I like that the captain and crew were recognized for their efforts. Sometimes you do everything you can but it's still just not enough and that isn't their fault.
@@measlesplease1266 So everyone has to do everything perfectly at all times…? Ain’t gonna happen. But these men did their best under bad conditions and didn’t put their own lives before everyone elses. That is worthy of respect.
@@measlesplease1266 GPS wasn't a thing back then. Weather and visibility bad. And they drifted away from the position they knew they were supposed to be before.
The first memorial shown, with the hands gripping the rail, was simplistic and yet absolutely gut-wrenching. You would think *someone* would have realized that non-watertight doors on any sort of seagoing vessel falls under the category of "not the best plan," especially after the ship had the first incident of waves getting in the carport area. As always, you've presented the facts in a calm & respectful manner, without any sensationalism; thank you.
There have been many instances of water-tight door failing on Ro-Ro ferries, and truth be known no ship is truly water-tight anyway. It was thought that the doors would stop most of the water and the scuppers would drain away the rest. Being a new design nobody really knew what might happen. Even with insurance a sunk ship incurs a large loss on it's owners and nobody intentionally designs a ship which they think might sink in normal operations.
Thankyou for another sensitively renditioned episode. It must've been horrifying to witness the demise of women and children and be unable to aid them. I'm glad the captain and crew were not blamed, as so often happens.
Probably moreso because many of the men who chose to remain likely believed they were sacrificing their own chances to escape and survive so that their wives and children could live. I can only imagine the horror of watching that happen to them, and I'm sure many if not all of them felt responsible for inadvertently putting them in harm's way in their attempts to save them. I hope they found peace afterward, I don't think I ever could if I were in their shoes.
The horror of safely tucking your wife and children onto a boat, thinking you may not get the chance to join them but knowing that you can rest well in the fact there's another child in the spot you would've been in-- only to watch the sea pick the boat up and hurl it against the ship-- is mindboggling to me
I’ve taken the route from Cairnryan to Larne on a car ferry, went on a day of bad weather, enough to make me seasick. This one hits close. RIP to the victims and crew x
I've taken a similar ferry trip many times, Belfast to Cairnryan I think, I was shocked when I heard Stanrear to Larne. Usually these stories are about things that happen far from home.
My mother's Uncle was crew on the Victoria. There is a fantastic book on the "great storm" by J Lennox Kerr. Their plan was to head north and use the weather to cross diagonally to Belfast, but the doors sadly couldn't cope. The crew tried to open the second doors to allow a through road for the waves but they couldn't. The last signal from the audio operator is heart rending.
Travelled many times on the Townsend Thoresen RoRo fleet in the 1970’s and was astonished by the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster later. Had the lessons from Princess Victoria been incorporated in later RoRo designs, the third Ro (Roll over) would never have been added to the name. 😔
The captain and officers went down with the ship, literally sent a shiver down my back hearing that. Compare that to more recent accidents, like the Costa Concordia. These men were from a different generation, I guess all but the youngest of the officers would have been active during WW2.
I wouldn't take Costa Concordia as an example to blame all sailors. The Captains of Jan Heweliusz and Estonia went down with their ships. And in cases were only members of the crew survived thats often because they simply were in a position on deck were survival was easier or possible at all while the passengers were in the cabins below.
@@JohnDoe-ei9bd I know, but the Costa Concordia isn't the only example of less than heroic action of crew and officers at times of peril, there's been a good few in the last 20 years or so. I mean it's a hard thing to do to lay your life down for the life of others you don't know, I doubt it's something I would do, the way the captain of the Costa Concordia acted is sort of understandable.
Don't romanticize the past. There are countless examples of extreme negligence and gross cowardice by that same generation, many of which are featured on this very channel.
How grim that those first off the ship in lifeboats were then smashed against the sides due to the rough seas Huge design flaw to not have waterproof doors
5:40 The sad truth is that many times lifeboats (the crafts meant to rescue people) can be deadly. As hyperbolic as that sounds, there are many instances in history when the lowering of lifeboats led to people being spilled into the sea, smashed against the side of a ship, or in some other way gravely injured. They’re safe when well-maintained and properly operated, but in a disaster scenario that’s not always the case. Makes you understand why passengers were hesitant to board them during the Titanic sinking.
@@Unownshipper But the sea around the Titanic was perfectly calm and the ship sank without leaning port or starboard, so all, bar two, boats got away, but rarely full. The part problem was that it was still in many folk's mind that it was unsinkable and the Irish steerage passengers were released far too late to get on more than the last few boats! that just added to the lack of enough boats, although meeting legal requirements!
I'm from Ireland but I can't recall hearing about this this is why this channel is so amazing it covers every disaster in history many that you don't usually hear about so you learn an awful lot from watching this channel
I mean it was 8 women and 1 child but still sad. I wonder why they thought it would even be smart to attempt to lower a lifeboat in those conditions? Surely experienced sailors would have known what would happen?
@@OpinionatedChicken59 Is that just in the one affected lifeboat? Looking at the full list of fatalities on Wrecksite I count at least 23 female names. It's curious that even allowing for the uncertainty around the total number of deaths, and the trivia (if it's not cruel to call it that) about no women and children surviving, none of the top results I've found seem to state exactly how many women and children are believed to have died.
@@OpinionatedChicken59 Experienced sailors all know that the last thing you want underneath you in a storm is a small open boat, such as old-style lifeboats are. But when assured death is the alternative and nothing better can be done, well then you must try what you can. That's why modern lifeboats are enclosed and self-righting; you may get banged up in a bad launch but you and the lifeboat will survive.
“Captain Ferguson and his officers all went down with his ship.” An more than admirable sacrifice. He may not have be able to save any women or children, but the people he did save were probably more than grateful for his efforts
I’m Scottish and have never heard of this tragedy until now….mind you I wasn’t born until 1976, that captain and his crew deserve all the respect they got and I personally salute them all!
In fairness to the designers of the Princess Victoria, the storm that day was of exceptional ferocity and she wasn't the only ship to founder. Huge swathes of East Anglia were flooded, many people were drowned, and vast areas of the Netherlands were inundated with horrific loss of life. No one could blame the Captain for underestimating the sea conditions.
They were heading into a 500-year storm on the North Sea. Without real time weather forecasting that we have today, the crew had no way to know just how bad conditions were. They did their best once it became evident, though.
