The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-28
NOTABLE DISASTERS IN NAVAL
HISTORY.

In the history OF the American navy no
disaster Is recorded in which the loss OF
HE wss so great as tha; attending the
loss o. the Maine The only recent para lei
Is Tie Samoan disaster In March Isss.
when four officers and forty-six men Of
the t2c.fac coast squadron losS their lives
= hurricane which swept the harbor OF
Apis and surrounding waters. In this
hurricane the United States men-of-war
Trenton. Yanaali2 and Nips.c, and the
German steamers Adler and Eher were
wrecked. Ninesy-siS OF The crews on the
German vessels were lost
Going further back. the wreck OF the
United States sioop OF war Huron of the
coast OF North Carolina November -, 1877.
during a terrible gale offers the most striS-
ing comparison. In this wreck loo lives
We're lost and the vessel was broken To
pieces on the shore.
The only magazine explosion Of resent
years on United States warship took
place on the Missouri While she was living
a. anchor at Gibraltar. The explosion
caused great damage 10 the vessel. bat was
fortunately attended with no loss OF life.
Other navies have suffered far more Sc
verely than thai OF the United States dur
ing the last quarter OF a century One Of
the most terrible disasters was the foun-
dering OF the Spanish cruiser Reina Re
genta MARCIA II. lse5, in the Atlantic ocean,
near the entrance 10 the Mediterranean
sea. when more than 100 persons were
drowned
Great Britain suffered a loss equally ap-
pailing June - fS32, when the battleship
Victoria sunk after colliding with her sis
ter ship Camperdown during manetver,
off the coast Of Tripoli. The loss OF life
was twenty-five officers and sc of the
crew.
Three years previous the British torpedo
cruiser Serpent was wrecked in storm
of the northwest coast OF Spain. and all
but three of u crew OF 10 officers and men
were lost.
Another wreck famous In naval history
Is that of the British warship Doterel,
which was destroyed by an explosion Aurii
- lssl, while lying at anchor IN the Straits
OF Magellan. The explosion wiped the
vessel off the face OF the waters leaving
but seven alive out OF 80 officers and sail
ors on board. This was supposed 10 have
been case OF explosion OF the ships maya
zine.
Some OF the other notable disasters in
the history OF ocean navigation, in which
warships alone have been destroyed, ara
gwen n the following list daling as far
back as isso. when a storm On the Eng
lish coast destroyed eight British men-of-
war with their crews:
Lives Lost.
August g. 17S@-Man-of-war Royal
George. foundered of the coast of
Spithead while undergoing repairs. go
March II. .lsO1-Flagship Queen Char
lotte. burned while in the harbor OF
Feof@ary ID, iSo7- Man-of-war Ajax.
burned off the Island OF Tened S.. go
December .. lSl0-Man-of-war Mino-
taur. wrecked on the Haak bank. -. $50
December 4. lsl1-Frigate Saldanha,
wrecked on the Irish coast 49,. 600
December "A, lSl1-Men-ofwar ST.
George, Defence and Hero. stranded
on the coast or Jutland; Admiral
Reynolds and all the crews persisted
and eighteen seamen rescued ......-2 600
January 30. lSl6-Transport Seahorse.
lost near Tramore bay ..-............. 36o
January 81. lSl6-Transports Boadicea
and Lord Melville, lost near Kid
December 20. 1S47- Msn-of-war Avsng-
er. lost of north coast OF Africa. 200
February y. lS52-Troop ship Brken-
head, struck on rock off coast Of
September I, IS70-Ironclad turret ship
Captain. foundered near Cape Finis-
terre during a heavy squall. and
went down IN three minutes ........ Az
September |, iSI5-H. VI. $. Vanguard,
ironclad. collded with II. NJ. 5. Iron
Duke during maneuvers off W cSlow
coast and sunk without loss of life.
August 80 lh.t-H. ii >. Thunderer.
boiler exploded during trial trip near
Portsmouth,; nifty wounded .....;:... -
March "a. fS1S-H. NJ. s. Eurydice,
training ship. founGered In gale off
the Isle Of Wight Observation-Disclosures. 800
May 81 1,S-German ironclad Gros-
ser Kurfurst, sunk by collision with
the koenig Wilhelm ..-............... $50
February 10. isSO--Brltish training ship
ATLANTA. lost in a gale during her
trail voyage Observation-Disclosures. 80
Apr % 1Stl-BIanCo Encalada. flag
ship OF revolutionary party In Chile,
blown up by a torpedo ............... 200
September 10 IS91-Turkish wooden
frigate Ertogrul foundeTed in q gale
of the coast OF Japan; five officers
ana hfty seven men saved out of a
crew OF nearly go NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 53S