Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17
TERRIBLE DISASTERS IN
THE NAVIES OF THE WORLD

1870. when the Queen Charlotte was burned
with loss of 673 officers and men. She
was sister ship to the Royal George.
which was later to meet such a tragic end
she was out about thirty miles from Leg
horn when a small fire discovered In
her cabin 1t soon got beyond control and
the vessel burned all that night. Several
native fishing boats stood out toward her.
Dut many of her guns were shotted and
We're going off at intervals from the heat.
The fishermen were afraid to come near
her and the first boat that did come to her
assistance was small launch manned by
three Americans The launch ran under
the bow of the burning Ship but so many
of the crew dropped into her that she was
Swamped and lost with the men she was
| trying to save.
There We're countless deeds Of heroism
done during the awful night. One lieu
tenant and a party of men stayed below
decks hshting the fire till the decks burn
| ed above them and the guns fell through
the timbers overhead Finally assistance
was sent by some of the other vessels of
the British fleet and few of the survivors
were rescued. But the majority were burn
| cd drowned or persisted in the final eX-
| plosion.
Almost equally disastrous was the loss OF
the Ardent off Corsica. She was one of the
me SHIPS of the British navy at that time,
| April, 1874 She was either blown up or
bcrr ed, but none of her 800 men escaped to
tell the tale. Every one was lost.
The loss of the Birkenhead was nearer
4
the loss of the Queen Charlotte and that
I, date there had been scores of disasters in
| tna British navy, most of them from wrecks
and others from burning. Some were total
| disasters from which not a soul escaped
| and others were only partial losses in men,
| but resulted in the destruction of the ships
! There were seventy-ttNo cases in which all
| haLds persisted. The Birkenhead went
| ashore near the Cape of Good Hope. While
| the vessel had crew of only 1872 ii carried
| 10" soldiers and their families. When it
/ nrst struck II was thought the ship would
! be saved, but it broke up rapidly. The
! soldiers were sent to the pumps and the
| women and children We're put into the
| boats. The troopers were drawn up on
| deck as though on parade. The details at
| the pumps worked till the decks were awash
| and then Joined their fellows who were
| awaiting death. When the boat had settled
| 50 that the main decks were under water,
| the order was given to abandon ship.
Not till then was there wayer in the
! line of soldiers. Obedient to the command
| they went overheard as though marching
! across a parade ground. But the distance
! to the shore was too great for most of
! them. They either sank from exhaustion or
were dragged down by the sharks that in
| tested the waters OF the 6l2 men, $40 were
] lost. But the Birkenhead discipline remains
4 as symbol TO the world for all time
The British navy lost in the sixty-four
/ years mentioned AT ships, with an annual
| average loss of 253 men.
F! In the American navy the wreck of the
i Huron was notable disaster, but II finally
i established the existence in iron ships of
| the "heeling error in the compasses. The
Huron went ashore near Hatteras on the