@@davidcox3076 This was not the North Sea, but part of the Irish Sea. The 'North Channel' between Scotland and Ireland is frequently very rough, as I know from some of my ferry crossings which were not in the middle of winter!
The Orkney north isles steamer ss Earl Thorfinn got caught in the same storm between the islands of Stronsay and Sanday. The captain had no option but to turn and run before the wind. After a horrendous night they eventually were able to dock in Aberdeen.
I live about 12 miles west of Larne, Co. Antrim, and attended school in Larne. My father was a 2nd engineer on the Larne Stranraer ferries. Reading the comments, I am surprised how many people have never heard of this. I just want to say thank you for remembering this disaster.
So have I. I think I remember seeing one of the memorials while I was there (possibly outside the new ferry terminal at Cairnryan?) but I didn't know what had actually happened until now.
Really appreciate the way you narrate these without being dramatic or sensationalizing. Rest in peace to the victims and respect to those who tried to save them :( Thank you for sharing their stories!
I've always appreciated the fact that he refuses to sensationalize or give opinions. He merely reports and lets the grim facts speak for themselves. I find it makes it more chilling to hear them described calmly than it would if he were worked-up. His is my favorite "disaster channel" on TH-cam, and one of my fave YT channels overall.
I already have a phobia about ferries. The ferry I usually take is on Canada's west coast and only takes 1 hour and 35 minutes thank goodness. I only take it a couple times a year when I go to visit family on Vancouver Island but I won't take the ferry if the weather is bad. This story is so tragic with such a high loss of life. At least in this story the crew tried to help passengers unlike some other crew in other stories.
I have the same problem. It happened when I watched a 999 documentary on The Herald Of Free Enterprise when I was 5. I had nightmares for months and I've never forgot it. There's a good Fascinating Horror documentary on it.
I've never had a problem with BC Ferries, but my one experience on the M.V. Coho between Victoria and Port Angeles, Washington was memorable. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is no joke.
I've taken one of the Washington State ferries across Puget Sound (Seattle to Bremerton). It was an amazing trip for me. Overcast day, calm water. It was so peaceful, in fact, that a little boy on board with his grandparents would not believe that he was on a boat!
I’ve been taking that same ferry since moving to Vancouver as a child. At least there is comfort in the fact that we’re never really that far from land?
In the Anglosphere, the potential shame of the ship's master and crew to abandon ship before all passengers is enough for them to go down with the ship. I mean this in the utmost respect and admiration of their bravery and nobility.
Culture matters. Lemme digress a moment: Most of the stuff attributed to "racism" these days is really about culture; the accusation of racism being used to stymie efforts to maintain or restore culture. Software not hardware.
Ancient maritime traditions don't die out easily. You can read Verne and realize these people acted just like the Captains in his books. Honor matters. I hope it continues to do so, but there's always been and always will be Captains who shame the profession (Costa Concordia).
Yes, and the cowards that put their own lives before the people they’re responsible for should spend their lives in jail if they evacuate the ship before getting everyone else off
@@ManDuderGuy Thanks for that textbook nationalist white supremacist rhetoric. You've injected race into the discussion as if you think (white) Brits are capable of bravery and nobility, and others are not. We are so far past basing racism primarily on race science. The conversation has been about culture for seven decades, at least. So you've added nothing *positive* here. We can talk about cultural differences without that mess.
The victims of this disaster were only a small part of the victims of the storm that caused it. This storm was also responsible for the watersnoodramp in Zeeland, The Netherlands. The total number of victims is more than 2300. Large parts of Zeeland (a province in The Netherlands) were flooded due to the dykes and dams not being high enough for this storm. Subsequent actions led to the creation of higher dikes in The Netherlands, as well as a storm surge protection system for London.
The death toll in the Netherlands was 1836. This is simply known as "De Ramp" (the disaster). But also in the east of England and in Belgium many people died.
I read that there was an additional gate at the stern, which they didn't shut, and by the time they tried, had been damaged. Weather forecasting was much more primitive in those days and they had no idea what they were sailing into, but there was apparently was also a bit of a wartime attitude in those days that real men didn't cancel ferries. The sea conditions were extreme - it it must have been a horrific experience and its astonishing that anyone survived at all! It was the same storm that caused massive flooding (and killed hundreds) in the Netherlands and Eastern England.
@@paulrasmussen8953 Not necessarily...some ferries, especially older ones, have open car decks, but the deck is above the water line, so in theory, high waves can wash over and drain off (though it seems the drains were too small in this case). Quite a few of Calmac's ferries in Scotland are like this. More modern ferries, notoriously the Herald of Free Enterprise, have enclosed decks below the water line (presumably so extra decks can be accomodated), and getting water in one of those decks is (immediately) disastrous. I have this recollection from the book I read, that there was an additional door/gate on the Princess, which was more watertight, but wasn't closed - they had no idea how extreme the weather they were running into was (and it really was extreme).
As a ‘Clayholer’ fae the toon, my mother’s family is closely linked to Loch Ryan and the activities that brought a living from that. Stories of the Princess Victoria sinking, along with the tangible monument in Agnew Park across from the ferry berth intertwined with those about Titanic. So 31st January 1953, almost 70 years ago this wee ferry went about her business to go from Stranraer to Larne. Never to return to her home port! And with a huge loss of life! The event will be marked in fitting way as it has always done! By folk of Stranraer, Larne, Lifeboat Crews of Portpatrick and Donaghadee. Thank you for marking and sharing the sad loss of the 1948 & 1939 Princess Victoria’s.❤ and the poor souls who perished! 😢
This Captain and his Crew were so INCREDIBLY BRAVE!! A true ship's captain and his crew, regardless of how dangerous the situation maybe, are supposed to stay with their ship at all times... And that means even if their ship is shinking...This Captain and his Crew tried to save as many ppl as they could, but the waves were to strong and deadly that day 😢 But, They all did their jobs to the very end, and stayed with the ship as they were supposed to, regardless that it jeopardize their own lives 😢🚢⚓🙏
Great video, very informative. How cruel a twist of fate that by trying to save the children first they sent them to their deaths. The crew were true heroes and did their duty like titans.
Thankyou for covering this story, I used to live in Donaghadee, from where the RNLI vessel Sir Samuel Kelly was launched. I met one of her crew in Grace Neill's bar in the town back in the eighties, a very modest man.
