NathanQuickly Sinking
And this was not a petty storm. It was unfortunate that the ship had an encounter with a harsh storm which was a sign that trouble was up ahead. And the condition was such that gusty winds and large waves were hitting the boat. This resulted in the ship starting to lean too far to one side and immediately sank at 2 am on September 15.
Final-Ditch Effort
Since the crew was not prepared to have encountered such a bad storm, everything started to fall apart. And so Captain John McKay began to realize what was happening. He had to act quick so he headed toward a nearby island in a desperate attempt to save everyone. Unfortunately, the ship sank even before it could get close to the island.
On The Local Newspaper
And so there was no chance for the captain to have been able to save the ship as the sinking was so immediate. “The events that followed happened within approximately three minutes; firstly the captain realizing that something was very wrong, sent the first mate below to find out what was happening,” a local newspaper had posted regarding the ship in 1928.
Out Of Hope
This was such a devastating time for the people on board as there was certainty whether they would make it or not. The captain tried his best to come up with a plan to save everyone on board. “Before the mate got back on the bridge, the captain had swung the wheel towards land, hoping to beach the ship on the island,” the article later explained.
The Harrowing Details
But nothing seemed to have made a difference to fix the problem. Everything came crashing down in a matter of minute. “Before any headway was made, however, the engines stopped, water pouring into the engine room had put out the fires. The mate, on getting back on deck after seeing that the ship was doomed, ordered the lifeboats lowered,” the article described.
The Survivors
And before the crew could do anything, the damage was done was already too much. They were able to tower just one lifeboat. Since the ship sank within just 3 minutes, they could only get one lifeboat. So in the end, the crew was not able to save everyone and everything on board. So who survived? The captain, four sailors, and one passenger, Donald Wallace were the only ones left alive…