Tag Archives: North Atlantic

La Bourgogne launch

The four masted steamship La Bourgogne was launched in 1885, the second of four large steamships commissioned by Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. The other three ships, La Champagne, La Bretagne and La Gascogne, were likewise named after old French provinces.

All four ships were built to identical dimensions: 7,400 gross tonnage extending 500 feet, almost the length of two American football fields. Two funnels towered over the iron and steel construction and 8,000 horsepower allowed her to sail upwards of 17 knots or 20 miles per hour. Her design accommodated cabins for 390 first class, 65 second class and berths for 600 third or steerage passengers.

There were four decks, promenade, main, cabin and steerage. Curiously on the main deck were places where heavy marine guns could be placed. For what contingency was not revealed.

The Cromartyshire’s Foghorn or What La Bourgogne heard before the collision

To warn ships of their presence in a dense fog, the Cromartyshire used a Norwegian Pattern Foghorn:

Norwegian Pattern Foghorn

A sailor on watch carried the valise size box to the bow, cranked several times until a loud mournful sound penetrated the mist.

To hear what the crew of both the Cromartyshire and La Bourgogne actually heard at 4:56 a.m. on 4 July 1898 click here

The SS La Bourgogne disaster of 1898

The SS La Bourgogne sailed from New York on 2 July, 1898. Her destination was Harve, France. Two days later she steamed at full speed despite the fog she enveloped the Grand Bank.

Heading on a northeast course was the British Sailing ship, Cromartyshire, at reduced speed and sounding her Norwegian foghorn at regular interval. The La Bourgogne was no match for the steel hulled Cromartyshire.

The Cromartyshire

The latter met the steamship perpendicularly, inflicting a large gashing below the water line.

The SS La Bourgogne had minutes before she would descend 9,000 feet to the ocean floor. She would take with her 550 lives and the disaster would be recorded in newspapers across the world.

But there was much more to the story.

Although speed and negligence were the primary contributors to the accident, the actions occurring on the SS La Bourgogne’s deck were the most notable. Those events contributed to the great loss of life and provided a contrast of human behavior in times of crisis, both the positive and negative.

But that’s a story for another day.