The memorial you show at 08:45 (with the hands grasping for the side of a ship) is at Portpatrick, on the west (Irish Sea) coast of Scotland south-west of Stranraer. The Portpatrick lifeboat went to the aid of the Princess Victoria.
RIP to those lost. Big props to captain and crew for their bravery. I'd love to see you cover another ferry sinking: the 1968 sinking of the Wahine, off Wellington NZ.
Thank you Fascinating Horror! Would love to see your take on the MS Estonia incident with or without discussing the suspicious murder and/or the alternative theories surrounding the actual disaster
I grew up in stranraer and my family has always been there. my granny was a teenager at the time of the Victoria sinking, she was out in the fields at the time to rescue sheep and could see the sinking. I wasn't old enough to hear the story from her directly but I've read it in hear diary and verbally from my mum. My granny could hear the crashing of the boats and screams (she "wasn't sure if the screams were human or metal" as she put it) the tragedy hit her hard, she saw it it was in spitting distance but there was nothing could br done
Always interesting to hear one connected to Ireland in someway. A I feel like ship disasters as something that will never stop there's such a massive room for error
great video and testimony to the captain and crews heroism on a almost forgotten disaster. I remember during the 1980's an old man in Ballycastle N.Ireland John Mooney, poor man lost his wife and two children in the disaster. Used to run an amusement arcade back in the day. I think the compensation he received was nothing compared to his loss. Very sad, always remember him walking up the street alone bent over.
roll-on/roll-off vessels have had several notable accidents over the years. I'm not sure if I could be convinced to ever use one at this point. Ships simply aren't supposed to have huge doors that low on the hull in my opinion as it creates a structure that is noticeably weaker at the rear of the vessel and can fail either because of an oversight by the crew or just because they felt like breaking on one particular trip.
agreed. i follow a podcast that deals with martime disasters (beyond the breakers) and so many episodes deal with RO/RO ferries and the way they sink so quickly when a catastrophic error occurs, it's sworn me off them
That's so scary. Even if you're in the situ of being on a sinking boat I think you're still always thinking "when I get off", "when someone comes for me..." I wonder sometimes when does the moment-if ever that someone truly knows or realizes "not today", "I'm not getting out of this alive".
It is always absolutely amazing for me how wide the range of behavior of the crew is when dangerous situations arise on the high seas..... From absolutely heroic actions and behavior to the deepest abyss of cowardice and spite. Again and again everything is within the realm of possibility and can only be foreseen with difficulty beforehand!
My father was playing field hockey in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, that day. He remembers it as the worst weather he ever played in. The sleet and snow numbed his hands so he could not feel his hockey stick, and his goalkeeper had four inches of snow on his back at the end of the game. The conditions in the North Channel must have been frightful.
Princess Victoria, what a beautiful ship with such a tragic ending. Respect to the crew and Captain Ferguson, who with the ship’s Officers went to Davy Jones locker; may they all rest in peace.
Among the victims was Maynard Sinclair, Minister of Finance in the Northern Ireland Government who was returning from a meeting in London. His officials flew back but he didn’t like flying. He was travelling with the MP for North Down Walter Smiles who also perished, he was the great grandfather of Bear Grylls.
It's still quite a sight to see you when I see the video footage of the Sowel ferry capsized and sink. Knowing all those high school students and their teachers and other passengers. Are trapped onboard.
I was 8yrs old and remember that day like it was yesterday.. It was a wild day in Donaghadee Co Down NI. Waves going up over the lighthouse so high.. The Sir Samuel Kelly was launched to go to her aid, they were radioed the wrong position, by the time the Kelly got to were she was it was too late, she went down just at the back of the Copeland Islands just off Donaghadee. Our local Unionist MP Sir Walter Smiles went down with the ship also the Deputy Prime Minister of NI Major Maynard Sinclair..There is a great book entitled "Death in the North Channel". Well worth reading... 🙏🇬🇧
A lot of brave workers on this ferry . A lot of good thinking , but it was just to much of a bad storm to get out of. God Bless those who went down with it.
I don't profess to know much about ships and correct procedures but it is great to finally hear a story where the crew did everything humanly possible to attempt to save all the lives they could while knowing it will cost them their own. I hope this story is used in training of up and coming captains/crews whether relevant or not. As another channel finishes with "this is history that deserves to be remembered"
Reminds me of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster... Which my mums cousin was meant to be on, I remember the family being frantic, until the twit called 2 days later... he forgot to tell everyone his truck broke down just before getting on :S
When people talk about Titanic not having enough lifeboats - a feature common to the large liners of the pre 1912 era; it's worth recalling that, in the days when a lifeboat was just a big open rowing boat, getting into one in rough weather was likely to be as much of a death sentence as remaining onboard - one of the reasons why many Titanic passengers were reluctant to board one, even towards the end. Sadly, The Princess Victoria was not the first or only instance where "Women and Children First" resulted in all of them being drowned or crushed when their lifeboat was destroyed. It would have been far safer and more sensible to distrubute them among all the available boats, rather than stick by the - then outdated - Birkenhead Rule.
I've just now realized why I like this channel so much- It makes me feel like I'm in a safer world. I used to be scared of flight but learning about stuff behind the scenes when a plane crashes cured it. Just knowing how many industries learn so many lessons from accidents is such a calming thing. Lovely work 💖
Was one of the passengers who, aged three, with my one year old sister and mother, missed this sailing. The bad weather made it difficult getting to Stranraer so we were late.
Brilliant final line. I’ve been listening, just about, from the start of F.H., recommended to a handful of friends, and that is the best line, I think, you’ve written
I remember one of the journalists in the Sunday Post writing many years later about driving to Stranraer the next day to cover this story and how the weather was absolutely beautiful after the horrendous storm. He spoke of the bright sunshine and the sparkling sea. I think he found the contrast heart wrenching.
The thing is here in the Great Lakes we've had car ferries since the turn of the 20th century. And most were lost because they didn't have the proper seagate for stern waves and small scuppers. They loaded railroad cars as well as other vehicles and several were lost on Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario. By the 1950s you think that everybody would know that you had to have watertight stern doors.
This was the same storm that killed hundreds of people on the East Coast of England and in the Netherlands with a storm surge. A number of trawlers succumbed to the storm as well, including the Michael Griffith from my home town.
