Category Archives: Maritime Disasters

Historic Ships, Maritime Disasters

Remembering the Victims of the SS Noronic (17 September 1949)

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On September 17, 1949, the SS Noronic while docked in Toronto, Canada suffered a catastrophic fire that killed at least 119 people that ended the golden era of Great Lakes passenger cruise ships.

The SS Noronic was launched in 1913 for the Canadian Steamship Company. It was built for passenger and freight service on the Great Lakes. With five decks and the capacity to hold 800 passengers and 200 crew, and 360 feet (110 meters) long, she was the largest and fastest ship on the Great Lakes when launched. And she had many luxuries that other ships did not have. She had her own ice plant, wireless telegraph, bandstands, restaurants, bars, decks lined with mahogany and lounge chairs upholstered with Spanish leather earning her the nickname Queen of the Great Lakes. With fourteen lifeboats in case of emergency, she was considered quite safe as well after the Titanic sinking. However the only entrances and exits to the ship were on the bottom E deck, a fact that would play a major role in the disaster of 1949

She began a seven-day pleasure cruise of Lake Ontario on September 14, 1949. She was carrying 524 passengers and 171 crew. Most of the passengers were American and only twenty Canadians. This voyage would be the last voyage of the season as the ship would be laid up for winter. The captain for this voyage was Wiliam Taylor. Pulling into Toronto Harbor on September 16, she docked at Pier 9 at 7 pm and was scheduled to depart the following day. Many passengers and crew, including the captain, spent the evening in Toronto. Most passengers had returned to the ship before the fire broke out. Only fifteen crew members were aboard the ship that night as many had gone ashore to be with family or friends.

Around 2:30 am (some sources say 1:30 am) passenger Don Church saw smoke on C deck and followed the smell to a locked linen closet. After finding smoke coming from it, he informed bellboy Earnest O’Neill. O’Neil did not raise an alarm and instead went to the steward’s office on D deck to get the keys. Upon opening the closet, fire exploded into the hallway spreading quickly. Church ran to get his family. Meanwhile O’Neill and another bellboy along with another passenger attempted to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the fire equipment did not work. He notified Captain Taylor of the fire, and the ship’s whistle was ordered to be blown. Unfortunately, either because of the fire or some other reason, the whistle only gave one blast. By 2:38 a.m., half of the ship’s decks were ablaze and noticed by people ashore alerting the fire department. However, no ship officer or crew member called them. Additionally there was no attempt by the crew to awaken the sleeping passengers.

Donald Williamson, aged twenty-seven, was the first rescuer. He had just come off a late shift and, as a former freighter deckhand, wanted to see the Noronic. He arrived just as the whistle sounded and could see the fire was spreading. He could also see people were frantically trying to get off the ship and jumping into the water. Acting quickly, he moved a large painters’ raft to the port bow and was able to pull people from the water onto the raft. Two police constables who arrived on the scene saw the ship ablaze and encountered survivors in shock and suffering from injuries and burns. Constable Ronald Anderson stripped off his uniform and assisted Williamson on the raft. Fireboats soon arrived to help rescue people in the water. Firefighting equipment arrived at the dock along with ambulances and other police to assist survivors and put out the raging fire.

Noronic Burns
Photo by Norman James, September 17, 1949
Public Domain in US/Canada via Wikimedia Commons

Aboard the ship, people were desperate to get out. Portholes were broken by either crew members or passengers to get off the ship. Since the crew had failed to awaken the passengers, most only found out something was wrong when they heard screaming and running in the corridors. With most of the stairwells on fire, few could reach E-deck to escape using the gangplanks. Panic ensued and many were trampled to death. Many used ropes to climb down or to jump into the water. Those trapped on the upper decks–some on fire–jumped to the pier below and died. Others were unable to escape their cabins as the fire consumed the ship rapidly.

Noronic fire September 17, 1949
Unknown Author
City of Toronto Archives via Wikimedia Commons
Public Domain US/Canada

Attempts to get people off by rescue ladders were not always successful. One ladder was extended to the B deck and was swamped with passengers causing it to snap in two resulting in them being rescued by a lifeboat. Other ladders to C deck were successful and held up as people were able to get off. Despite a tremendous amount of water used to fight the fire, it was quickly realized that the fire would not extinguish. The high amounts of water used though, temporarily caused the ship to list to the pier resulting in firefighters having to retreat until it corrected itself.

