Eastland Ship Disaster with 844 People Submerged

Eastland was built in 1902 in Michigan. In 1903, by transporting passengers and cargo between 5 interconnected lakes on the Canada-United States border. He began his life in the waters. In the following years, the owner changed constantly and the design was also changed.

Most of these changes are to increase the speed of the ship and to make passengers more comfortable done. Thousands of smooth journeys were made in the early 1900s.

In some trips, there were events that caused great alarm.

In July 1904, during an ordinary voyage of 3,000 people, the ship tilted and it almost capsized. Similar events took place in 1906 and 1912. After each event, changes were made to the design of the ship.

Some of the chambers were removed to adjust the weight distribution. The smokestacks were shortened to make the ship more stable. Same time The 3,000 seat capacity has been reduced to 2,570. All of these changes were to make the ship more stable.

But as the owner changed, the changes started to upset the balance of the ship.

For example, on the deck of the ship in 1914 a heavy concrete floor added. Then, due to changes in legislation after the Titanic sank, more lifeboats, rafts and life jackets were also placed on top of the ship.

As a result of all this, the balance was disturbed, quite a heavy ship appeared. By 1915 it was in the hands of the Eastland, Saint Joseph and Chicago Steamship Company and was mostly used for trips to various destinations.

She was chartered on July 24, 1915, for the exclusive use of the Western Electric Company, along with several other similar vessels.

The company would ship its employees to a picnic in a Michigan park. A worker did not have proper time to take a vacation or travel anywhere. This event is for them. it was an invaluable blessing. But no one, including the workers, knew that a dark day awaited them.

Workers and families arrived in large crowds at around 6:30 am and slowly started boarding Eastland. With a capacity of 2,570 people in half an hour The ship is completely full.

Most of the people on deck went below deck to shelter from the light drizzle. Others were enjoying the view.

The ship’s owners removed the old slab at cabin level of the fore dining room and replaced it with 51mm of concrete. On top of it, adding a new concrete layer to the stern of the ship, 15-20 tons heavier than normal they caused it.

When the ship, which was already barely carrying the lifeboats, the upper concrete layer, and the newly added parts, was filled with thousands of people. started to lie down. The crew noticed this immediately and pumped water into the ballast tanks to restore balance. However, this method did not work.

ballast tanklocated at the bottom of the ship. By taking the sea water called ballast, it ensures that the ship is balanced and sinks equally into the water from all directions.

Around 07:30, Eastland lurched towards the pier and then fell into the water.

The water in which the ship moored was a little shallow and its depth was about 6 meters. That’s why the capsized ship did not sink completely. That’s the lying part Half of the ship was submerged. Most of the people on board jumped into the water to save their lives. Because they were above the water, they had a chance to escape somehow.

For those below deck, however, the situation was quite different. Because while most ships were on their side, they were run over by other passengers, along with heavy furniture, and they were caught between the wall and the things that came upon them. While struggling with water, they were also looking for a way out.

Unfortunately, most of their efforts were in vain. Within minutes, hundreds of people drowned and died.

If above the water There was great activity. The boats docked to get the people around the crashed ship out of the water. Those on the shore were also throwing lifebuoys into the water to keep them afloat while the survivors awaited rescue.

Amateur and professional divers worked together for those under the ship. right under the water 848 dead bodies removed. The death toll was one of the biggest disasters in US history. Funerals were held for days.

After the disaster, not only one, but seven separate investigations were launched.

The lawsuits were quite complex and lasted for years. In fact, it took so long that one of the prime suspects Chief Engineer Joseph Erickson died of natural causes. He was accused of incorrectly adjusting the ballast tanks on board, as he could no longer defend himself.

All the blame was placed on the deceased engineer. Therefore, the owners of both Eastland and Western Electric did not receive any penalties. Yes, it could have been the adjustment of the ballast tanks that caused the disaster, but that wasn’t the only reason. The main reason was that the ship was unstable. Western Electric paid a total of $100,000 to disaster victims and family members of the deceased.

After this great disaster, Eastland continued to be used for a while.

The ship was further enlarged and converted into a warship with the name Wilmette. ship a period He worked for the US Navy, it was later used on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s sea voyages. It worked nonstop until 1947, 32 years after the disaster, and was eventually scrapped.