The Birkenhead sank beneath the feet of men who knew it was doomed, but stayed anyway, inspiring a nation and artists alike. There were no more boats to launch, the shore was miles away and most of them did not know how to swim, but still, they waited as the small boat full of women and children pulled away to safety. It gave a name to the act of allowing women and children to leave a sinking ship first, it would be known as the Birkenhead Drill
Ship Name: HMS Birkenhead
Launched: 1845
Nationality: English
Ship Type: Wooden Steamship, Twin Paddlewheel
Tonnage: 1400
Sank: 1852
Place Sank: Danger Point South Africa
Reason For Sinking: Struck Rock
Lives Lost: 444
Sources:
https://passengers.history.sa.gov.au/node/921310
https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Women-Children-First/
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/birkenhead-sinking
http://www.suffolkregimentmuseum.co.uk/museum-object/the-birkenhead/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Cape-Frontier-Wars
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol124bd.html
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/author-details-horror/
https://books.google.com/books?id=LTMOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA89#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://archive.org/details/annualregistero03unkngoog/page/472/mode/2up
