Was the Sultana ever found?
Was the Sultana ever found?
In 1982, a local archaeological expedition, led by Memphis attorney Jerry O. Potter, uncovered what was believed to be the wreckage of Sultana. Blackened wooden deck planks and timbers were found about 32 feet under a soybean field on the Arkansas side, about four miles from Memphis.
What caused the SS Sultana disaster?
The Sultana steamed north up the Mississippi, but the severe overcrowding and faster river current caused by the spring thaw put increased pressure on its newly patched boilers. Records indicate that 1,800 men died, making the Sultana incident the deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history.
How many died on the Sultana?
1,800 people
On April 27, 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded and sank while traveling up the Mississippi River, killing an estimated 1,800 people.
Where did the Sultana go down?
Sultana was a commercial side-wheel steamboat which exploded and sank on the Mississippi River on April 27, 1865, killing 1,168 people in the worst maritime disaster in United States history….Sultana (steamboat)
| History | |
|---|---|
| Builder | John Litherbury Boatyard, Cincinnati |
| Launched | January 3, 1863 |
| In service | 1863 |
Where is the wreck of the Sultana?
Acknowledged by Congressional Resolution as the greatest maritime disaster in United States history, nearly 1,200 of the more than 2,200 passengers and crew were killed in the explosion and fire which sank the Sultana near Marion, Arkansas, across the river from Memphis, Tennessee.
How many people died in the Sultana disaster?
Acknowledged by Congressional Resolution as the greatest maritime disaster in United States history, nearly 1,200 of the more than 2,200 passengers and crew were killed in the explosion and fire which sank the Sultana near Marion, Arkansas, across the river from Memphis, Tennessee.
Where is the Sultana Disaster Museum in Sultana located?
The historic Marion gymnasium, shown above, has been identified as the possible site of the new Sultana Disaster Museum. The still-in-use gymnasium was built in 1938 by the WPA.
Where was the Sultana steamboat when she sank?
Sultana at Helena, Arkansas on April 26, 1865, a day before her destruction. A crowd of paroled prisoners covers her decks. Exploded and sank, April 27, 1865, on Mississippi River seven miles north of Memphis, Tennessee.
What was the cause of the fire on the Sultana?
The Sultana steamed north up the Mississippi, but the severe overcrowding and faster river current caused by the spring thaw put increased pressure on its newly patched boilers. Shortly after leaving Memphis, Tennessee on April 27th, the overstrained boilers exploded, blowing apart the center of the boat and starting an uncontrollable fire.