By 5 am, the fire had gone out and an astonishing 1.7 million gallons of water had been used by 37 hoses. The ship was cool enough by 8 am to be boarded. Firefighters and others accompanying them found gruesome scenes. The fire burned so hot that instead of corpses they found mostly skeletons with little, or no flesh left. Some were found embracing each other while others were found in their beds. Identification of the remains proved difficult and a new technique, dental forensics was used. Additionally, all the glass fittings were melted, steel fittings warped, and only the bow stairwell survived. Due to a lack of records, the exact death toll is unknown, it is estimated between 119-139 may have died, Suffocation was the main cause of death for most, followed by severe burns, being trampled to death in the corridors, jumping to the pier, and one drowning. Initially it was 118 dead by one crewmember would die later from burns suffered on her body bringing the estimated death toll to 119.

Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), September 17, 1949, Library of Congress
Public Domain

The disaster was well covered in the Toronto newspapers and on the American side as well since most of the passengers were American. The question everyone wanted answered was simple: how did this happen? The answers came from the official inquiry that took place later. Investigation showed that the fire had started on the linen closet on C deck and spread rapidly when it was opened by the bellboy. What started the fire is uncertain. A report that some laundry staff were seen smoking near the linen closet led some to believe that a carelessly dropped cigarette was the cause. Interviews of the crew members did not confirm this. The Canadian Steamship believed it was arson. Another one of their ships a year later would have a similar fire in a linen closet but it was contained, and no loss of life occurred. The inquiry found that several major issues contributed to how the fire spread so quickly and was so hot. The mahogany wood deck linings had been coated with lemon-oil which the flames fed upon. Additionally, the structure of the ship-as the ship decks were placed close together-spread the fire fast. Improperly maintained fire equipment and extinguishers meant little water could be used on the ship to put it out.

The crew failed to alert the passengers as most were asleep. The one blast of the ship’s whistle before it died was not enough. Many did not know how serious the situation was until they were awakened by noise in the corridors. Some of the crew just fled rather than assist. The lack of clear exit signage and what to do was another factor. Passengers had to make their way down, if they could, to the E deck where two planks were available to exit the ship. The rapid movement of the fire made that difficult and later impossible leading to mass panic. Without other exits, many were simply trapped forcing them to find whatever means they could. The fact that the crew mostly abandoned the ship and never had any emergency drills brought condemnation down on both the line owner, Canadian Steamship Lines, and Captain Taylor. Taylor had his master’s license revoked for a year; he would resign before it was made active. The company was sued in court and ended up paying out over two million Canadian dollars.

New regulations were enacted by both Canada and the United States to ensure this would never happen again. Ship design was altered, and new safety regulations were put in place regarding the use of flammable materials aboard passenger ships. Many ships were taken out of service as the cost of retrofitting was too high. The days of the Great Lakes luxury cruises came to an end as a result. With fewer passengers, there was not much profit anymore. Knowing that the Canadian Steamship had allowed ships to sail without properly maintained fire equipment and a crew that did nothing to help the passengers, all contributed to the demise. By late 1960’s the last of these old passenger cruise ships were retired from service never to return.

As for the Noronic, it was partially disassembled at the pier and the rest of it towed away to be scrapped. A memorial was erected in the cemetery where many were interred and a memorial plaque put up near where the disaster had occurred. It remains to this day one of the deadliest fires in Toronto history.

SS Noronic Memorial at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Photo: Nick Number, 9 September 2024
Wikimedia Commons

 

Sources

Dimri, Bipin. “The SS Noronic: Death in Toronto Harbor.” Historic Mysteries. Last modified December 29, 2023. Accessed September 16, 2026. https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/noronic/30544/.

CraigBaird. “The SS Noronic Fire.” Canadian History Ehx, May 27, 20252. Accessed September 16, 2026. https://canadaehx.com/2025/05/27/the-ss-noronic-fire/.

“THE WAY WE WERE: 119 Tragically Killed in SS Noronic Inferno 70 Years Ago.” Toronto Sun. Last modified September 21, 2019. Accessed September 16, 2026. https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/the-way-we-were-119-tragically-killed-in-ss-noronic-inferno-70-years-ago.

Ontario Heritage Trust. “Noronic Disaster, The.” Ontario Heritage Trust. Last modified February 19, 2026. Accessed September 16, 2026. https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/plaques/noronic-disaster.

“Noronic Disaster Historical Plaque.” Accessed September 16, 2026. https://torontoplaques.ca/Pages/Noronic_Disaster.