The wind whips up the Irish Sea and I have done that crossing a few times. Loch Ryan gives reasonable shelter but once you emerge from that you can really be battered by the elements. This disaster coincided with exceptional sea surges and flooding on a massive scale down the EAST coast of the UK and was disastrous for the Netherlands also. Many lives lost in both those countries in addition to this tragedy.
Never heard of this before. very interesting. Nice to hear a story where the captain & crew actually performed admirably, in what was just an unfortunate tragic accident.
Between last week’s video on the Saudia Airlines disaster and this one, we really saw the worst and the best of captains. A sad story well told. Thank you.
As tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of the Granville Train disaster which occurred in Sydney Australia would be awesome if you could do a piece on that sad day.
I was born 1953. My mother often talked about the tragedy. I believe she was missing for hours and it was broadcast as it was happening. In the South the Roro ferries only came in with transition funds for joining the E.E.C. around 1971 or so. Prior to that it was nets and cranes for cars. The cattle walked aboard.
On the same day, the flood in the south west of the Netherlands occurred. That would be an event you would be able to cover so respectfully and excellently, as you always do. The disaster has left collective trauma to the people of the area and generation(s) that followed. I'd love to see this event covered by this channel.
I had no idea that RORO ferry disasters went back this far. I'm never getting on one of these things. The sinking of the Princess Victoria might have brought about some changes in the design of such vessels e.g. requiring watertight doors for the vehicle decks, but that wasn't enough to prevent another couple of hundred people dying 34 years later when the Herald of Free Enterprise rolled onto its side in Zeebrugge harbour (Belgium) due to the lack of an indicator system to show that the vehicle deck doors hadn't been closed before the vessel left port, and a lack of watertight doors between internal compartments. It seems that RORO ferries are always deemed to be safe... right up until the next disaster occurs and more stupid design oversights, cost cutting, poor training and bad management practices are revealed.
Good morning , Kristain - from Texas. Thanks for another fabulous video - I appreciate your taking tragic subjects and making them informative and factual - with your special caring touch!
"Because of this, no women or children survived the disaster."
I was not ready for that
It's heart wrenching
I wasn't ready, either. 😲💔😭
I like that the captain and crew were recognized for their efforts. Sometimes you do everything you can but it's still just not enough and that isn't their fault.
It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life
Patrick stewart from Star Trek; TNG
@@anthonyrodriguez9820 Indeed. The adventurer and broadcaster Bear Grylls never knew his grandfather, he died on this ship.
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“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose.”
@@XXSkunkWorksXX Is the really true??
Big props to the captain and the crew, brave and level-headed to the end.
Lmao they gave the wrong coordinates.
Men have duty. They upheld that duty, amen 💯💯🇺🇸 respect
@@measlesplease1266 So everyone has to do everything perfectly at all times…? Ain’t gonna happen. But these men did their best under bad conditions and didn’t put their own lives before everyone elses. That is worthy of respect.
@@measlesplease1266 disrespectful as hell, they did what they could under the circumstances, and died doing the right thing
@@measlesplease1266 GPS wasn't a thing back then. Weather and visibility bad. And they drifted away from the position they knew they were supposed to be before.
Now that's what you call a real captain putting the welfare and safety of his passengers first to his very last breath
He deserves our salute & recognition
ITA!
Agreed! 👍
Yes sir. That man was a captain in the truest sense of the word. Unlike many other cowards I’ve learned about in history.
??? Like he could have left anyway.
Ain't the Costa Concordia
"If the Princess Victoria had been as staunch as those who manned her..." wow. Every word you speak is gold. Another brilliant doco, thank you.
They weren't his words, they were from the Official Report.
Does that count as a burn?
@@resnonverba137 that's nice they recognized their effort and sacrifice.
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“Doco”. Thanks I hate it.
The first memorial shown, with the hands gripping the rail, was simplistic and yet absolutely gut-wrenching. You would think *someone* would have realized that non-watertight doors on any sort of seagoing vessel falls under the category of "not the best plan," especially after the ship had the first incident of waves getting in the carport area. As always, you've presented the facts in a calm & respectful manner, without any sensationalism; thank you.
There have been many instances of water-tight door failing on Ro-Ro ferries, and truth be known no ship is truly water-tight anyway. It was thought that the doors would stop most of the water and the scuppers would drain away the rest. Being a new design nobody really knew what might happen. Even with insurance a sunk ship incurs a large loss on it's owners and nobody intentionally designs a ship which they think might sink in normal operations.
@@P_RO_ You make some good points there, thank you. I posted based on my gut reaction, rather than thinking it through a little
@@P_RO_ No, they just cut corners with what they think is "good enough" and sell it to the customer who will take the financial hit if it sinks.
The gripping hands memorial is in Port Patrick, certainly gave me a the shivers when I saw it and read the memorial.
I've seen that memorial in Portpatrick and the lifeboat that rescued survivors in Donaghadee
Thankyou for another sensitively renditioned episode. It must've been horrifying to witness the demise of women and children and be unable to aid them. I'm glad the captain and crew were not blamed, as so often happens.
The loss of that first lifeboat is why I remember this one more keenly.
Probably moreso because many of the men who chose to remain likely believed they were sacrificing their own chances to escape and survive so that their wives and children could live. I can only imagine the horror of watching that happen to them, and I'm sure many if not all of them felt responsible for inadvertently putting them in harm's way in their attempts to save them. I hope they found peace afterward, I don't think I ever could if I were in their shoes.
@@redeye4516 I was thinking the same thing. To survive while your wife and children didn't ... Unthinkable.
This is one thing that makes me prefer this FH over some similar channels. Always very sensitive when handling these horrible topics
The horror of safely tucking your wife and children onto a boat, thinking you may not get the chance to join them but knowing that you can rest well in the fact there's another child in the spot you would've been in-- only to watch the sea pick the boat up and hurl it against the ship-- is mindboggling to me
I’ve taken the route from Cairnryan to Larne on a car ferry, went on a day of bad weather, enough to make me seasick. This one hits close. RIP to the victims and crew x
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I've taken a similar ferry trip many times, Belfast to Cairnryan I think, I was shocked when I heard Stanrear to Larne. Usually these stories are about things that happen far from home.
