to come in contact with another whaling boat soon, but sadly, they were not.  Time went on, and several of the crew members died.  The living ones survived off of the dead ones, and still no rescue was in sight.  So--and this is where it becomes gruesome--they cast lots, and one crew member was killed so the others could live off of them until rescue.  Finally, after 83 days, the two left on the little boat were rescued, and the other three survivors were later rescued from a desert island.

I always hate to hear these horrible stories of cannibalism.  I can only hope and pray that if ever in this position, I would never resort to this practice.  I honestly think I would rather die than live off of another human being.

For more information, please check out these sites:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-vessel-sunk-by-sperm-whale
http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2008/11/20/1820-sperm-whal-rams-sinks-nantucket-wha?blog=161
http://www.newsinhistory.com/blog/real-life-moby-dick-sperm-whale-attacks-sinks-ship-1820