tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789080065504006399.post2639503637420760247..comments2024-02-06T09:56:14.540+02:00Comments on Waratah Revisited: FIRE ON BOARD - VOLTURNO.ANDREW VAN RENSBURGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632303307052209160noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789080065504006399.post-53246162965264248092016-03-17T10:09:44.703+02:002016-03-17T10:09:44.703+02:00Thank you for yet another thought-provoking commen...Thank you for yet another thought-provoking comment, Stuart. I agree with you and my impression is that it was an era of making a quick buck in the emigration business. Shipowners were unscrupulous and although limitations were set in legislation, the implementation of such was sorely lacking. Waratah departed London with about 400 emigrants over the maximum on her maiden voyage, proving that shipowners could get away with it. There seems to have been little regard for human safety and life. I believe that profit was directly linked with cramming as many humans possible onto vessels which did not meet the regulations. It is interesting that most disasters at sea related to collisions, running into obstacles and fires on board. Few were directly related to unseaworthiness, which is extraordinary. I wonder if a modern ship on fire, such as the Volturno was, could last as long before going down - and with such minimal loss of life. Overcrowding and overloading was the order of the day, but those workhorse steel steamers were tough as nails. AndrewANDREW VAN RENSBURGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03632303307052209160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789080065504006399.post-61013210788794643592016-03-17T09:33:31.262+02:002016-03-17T09:33:31.262+02:00more than 1000 even if they are steerage seems a h...more than 1000 even if they are steerage seems a high figure for a 3000 to 4000 tonn ship even in that period. The most compariable figues I can find for a similar ship of roughly the same time period is S.S Waikare (USSCoNZ)buit Wm Denny & brothers Dumbarton 1897 Gross tonnage 3070.88. Passenger accomidation 270 in two classes with one triple expansion engine.Wrecked in Dusky sound January 4 1910. Or the S.S Moeraki 1902 Same company for both builders and operator as above Gross tonnage 4392.1 tonns passenger accomidation for 333 in two clsses. Twin triple expansion engines. Both of these ships seem small to modern standards even for ferry services (modern Cook Strait ferrys are around 10-20,000 tonns.) yet these were Trans Tasman Liners. The point I am trying to make is that the Voltuno must have been crowded or overloaded even if she was primarily fitted out for the immigrant trade. <br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09776342572691773762noreply@blogger.com