My mother's Uncle was crew on the Victoria. There is a fantastic book on the "great storm" by J Lennox Kerr. Their plan was to head north and use the weather to cross diagonally to Belfast, but the doors sadly couldn't cope. The crew tried to open the second doors to allow a through road for the waves but they couldn't. The last signal from the audio operator is heart rending.
The Great Storm: being the authentic story of the loss at sea of the Princess Victoria and other vessels early in 1953
@@HeronCoyote1234 author: Kerr, James Lennox. Published in London by Harrap, circa 1954.
@@weebunny ty.
There is also the book Death in the North Channel by Stephen Cameron on the Victoria disaster.
@@vamboroolz1612 I’ll look for that. Ty.
I've always thought of roll-on/roll-off ferries as a modern thing. Feels pretty weird to see one built in an old, Titanic-esque style.
dont know what on earth 'titanic-esque style' is. she was built 33 years after the fact.
This is sadly the first RoRo ferry to capsize.
@@jamescrab4110 obviously they just mean the style of older boats
She looked a lot more like the Titanic than like the Herald Of Free Enterprise.
Travelled many times on the Townsend Thoresen RoRo fleet in the 1970’s and was astonished by the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster later. Had the lessons from Princess Victoria been incorporated in later RoRo designs, the third Ro (Roll over) would never have been added to the name. 😔
The captain and officers went down with the ship, literally sent a shiver down my back hearing that. Compare that to more recent accidents, like the Costa Concordia. These men were from a different generation, I guess all but the youngest of the officers would have been active during WW2.
I wouldn't take Costa Concordia as an example to blame all sailors. The Captains of Jan Heweliusz and Estonia went down with their ships. And in cases were only members of the crew survived thats often because they simply were in a position on deck were survival was easier or possible at all while the passengers were in the cabins below.
@@JohnDoe-ei9bd I know, but the Costa Concordia isn't the only example of less than heroic action of crew and officers at times of peril, there's been a good few in the last 20 years or so. I mean it's a hard thing to do to lay your life down for the life of others you don't know, I doubt it's something I would do, the way the captain of the Costa Concordia acted is sort of understandable.
Or the captain and crew of the Sewol, left all the kids inside and they abandoned the ship
@UCb-DPP5QLpUyC6iEcAjlD8w Thank you. Exactly what I was thinking. Boomer using this story to bash anyone younger
Don't romanticize the past. There are countless examples of extreme negligence and gross cowardice by that same generation, many of which are featured on this very channel.
How grim that those first off the ship in lifeboats were then smashed against the sides due to the rough seas
Huge design flaw to not have waterproof doors
I was wondering the same thing.
I suppose all we can say is that it was a new idea in terms of ship building.
5:40 The sad truth is that many times lifeboats (the crafts meant to rescue people) can be deadly. As hyperbolic as that sounds, there are many instances in history when the lowering of lifeboats led to people being spilled into the sea, smashed against the side of a ship, or in some other way gravely injured. They’re safe when well-maintained and properly operated, but in a disaster scenario that’s not always the case. Makes you understand why passengers were hesitant to board them during the Titanic sinking.
My Gosh yes, So tragic. When the narrator said No Women or Children survived I put my hand to my forehead, gasped and exclaimed out loud "Oh No!".
@@Unownshipper But the sea around the Titanic was perfectly calm and the ship sank without leaning port or starboard, so all, bar two, boats got away, but rarely full. The part problem was that it was still in many folk's mind that it was unsinkable and the Irish steerage passengers were released far too late to get on more than the last few boats! that just added to the lack of enough boats, although meeting legal requirements!
I'm from Ireland but I can't recall hearing about this this is why this channel is so amazing it covers every disaster in history many that you don't usually hear about so you learn an awful lot from watching this channel
I'd vaguely heard of it before, but I'm in my late 50's, I think it was pretty well know at the time.
Same here. I'm from Belfast, Larne is just up the road from me and I've taken the ferry to Stranraer before but never heard of this incident.
I grew up in Belfast (born in 1957) and always heard it spoken of.
Northern Ireland
It pops up fairly infrequently, overshadowed by The Titanic I suppose.
All the women and children died immediately after their escape was prioritized. That's both very ironic and very sad.
I mean it was 8 women and 1 child but still sad. I wonder why they thought it would even be smart to attempt to lower a lifeboat in those conditions? Surely experienced sailors would have known what would happen?
@@OpinionatedChicken59 Is that just in the one affected lifeboat? Looking at the full list of fatalities on Wrecksite I count at least 23 female names. It's curious that even allowing for the uncertainty around the total number of deaths, and the trivia (if it's not cruel to call it that) about no women and children surviving, none of the top results I've found seem to state exactly how many women and children are believed to have died.
@@OpinionatedChicken59 Experienced sailors all know that the last thing you want underneath you in a storm is a small open boat, such as old-style lifeboats are. But when assured death is the alternative and nothing better can be done, well then you must try what you can. That's why modern lifeboats are enclosed and self-righting; you may get banged up in a bad launch but you and the lifeboat will survive.
Oh well. They want chivalry, they got it.
@@snoozeflu men chose to prioritize women and children. Just say you’re single and move on.
I love how this channel covers tragic events throughout history, a nice change up from my usual true crime playlist.
Hearing the women and children being crushed by waves is devastating and I can't imagine how the men felt seeing their loved ones pass
“Captain Ferguson and his officers all went down with his ship.” An more than admirable sacrifice. He may not have be able to save any women or children, but the people he did save were probably more than grateful for his efforts
'A', not, 'an'.
It's always nice to wake up to a new Fascinating Horror video. Have a great day everyone!
I’m Scottish and have never heard of this tragedy until now….mind you I wasn’t born until 1976, that captain and his crew deserve all the respect they got and I personally salute them all!
In fairness to the designers of the Princess Victoria, the storm that day was of exceptional ferocity and she wasn't the only ship to founder. Huge swathes of East Anglia were flooded, many people were drowned, and vast areas of the Netherlands were inundated with horrific loss of life. No one could blame the Captain for underestimating the sea conditions.
They were heading into a 500-year storm on the North Sea. Without real time weather forecasting that we have today, the crew had no way to know just how bad conditions were. They did their best once it became evident, though.
@@davidcox3076 This was not the North Sea, but part of the Irish Sea. The 'North Channel' between Scotland and Ireland is frequently very rough, as I know from some of my ferry crossings which were not in the middle of winter!
