Tennessee's Sultana Disaster Is One Of The Worst Disasters In U.S. History

Nowadays it seems like every time you turn on the news there is something dark and twisty afoot. There is heartache from one end of the globe to the next, and it can feel a bit overwhelming when it’s piped into your home by way of that ever-burbling television. The Sultana disaster, however, is most likely never going to be covered by those news stations and television shows. It’s the worst disaster in maritime history here in the United States, and yet it is shrouded in mystery. Learn more about it below, and maybe pay your respects if you make it to Memphis. This is one story that should be shared.

Deborah Lee Soltesz - Flickr

When you visit Memphis, Tennessee, you most likely expect to see a few steamboats making their way down the Mississippi River. It's a part of the city's allure, that age-old form of transportation that still paddles its way down the river.

Deborah Lee Soltesz - Flickr

What most folks don't realize, however, is that Memphis is also the location of the worst maritime disaster in United States history: the Sultana disaster.

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Nicolas Henderson - Flickr

Along the riverwalk, you may even come across the historic marker that honors the long since dead and gone. The event took place on April 27, 1865, just beyond the edge of the river.

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Sultana - Wikipedia

The Sultana was a side-wheel steamboat that was constructed out of wood in 1863 shipping cotton. She ran from St. Louis to New Orleans, and even carried troops during the Civil War. Here you can see an old tintype of the ship.

Sultana - Wikipedia

The Sultana was only meant to carry 376 passengers, but in April of 1865, she carried over 2,000. It was then that three of the ship's boilers - later registered as faulty - exploded. The ship burned and sank seven miles from Memphis, Tennessee, and took 1,168 souls down with it.

Sultana - Wikipedia

You'll actually find a Sultana Memorial at the Mount Olive Baptist Church Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee. Some folks are surprised they haven't heard of the devastating Sultana sinking, but the disaster was overshadowed in the press due to the end of the Civil War and the death of both President Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth.

Jeff Futo - Flickr

No one was ever held accountable for the loss of life that day. The Sultana has since become a part of Tennessee legend, a story long told, a tragedy that deserves to be recognized.

If you’re looking for a lighter look back in time at Tennessee’s broad, expansive history, we’d recommend checking out this beautiful mansion with its own story to tell.