Sultana Disaster

​

The Sultana, a Mississippi River steamboat was the worse maritime disaster in American history when it exploded on April 27, 1865.  The Sultana was constructed for the lower Mississippi River cotton trade and designed for a capacity of 376 passengers but was carrying 2,137 when three of the four boilers exploded on April 27, 1865 near Memphis, Tennessee.

The disaster wasn't widely reported to the assassination of President Lincoln and the killing of John Wilkes Booth and the ending of the Civil War.

The Sultana was a side-wheel steamboat.  It was built for speed but the economic advantage came with a safety trade-off.  The areas between the many tubes clogged easily and the mineral build-up around the boilers caused much sediment build-up and were difficult to scrape off.

The Sultana left St. Louis, Missouri on April 13, 1865, headed to New Orleans.  At Vicksburg, Mississippi the captain was offered a deal.  Thousands of recently released prisoners of war held by the Confederacy had been brought to Vicksburg waiting for transportation to the north.  The U.S. Government was paying $2.75 for each enlisted personnel and $8 per officer for steamboats north.  The Sultana left Vicksburg, MS on April 24, 1865, severely overloaded, with a total of 2,137 passengers.  About 2:00 am on April 27, 1865, just 7 miles north of Memphis the Sultana exploded.  Several boats came to help but not in time.

Passengers tried to survive in the Mississippi River.  Many drowned and others suffered hypothermia.  The exact death toll is unknown but evidence indicates at least 1,168 died.

In 2015, on the 150th anniversary of the disaster, an interim Sultana Disaster was opened in Marion, Arkansas, the closest town to the buried remains of the steamboat, across the Mississippi River from Memphis.  The museum is only temporary until enough funds can be raised to build a permanent museum.  Featured in the museum are a few relics from the Sultana such as shaker plates from the boat's furnace, furnace bricks, a few pieces of wood, and some small metal pieces. The museum also features many artifacts from the Sultana Survivor's Association, as well as a 14 foot model replica of the Sultana.

All Material came from Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

There is a $2.00 charge for all QSL Cards.  NO CASH

The captain of the Sultana agreed to transport prisoners.  The