This was long before anyone thought of blaming climate change. It hasn't happened since so the climate must be changing back.
So sad. Storms at sea can be ferocious.
The Orkney north isles steamer ss Earl Thorfinn got caught in the same storm between the islands of Stronsay and Sanday. The captain had no option but to turn and run before the wind. After a horrendous night they eventually were able to dock in Aberdeen.
I live about 12 miles west of Larne, Co. Antrim, and attended school in Larne. My father was a 2nd engineer on the Larne Stranraer ferries. Reading the comments, I am surprised how many people have never heard of this. I just want to say thank you for remembering this disaster.
"If the Princess Victoria as staunch as those who manned her, then all would've been well"
"Strangraer, Scotland to Larne, Northern Ireland"
I've been on a car ferry on that EXACT route. Boy, that scared the shit out of me.
I'm from Scotland but my mum is from Northern Ireland. As a kid we regularly travelled that route when we went to visit my grandparents.
So have I. I think I remember seeing one of the memorials while I was there (possibly outside the new ferry terminal at Cairnryan?) but I didn't know what had actually happened until now.
@@janTasita it's in Agnew Park in Stranraer as the ferry sailed from there and not Cairnryan.
Really appreciate the way you narrate these without being dramatic or sensationalizing. Rest in peace to the victims and respect to those who tried to save them :( Thank you for sharing their stories!
I've always appreciated the fact that he refuses to sensationalize or give opinions. He merely reports and lets the grim facts speak for themselves. I find it makes it more chilling to hear them described calmly than it would if he were worked-up. His is my favorite "disaster channel" on TH-cam, and one of my fave YT channels overall.
I already have a phobia about ferries. The ferry I usually take is on Canada's west coast and only takes 1 hour and 35 minutes thank goodness. I only take it a couple times a year when I go to visit family on Vancouver Island but I won't take the ferry if the weather is bad. This story is so tragic with such a high loss of life. At least in this story the crew tried to help passengers unlike some other crew in other stories.
I have the same problem. It happened when I watched a 999 documentary on The Herald Of Free Enterprise when I was 5. I had nightmares for months and I've never forgot it. There's a good Fascinating Horror documentary on it.
I was 10 when the Estonia ferry sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994. I can't recall if I was afraid of water before that disaster but I certainly am now.
I've never had a problem with BC Ferries, but my one experience on the M.V. Coho between Victoria and Port Angeles, Washington was memorable. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is no joke.
I've taken one of the Washington State ferries across Puget Sound (Seattle to Bremerton). It was an amazing trip for me. Overcast day, calm water. It was so peaceful, in fact, that a little boy on board with his grandparents would not believe that he was on a boat!
I’ve been taking that same ferry since moving to Vancouver as a child. At least there is comfort in the fact that we’re never really that far from land?
In the Anglosphere, the potential shame of the ship's master and crew to abandon ship before all passengers is enough for them to go down with the ship.
I mean this in the utmost respect and admiration of their bravery and nobility.
Yes, indeed.
Culture matters.
Lemme digress a moment: Most of the stuff attributed to "racism" these days is really about culture; the accusation of racism being used to stymie efforts to maintain or restore culture. Software not hardware.
Ancient maritime traditions don't die out easily. You can read Verne and realize these people acted just like the Captains in his books. Honor matters.
I hope it continues to do so, but there's always been and always will be Captains who shame the profession (Costa Concordia).
Yes, and the cowards that put their own lives before the people they’re responsible for should spend their lives in jail if they evacuate the ship before getting everyone else off
@@ManDuderGuy Thanks for that textbook nationalist white supremacist rhetoric. You've injected race into the discussion as if you think (white) Brits are capable of bravery and nobility, and others are not. We are so far past basing racism primarily on race science. The conversation has been about culture for seven decades, at least. So you've added nothing *positive* here. We can talk about cultural differences without that mess.
The victims of this disaster were only a small part of the victims of the storm that caused it. This storm was also responsible for the watersnoodramp in Zeeland, The Netherlands. The total number of victims is more than 2300. Large parts of Zeeland (a province in The Netherlands) were flooded due to the dykes and dams not being high enough for this storm. Subsequent actions led to the creation of higher dikes in The Netherlands, as well as a storm surge protection system for London.
What?? That's a major fact, I wish it had been mentioned. I had no idea. Will definitely look it up - thank you!
The death toll in the Netherlands was 1836. This is simply known as "De Ramp" (the disaster). But also in the east of England and in Belgium many people died.
I read that there was an additional gate at the stern, which they didn't shut, and by the time they tried, had been damaged. Weather forecasting was much more primitive in those days and they had no idea what they were sailing into, but there was apparently was also a bit of a wartime attitude in those days that real men didn't cancel ferries. The sea conditions were extreme - it it must have been a horrific experience and its astonishing that anyone survived at all! It was the same storm that caused massive flooding (and killed hundreds) in the Netherlands and Eastern England.
The doors not being watertight was really stupid
@@paulrasmussen8953 Not necessarily...some ferries, especially older ones, have open car decks, but the deck is above the water line, so in theory, high waves can wash over and drain off (though it seems the drains were too small in this case). Quite a few of Calmac's ferries in Scotland are like this. More modern ferries, notoriously the Herald of Free Enterprise, have enclosed decks below the water line (presumably so extra decks can be accomodated), and getting water in one of those decks is (immediately) disastrous. I have this recollection from the book I read, that there was an additional door/gate on the Princess, which was more watertight, but wasn't closed - they had no idea how extreme the weather they were running into was (and it really was extreme).
@@timbounds7190 no still stupid. Its in water it needs to be water tight
As a ‘Clayholer’ fae the toon, my mother’s family is closely linked to Loch Ryan and the activities that brought a living from that. Stories of the Princess Victoria sinking, along with the tangible monument in Agnew Park across from the ferry berth intertwined with those about Titanic. So 31st January 1953, almost 70 years ago this wee ferry went about her business to go from Stranraer to Larne. Never to return to her home port! And with a huge loss of life! The event will be marked in fitting way as it has always done! By folk of Stranraer, Larne, Lifeboat Crews of Portpatrick and Donaghadee. Thank you for marking and sharing the sad loss of the 1948 & 1939 Princess Victoria’s.❤ and the poor souls who perished! 😢
Thanks for doing this. It's probably the most ignored ship disaster, so well done on covering it.
