The Sultana Disaster
How did the Sultana Become America’s deadliest maritime disaster?
4.1 (30)
42 mins
Explore the 1865 sinking of the Sultana, a steamboat carrying thousands of Union soldiers home after the Civil War. Uncover the overcrowding, boiler failure, and decisions that turned a journey home into a devastating disaster.
Ep 1:
The Night the River Caught Fire
Days after the Civil War ended, thousands of freed prisoners boarded a steamboat home, unaware that a captain's decisions at Vicksburg had already sealed their fate.
Ep 2:
A Captain's Corrupt Bargain
A cash-strapped captain, a cracked boiler, and a corrupt quartermaster conspire to pack a doomed steamboat six times beyond its legal limit.
Ep 3:
Boilers, Betrayal, and the Breaking Point
As the overloaded Sultana fights the flooded Mississippi for two grueling days, warning signs mount toward a catastrophic boiler failure at 2 a.m.
Ep 4:
The Silence That Buried the Sultana
In the explosion's aftermath, cover-ups buried the truth for decades—but survivors, monuments, and a hidden wreck kept the Sultana's story alive.
Discussions (5)
Wendy
Level 6 · 2 weeks agothey survived war AND prison just to get got by a money hungry captain
Sylvester
Level 4 · 2 weeks agoThe Sultana killed 1800 people and got buried under a soybean field while the Titanic got a movie, a theme park ride, and a Celine Dion song. Some disasters have better PR agents than others.
Diana
Level 8 · 2 weeks agoAndersonville held 33k prisoners, that checks out
