SS Sultana, Steamboat in Mississippi, USA
The Sultana was a side-wheel steamboat operating on the Mississippi River when one of its boilers suddenly exploded on April 27, 1865, with roughly 2,400 people aboard. The wreck now rests beneath a soybean field on the Arkansas bank of the river.
The boat was returning soldiers home after the Civil War when disaster struck. The explosion of 1865 killed an estimated 1,800 people, making it the deadliest maritime tragedy in American history.
The disaster is kept alive through annual gatherings held by descendants of those who survived. A local museum preserves stories and objects connected to this tragic event.
The wreck itself is not visible since it lies buried under farmland. A trip here works best combined with a visit to the local museum, which provides information and context about what happened.
Despite being one of the deadliest accidents in American history, this disaster faded from public memory far more than other famous shipwrecks. The timing after the Civil War and limited communication at the time meant the tragedy did not receive the attention it might have deserved.
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