“Steamship Noronic Memorial.” Find a Grave. Last modified July 8, 2000. Accessed September 16, 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10440/steamship_noronic_memorial.

Videos

Fascinating Horror. “Crew Flees Fire, 118 Passengers Die: The SS Noronic | Fascinating Horror.” Video. YouTube, June 14, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04MZa2YNowM.

gorngreen. “The News Parade of the Year 1949 HD Castle Films 16mm S.S. Noronic Disaster Indi 500 Earthquake NATO.” Video. YouTube, June 22, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XVT1lgMVU4.

History, Maritime Disasters

Remembering History: Sinking of Lusitania (7 May 1915)

RMS Lusitania Coming Into Port (circa 1907-1913)
George Grantham Bain Collection, US Library of Congress, Digital Id cph.3g13287.
Public Domain

On 7 May 1915, the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania sailing from New York to Liverpool was torpedoed off Ireland and sank within 18 minutes. Of the 1,959 passengers and crew aboard, only 761 would survive. 128 of the passengers were American.

World War II had begun in 1914 between Britain, France, and Russia (including Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Serbia) and Germany, Austria Hungary, and Turkey (then called Ottoman Empire). The United States, under President Woodrow Wilson, declared neutrality. Since the U.S. was a major trading partner with Britain, problems arose when Germany tried to quarantine the British Isles using mines.  Several American ships ended up being damaged or sunk as a result. In February 1915, Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare around British waters. This meant any ship entering these waters were subject to being attacked and sunk by German forces.

To make this very clear, the German embassy in Washington had advertisements run in New York newspapers in early May 1915 that Americans traveling on British or Allied ships in war zones did so at their own risk. In one case, the announcement was on the same page as advertisement of the Lusitania sailing from New York to Liverpool.

Warning issued by Imperial German Embassy in Washington about travelling on RMS Lusitania.
Author Unknown
Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

The British Admiralty issued warnings, due to merchant ships being sunk off the south coast of Ireland, to ships to avoid the area or take evasive action (zigzagging was advised). The British objected by pointing out that threatening to torpedo all ships was wrong, whether announced in advance or not. During her construction, subsidized by the British government, it was done with the proviso she could be converted to an armed merchant cruiser.

A compartment was also installed to for the purposes of carrying arms and ammunition if it were needed. Gun mounts were installed for deck cannons, but they were not installed. At the time of her sinking, she was not operating in any official capacity as an armed merchant cruiser. The Germans suspected the ship was being used to transport munitions and her repainting to a grey color was an attempt to disguise her (it was, but to make it harder to spot from a periscope).

The Lusitania was one of the fastest liners on the Atlantic capable of 25 knots (29 mph) with many refinements. With lifts, the wireless telegraph, electric lights, and more passenger space (and more sumptuous accomodations), traveling on the Lusitania or her sister ships Aquitania and Maurentania was considered a good experience by seasoned travelers. The fact that she traveled so fast makes it likely it was simply being in the right place and the right time for the German U-boat. She could not possibly have caught the speedy vessel otherwise (there are arguments about what speed Lusitania was doing at this time off Ireland).

Engraving of Lusitania Sinking by Norman Wilkinson, The Illustrated London News, May 15, 1915
Public Domain(Wikimedia)

Captain William Turner did not use zigzagging while in the area (many argue that it does not really work). The commanding officer of the U-boat,  Walther Schwieger, ordered one torpedo fired around 14:10 (2:10 pm). It struck the Lusitania on the starboard bow. A second explosion within the ship occurred and the ship began to founder starboard quickly. While the crew tried to launch the lifeboats, the severe list made it difficult and impossible in many cases. Only six of the forty-eight lifeboats would be launched. The ship sank in 18 minutes taking with her 1, 198 souls. Of the 764 that did survive (and that is a heroic tale of itself), three would die later from wounds sustained from the sinking. Though close to the coast, it would be some time before assistance arrived. Local fishing ships were the first to provide assistance, and later the naval patrol boat Heron. Other small ships provided assistance as well.