This Captain and his Crew were so INCREDIBLY BRAVE!! A true ship's captain and his crew, regardless of how dangerous the situation maybe, are supposed to stay with their ship at all times... And that means even if their ship is shinking...This Captain and his Crew tried to save as many ppl as they could, but the waves were to strong and deadly that day 😢 But, They all did their jobs to the very end, and stayed with the ship as they were supposed to, regardless that it jeopardize their own lives
😢🚢⚓🙏
My great grandfather passed away in this disaster, been finding out as much as I can about the disaster for the past 2 years. Great video
Great video, very informative.
How cruel a twist of fate that by trying to save the children first they sent them to their deaths. The crew were true heroes and did their duty like titans.
Thankyou for covering this story, I used to live in Donaghadee, from where the RNLI vessel Sir Samuel Kelly was launched. I met one of her crew in Grace Neill's bar in the town back in the eighties, a very modest man.
The memorial you show at 08:45 (with the hands grasping for the side of a ship) is at Portpatrick, on the west (Irish Sea) coast of Scotland south-west of Stranraer. The Portpatrick lifeboat went to the aid of the Princess Victoria.
RIP to those lost. Big props to captain and crew for their bravery.
I'd love to see you cover another ferry sinking: the 1968 sinking of the Wahine, off Wellington NZ.
Thank you Fascinating Horror! Would love to see your take on the MS Estonia incident with or without discussing the suspicious murder and/or the alternative theories surrounding the actual disaster
Very informative stuff, especially regarding events that might not be as well known as other events. Keep up the great work you do on this channel.
God Bless the captain trying to correct the steering of the ship. The stress he must have been under. I would have been terrified
It's a shame "gawd" didn't bless those who died...
Thank you so much for highlighting the captain in that group picture. So frequently, people will show a group photo and never say who is who.
You have brave men like the crew of this vessel, and you also have people like the captain of the costa concordia. What a world.
"Captain went down with the ship"
*meanwhile Costa Concordia captain*
Very sad story thanks for sharing a story from the past.
I grew up in stranraer and my family has always been there. my granny was a teenager at the time of the Victoria sinking, she was out in the fields at the time to rescue sheep and could see the sinking. I wasn't old enough to hear the story from her directly but I've read it in hear diary and verbally from my mum. My granny could hear the crashing of the boats and screams (she "wasn't sure if the screams were human or metal" as she put it) the tragedy hit her hard, she saw it it was in spitting distance but there was nothing could br done
Always interesting to hear one connected to Ireland in someway.
A I feel like ship disasters as something that will never stop there's such a massive room for error
Hawty
@@legitbeans9078 what?!
@Legit Beans Hmm, it seems they don't respond well to being instantly sexually objectified. Better luck next time, champ.
@@svarthol768 Nah brah it's definitely working!
Congrats on a well deserved 1M subs. Keep up the great work. Your vids are concise, factual and of course fascinating.
All the best and thanks.
It’s both a bright, yet sad video when those who tried to manage a disaster are prepared, competent, and brave- but the tragedy is still unstoppable.
great video and testimony to the captain and crews heroism on a almost forgotten disaster. I remember during the 1980's an old man in Ballycastle N.Ireland John Mooney, poor man lost his wife and two children in the disaster. Used to run an amusement arcade back in the day. I think the compensation he received was nothing compared to his loss. Very sad, always remember him walking up the street alone bent over.
Thank you for another amazing video. You always handle such difficult stories with great aplomb.
roll-on/roll-off vessels have had several notable accidents over the years. I'm not sure if I could be convinced to ever use one at this point. Ships simply aren't supposed to have huge doors that low on the hull in my opinion as it creates a structure that is noticeably weaker at the rear of the vessel and can fail either because of an oversight by the crew or just because they felt like breaking on one particular trip.
agreed. i follow a podcast that deals with martime disasters (beyond the breakers) and so many episodes deal with RO/RO ferries and the way they sink so quickly when a catastrophic error occurs, it's sworn me off them
Amazing reporting, a truly heartbreaking disaster. My highest praises for the noble crewmembers who did all they could 💐
That's so scary. Even if you're in the situ of being on a sinking boat I think you're still always thinking "when I get off", "when someone comes for me..."
I wonder sometimes when does the moment-if ever that someone truly knows or realizes "not today", "I'm not getting out of this alive".
It is always absolutely amazing for me how wide the range of behavior of the crew is when dangerous situations arise on the high seas..... From absolutely heroic actions and behavior to the deepest abyss of cowardice and spite. Again and again everything is within the realm of possibility and can only be foreseen with difficulty beforehand!
This reminds me of Zeebrugge.
The first thing I thought off, The Herald of Free Enterprise. So sad.
We appreciate your dedication and consistency. God bless you.
Thank you for the consistency and continuous learning on these awesome yet sad videos my friend
Reminds me to very similar disaster: Estonia ferry...
As a woman who's done the Larne to Cairnryan ferry trip... this made me very uneasy and I'm glad this story did not come out before I did that trip.
This is why I always look forward to Tuesday's
My father was playing field hockey in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, that day. He remembers it as the worst weather he ever played in. The sleet and snow numbed his hands so he could not feel his hockey stick, and his goalkeeper had four inches of snow on his back at the end of the game. The conditions in the North Channel must have been frightful.
Princess Victoria, what a beautiful ship with such a tragic ending.
Respect to the crew and Captain Ferguson, who with the ship’s Officers went to Davy Jones locker; may they all rest in peace.
Among the victims was Maynard Sinclair, Minister of Finance in the Northern Ireland Government who was returning from a meeting in London. His officials flew back but he didn’t like flying. He was travelling with the MP for North Down Walter Smiles who also perished, he was the great grandfather of Bear Grylls.
I've just learned about the wreck of the Doña Paz. Shocking loss of life in that disaster, hopefully this channel will cover it soon.
Congrats on the 1 million subs. I remember watching your first videos when you still used scary ambient music XD
first time I have heard of this, lived in Ireland all my life, thanks for bringing this to my attention. RIP.
It's still quite a sight to see you when I see the video footage of the Sowel ferry capsized and sink. Knowing all those high school students and their teachers and other passengers. Are trapped onboard.
I love that last line! Good story.
