SS Vestris The SS " Vestris " was a 1912 steamship owned by Lamport & Holt and used in their New York to River Plate service . On 12 November 1928 , she began listing about 200 miles off Hampton Roads , Virginia , was abandoned , and sank , killing more than 100 . The wreck is thought to rest some 2 km ( 1 . 2 miles ) beneath the North Atlantic . The sinking , which attracted much press coverage at the time , remains notable for the loss of life , particularly of women and children , after the vessel was abandoned . The sinking and subsequent inquiries may also have shaped the second International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS ) in 1929 . History . The " Vestris " was built by Workman , Clark & Co . Ltd . of Belfast , Ireland , in 1912 . She was the third of a class of three vessels built by Workman , the others being the " Vandyck " and " Vauban " . These vessels were built for the New York to River Plate service . The " Vestris " was launched 16 May 1912 and made her maiden voyage on 19 September 1912 from Liverpool to River Plate . The " Vestris " was chartered as a military transport during World War I to cross the Atlantic Ocean from the United States to France . While on this service she was narrowly missed by a torpedo in the English Channel . In 1919 the " Vestris " was chartered to Cunard Line and operated six circular services ; Buenos Aires - Liverpool - New York - Buenos Aires . According to A . A . Hoehling the " Vestris " was among the last ships in contact with USS " Cyclops " in 1918 . In September 1919 , the " Vestris " , carrying 550 , suffered damage from a fire in her coal bunkers . The crew battled to extinguish the flames for four days before either the HMS " Dartmouth " or HMS " Yarmouth " escorted the ship to Saint Lucia in the West Indies . Several days later the fire was extinguished . In 1922 , the " Vestris " was briefly chartered to Royal Mail . The " Vestris " sank 12 November 1928 . Sinking . " Vestris " left New York bound for the River Plate on 10 November 1928 with 325 passengers and crew . A day after leaving New York , the ship ran into a severe storm and developed a starboard list . The following day , the list worsened as cargo and coal bunkers shifted and the ship took on water through numerous leaks . On 12 November , at 9 : 56 am , an SOS was sent out giving her position as latitude 37° 35 ' N . and longitude 71° 81 ' W . , which was incorrect by about 37 miles . The SOS was repeated at 11 : 04 am . Between 11 am and noon , while the ship was off Norfolk , Virginia , the order was given to man lifeboats and the ship was abandoned . Two hours later , at about 2pm , the " Vestris " sank at Lat . 37° 38 ' N , Long . 70° 23 ' W . The rescue vessels arriving on the scene , late in the evening of 12 November and early in the morning of 13 November , were the steamships " American Shipper " , " Myriam " , " Berlin " and the USS " Wyoming " . Death toll . While estimates of the dead vary from 110 to 127 , " Time " magazine and the " New York Times " reported that from the complement of 128 passengers and 198 crew on board , 111 people lost their lives . : None of the 13 children and only eight of the 33 women aboard the ship survived . The captain of the " Vestris " , William J . Carey , went down with his ship . Twenty - two bodies were recovered by rescue vessels . Aftermath . Press reports after the sinking were critical of the crew and management of the " Vestris " . In the wake of the disaster , Lamport and Holt experienced a dramatic drop in bookings for the company ’ s other liners and their service to South America ceased at the end of 1929 . Many inquires and investigations were held into the sinking of the " Vestris " . Criticism was made of : Lawsuits were brought after the sinking on behalf of 600 claimants totaling $ 5 , 000 , 000 . The " Vestris " sinking was covered by Associated Press reporter Lorena Hickok . Her story on the event became the first to appear in the " New York Times " under a woman ' s byline .