Aftermath

The sinking provoked international fury at Germany. Germany defended its actions saying the ship had been carrying contraband and was an armed auxiliary military cruiser. The reaction within Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey was criticism of the sinking. The German government tried to defend the sinking, even though she was not armed, by saying she was carrying contraband and they had warned this would happen. The official statements did not go over well in the United States or in Britain. Editorials in newspapers denounced what Germany had done calling for more to bring them to heel. It was hotly debated within the Wilson administration what to do. Wilson condemned what Germany had done but internally but William Jennings Bryan, the Secretary of State, argued for trying to convince both Britain and Germany to ratchet down some of the actions that had led to Lusitania sinking. Bryan was antiwar and like many did not want the U.S. getting involved in the European war.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

President Wilson would send three notes to Germany that made his position clear on the issue. First he said that Americans had the right to travel on merchant ships and for Germany to abandon submarine warfare on such vessels. Second, he rejected German arguments about Lusitania. This note caused Bryan to resign and was replaced by Robert Lansing. The third note was a warning that any subsequent sinkings would be “deliberately unfriendly.” That last one made it clear America’s position on the matter. While many wanted to stay out of the war, if the Germans did do it again they likely would find themselves at war with them.

The British government and press were not happy with Wilson over these notes. He was widely castigated and sneered. The reality was that American public opinion was not in favor of war. Wilson knew this and hoped Germany would stop attacking merchant vessels. There was some attempt within the German government to forbid action against neutral ships, which did curtail unrestricted submarine warfare for a while. British merchant ships were targeted, neutral ships treated differently (boarded and searched for war materials), and passenger ships left alone. But in 1917, Germany announced it would resume unrestricted submarine warfare. Wilson was furious and began preparations for war with Germany.

Shop For Lusitania books on Amazon

Sources

“German Submarine Sinks Lusitania | May 7, 1915 | HISTORY.” HISTORY. Last modified February 18, 2025. Accessed May 7, 2026. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/May-7/german-submarine-sinks-lusitania.

“Lusitania: History, Sinking, Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified March 28, 2026. Accessed May 7, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lusitania-British-ship.

The Lusitania Resource. “The Lusitania Resource: Passengers & Crew, Facts & History.” The Lusitania Resource. Last modified May 3, 2025. https://www.rmslusitania.info/.

Library of Congress. 2015. “The Lusitania Disaster  | Articles & Essays  | Newspaper Pictorials: World War I Rotogravures, 1914-1919  | Digital Collections  | Library of Congress.” The Library of Congress. The Library of Congress. 2015. https://www.loc.gov/collections/world-war-i-rotogravures/articles-and-essays/the-lusitania-disaster/.

“Torpedoes and Tragedy: The Sinking of RMS Lusitania.” 2023. National WWI Museum and Memorial. 2023. https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/torpedoes-and-tragedy-sinking-rms-lusitania.

 

Maritime Disasters

Remembering the Victims of MS Express Samina (26 Sep 2000)

On September 26, 2000, the MS Express Samina struck the Portes Islets rocks in the Parikia Bay near Paros Island, Aegean Sea resulting in 81 dead. This preventable disaster, due to poor judgment and complacency shocked Greece.

Express Samina in Piraeus in July 2000
Peter J. Fitzpatrick via Wikimedia Commons

 

The French-built MS Express Samina launched in 1966 had several names and owners. Initially MS Corse (1966-1982), then Golden Verginia (1982-1999), it was renamed MS Express Samina by her last owner Minoan Flying Dolphins. A RoPax ferry for both cars and passengers, it was ideal for Greek island routes. On Tuesday September 26, 2000, it left the Port of Piraeus, Greece bound for the islands of Paros, Naxos, Ikaria, Samos, Patmos and Lipsi in the Aegean Sea. She had 473 passengers and 61 crew members aboard.

At 10 p.m., the Express Samina approached Parikia, the port on Paros Island. Winds measured 8 on the Beaufort scale, indicating near gale-force conditions. The ship was on autopilot, but a required crew member was not on watch. Equipped with fin stabilizers to minimize motion, the ship could handle these conditions, but the port stabilizer was malfunctioning. This caused the ship to drift off course. A crew member arrived on the bridge but too late to correct it

At 10:22 p.m., the Samina struck the Portes islets reef, two miles from Parikia, traveling at 18 knots or 20 mph. It tore a six-foot-long, three-foot-high hole above the waterline. A stabilizer fin bent backward by the impact tore into the ship below the waterline near the engine room. The water disabled the main generators, cutting off electrical power. The open compartment doors unable to be closed remotely allowed water to spread into the ship. The sudden collision surprised passengers and crew. No emergency siren or announcement was made. Panic erupted. Due to the ship tilt, only three lifeboats launched. Crew failed to aid passengers leaving them to fend for themselves. The emergency generator failed leaving the ship in darkness. Many jumped into the stormy water. Some clung to each other or safety devices they managed to obtain.

