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Posted On: April 27th 2026, 12:27 pm
Today in dark history.
This is the Sultana steamboat. She had a capacity of 461 people.
However, on April 27, 1865 (161 years ago today), she was carrying 2,127, most of which were recently released prisoners of war, who had been held in southern detention camps.
At 2am on April 27th, three of her four boilers exploded. The exact death toll is unknown. Numbers range from 963 to 1,259. Bodies, and bodies parts, continued to be found downriver, and in trees, for months afterwards. No one was ever held accountable.
The Sultana remains the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history.
This is the Sultana steamboat. She had a capacity of 461 people.
However, on April 27, 1865 (161 years ago today), she was carrying 2,127, most of which were recently released prisoners of war, who had been held in southern detention camps.
At 2am on April 27th, three of her four boilers exploded. The exact death toll is unknown. Numbers range from 963 to 1,259. Bodies, and bodies parts, continued to be found downriver, and in trees, for months afterwards. No one was ever held accountable.
The Sultana remains the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history.
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