angroro t1_j0n8dae wrote
Reply to comment by thisusedyet in TIL about the sinking of the S.S. Eastland, a small steamer who, in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster, was filled with so many lifeboats that it became unstable and eventually sank, leading to the deaths of 844 people. by Sebastianlim
She wasn't poorly designed for what she was intended for. She was a cargo ship I believe. It was the modifications to make her a passenger ship and a defective ballast system. The captain had managed her well despite her issues for many years. It was a combination of over confidence and I'm assuming grief on the captain's part. He refused to leave her as she rolled over and it was honestly a battle to remove him from her hull.
She was however the wrong ship for the job. That may boil down to just pure greed.
thisusedyet t1_j0ncre7 wrote
Obvious disclaimer of I am not a shipwright, but:
A concrete deck high up on the ship would make it incredibly susceptible to overturning, what would be the benefit of that to counterbalance the obvious risk to the ship?
angroro t1_j0njpdn wrote
She should never have had concrete poured onto the deck during conversion to a passenger ship. It really just gave the Eastland a flatter, more usable deck for people. The only benefit was not having to build a whole new ship and making money.
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