No emergency distress call was made. A flare was fired which got attention in port. Nearby fishermen were alerted as well, initiating rescue operations. Tour vessels and ships from a NATO exercise also assisted. Darkness made finding survivors difficult and many floating in the water complicated the situation. Ships moved cautiously to avoid injuring survivors. Strong waves made reaching some impossible. Survivors were brought ashore and taken to the local medical facility. Bodies of those recovered were taken to a local Orthodox church which served as a temporary morgue. Some awoke the next day to learn family members with them had perished in the sinking.

News of the sinking shocked Greece. This was a well-traveled route, so it raised questions as to how it happened.

A report issued a year later answered those questions. There were seven principal reasons for the sinking. First, there was not a continuous watch on the bridge especially on autopilot. When a person arrived, it was too late to correct the situation. Second, the watertight compartment doors where routinely left unsealed by crew in violation of safety rules. Neither the captain nor other ship officers enforced it. Third, the engine room crew failed to notify the captain immediately about the water coming in. They also failed to close the compartment doors in their area to prevent flooding the ship. Fourth, there was no alarm sounded to evacuate, nor did the crew assist the passengers.  Fifth, the life buoys were not all correctly marked and missing the required safety whistles. Sixth, the ship never sent out a distress call hampering rescue operations not knowing the exact location of the sinking. Seventh, the emergency generator ceased operation as the ship was sinking causing total darkness.

Greece enacted new regulations, imposed stricter inspection schedules, and pushed ship owners to either retire their old ferries or upgrade them with new safety equipment. All ferries now have Voyage Data Recorders to monitor ship operations. Legal action was taken against several ship officers and crew including its captain. Several company representatives of Minoan Flying Dolphins also were prosecuted. The charges ranged from manslaughter to negligence. Company president Pantelis Sfinias committed suicide by leaping out of his sixth- floor office distraught over the sinking.

Today the sinking is still remembered by both survivors and rescuers. Two American passengers from Seattle, WA- 26-year-old Heidi Hart and 32-year-old Christine Shannon–would be commended for their heroism. Survivors recount how dark it was and how strong the waves and winds were. Some describe the panic aboard ship and in the water as desperate people tried frantically to keep from drowning. One rescuer recounted how hard it was to carefully maneuver in the water to rescue people, and how saddened he was when a wave swept a mother and a daughter away from him unable to save them. The people of Paros have not forgotten it either as 81 people died on their doorstep.

Sources

Elena Karanatsi, “Survivors of Ferry Wreck Recall a Horrible Night of Terror and Tragedy,” Kathimerini, September 27, 2002, https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/8810/survivors-of-ferry-wreck-recall-a-horrible-night-of-terror-and-tragedy/.

Philip Chrysopoulos, “Tragedy of ‘Samina’ Shipwreck Leaving 81 Dead, Remembered,” GreekReporter.Com, last modified January 25, 2021, accessed September 29, 2025, https://greekreporter.com/2017/09/26/tragedy-of-samina-shipwreck-leaving-81-dead-remembered/.

“Minoan Ferry Sinking Cited as Worst Maritime Disaster in 35 Years,” MarineLink, https://www.marinelink.com/news/maritime-disaster-sinking319709.

Nick Kampouris, “Samina Ferry Disaster Haunts Greece 25 Years Later – GreekReporter.com,” GreekReporter.Com, last modified September 26, 2025, https://greekreporter.com/2025/09/26/samina-ferry-sinking-greece/.

Bill Giannopoulos, “Flashback in Maritime History: Express Samina Greek Ferry Disaster, Claiming 82 Lives, 26 Sept. 2000,” Greek City Times, last modified September 9, 2023, accessed September 29, 2025, https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/09/26/flashback-in-maritime-history-express-samina-greek-ferry-disaster-claiming-82-lives-26-sept-2000/.

Allovergreece, “Wreck MS Express Samina,” Allovergreece.Com, accessed September 29, 2025, https://www.allovergreece.com/Wreck/Descr/36/en.

Wikipedia contributors, “MS Express Samina,” Wikipedia, August 3, 2025, accessed September 29, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Express_Samina.

Documentaries/Videos

Mayday: Air Disaster, “Nightmare at Sea – Terrifying Collision That Haunted the ’Express Samina’! | Mayday: Air Disaster,” Video, YouTube, December 1, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFw6rfTXH00.