I was 8yrs old and remember that day like it was yesterday.. It was a wild day in Donaghadee Co Down NI. Waves going up over the lighthouse so high.. The Sir Samuel Kelly was launched to go to her aid, they were radioed the wrong position, by the time the Kelly got to were she was it was too late, she went down just at the back of the Copeland Islands just off Donaghadee. Our local Unionist MP Sir Walter Smiles went down with the ship also the Deputy Prime Minister of NI Major Maynard Sinclair..There is a great book entitled "Death in the North Channel". Well worth reading... 🙏🇬🇧
A lot of brave workers on this ferry . A lot of good thinking , but it was just to much of a bad storm to get out of.
God Bless those who went down with it.
A few of the poor lost souls are buried only a mile from me. A moment never forgotten round these parts of N, Ireland
I don't profess to know much about ships and correct procedures but it is great to finally hear a story where the crew did everything humanly possible to attempt to save all the lives they could while knowing it will cost them their own. I hope this story is used in training of up and coming captains/crews whether relevant or not. As another channel finishes with "this is history that deserves to be remembered"
I've now seen every single one of your videos. Thank you for this informative and respectful collection. Your way of reading is truly art.
Superior narration as ever, Mr. Fascinating. Riveting storytelling.
the captain and crew sacrificed their own lives to go down with the ship, they were brave to the very end.
Reminds me of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster...
Which my mums cousin was meant to be on, I remember the family being frantic, until the twit called 2 days later... he forgot to tell everyone his truck broke down just before getting on :S
When people talk about Titanic not having enough lifeboats - a feature common to the large liners of the pre 1912 era; it's worth recalling that, in the days when a lifeboat was just a big open rowing boat, getting into one in rough weather was likely to be as much of a death sentence as remaining onboard - one of the reasons why many Titanic passengers were reluctant to board one, even towards the end.
Sadly, The Princess Victoria was not the first or only instance where "Women and Children First" resulted in all of them being drowned or crushed when their lifeboat was destroyed. It would have been far safer and more sensible to distrubute them among all the available boats, rather than stick by the - then outdated - Birkenhead Rule.
The crew of the ship really exemplify a golden standard equal parts tragic and admirable.
I've just now realized why I like this channel so much- It makes me feel like I'm in a safer world. I used to be scared of flight but learning about stuff behind the scenes when a plane crashes cured it. Just knowing how many industries learn so many lessons from accidents is such a calming thing. Lovely work 💖
Was one of the passengers who, aged three, with my one year old sister and mother, missed this sailing.
The bad weather made it difficult getting to Stranraer so we were late.
I live not too far from Stranraer. Thank you for sharing the story of the MV Princess Victoria x
Brilliant final line. I’ve been listening, just about, from the start of F.H., recommended to a handful of friends, and that is the best line, I think, you’ve written
I was right on time.... Good morning and thank you.
I remember one of the journalists in the Sunday Post writing many years later about driving to Stranraer the next day to cover this story and how the weather was absolutely beautiful after the horrendous storm. He spoke of the bright sunshine and the sparkling sea. I think he found the contrast heart wrenching.
8:47 what a macabre memorial 😮
Yes I thought that too. Not really something to give comfort to those left behind.
Oh yikes. No exactly appropriate eh. “Here! Remember their final struggle with this!”
I've seen it. Its on the rocks at Portpatrick
The thing is here in the Great Lakes we've had car ferries since the turn of the 20th century. And most were lost because they didn't have the proper seagate for stern waves and small scuppers. They loaded railroad cars as well as other vehicles and several were lost on Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario. By the 1950s you think that everybody would know that you had to have watertight stern doors.
It is nice when these events really aren't anybody's fault.
This was the same storm that killed hundreds of people on the East Coast of England and in the Netherlands with a storm surge. A number of trawlers succumbed to the storm as well, including the Michael Griffith from my home town.
I would love to hear about the Keystone teller lifts accident of 1985. Something broke off of the ski lift and resulted in the death of 40+ people.
I've watched every one of your videos and yet still the line about all women and children being lost made me gasp.
The wind whips up the Irish Sea and I have done that crossing a few times. Loch Ryan gives reasonable shelter but once you emerge from that you can really be battered by the elements. This disaster coincided with exceptional sea surges and flooding on a massive scale down the EAST coast of the UK and was disastrous for the Netherlands also. Many lives lost in both those countries in addition to this tragedy.
I didn't even realise it was 1953. I assume you're talking about the "Watersnoodramp" in the Netherlands.
@@plumdutchess Yes. That same, terrible, weekend.
Amazing how crucial design is. We need more engineers and designers for so many things to make life better and safer
Never heard of this before. very interesting.
Nice to hear a story where the captain & crew actually performed admirably, in what was just an unfortunate tragic accident.
Between last week’s video on the Saudia Airlines disaster and this one, we really saw the worst and the best of captains. A sad story well told. Thank you.
As tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of the Granville Train disaster which occurred in Sydney Australia would be awesome if you could do a piece on that sad day.
I was born 1953. My mother often talked about the tragedy. I believe she was missing for hours and it was broadcast as it was happening. In the South the Roro ferries only came in with transition funds for joining the E.E.C. around 1971 or so. Prior to that it was nets and cranes for cars. The cattle walked aboard.
Congratulations on 1m! Any plans to do a video on the 1955 Le Mans disaster?
I believe he already did a couple years ago.
On the same day, the flood in the south west of the Netherlands occurred. That would be an event you would be able to cover so respectfully and excellently, as you always do.
The disaster has left collective trauma to the people of the area and generation(s) that followed.
I'd love to see this event covered by this channel.
I had no idea that RORO ferry disasters went back this far. I'm never getting on one of these things. The sinking of the Princess Victoria might have brought about some changes in the design of such vessels e.g. requiring watertight doors for the vehicle decks, but that wasn't enough to prevent another couple of hundred people dying 34 years later when the Herald of Free Enterprise rolled onto its side in Zeebrugge harbour (Belgium) due to the lack of an indicator system to show that the vehicle deck doors hadn't been closed before the vessel left port, and a lack of watertight doors between internal compartments. It seems that RORO ferries are always deemed to be safe... right up until the next disaster occurs and more stupid design oversights, cost cutting, poor training and bad management practices are revealed.
Good morning , Kristain - from Texas. Thanks for another fabulous video - I appreciate your taking tragic subjects and making them informative and factual - with your special caring touch!
Congratulations on 1million subscribers!