Book Recommender: ‘Destruction of the Steamboat Sultana,’ the Story of Mississippi’s Deadliest Maritime Disaster

A new book tells how the steamboat Sultana blew up while transporting more than three times its capacity in 1865, dispels myths, and uncovers the corruption that was part of the disaster

“Destruction of the Steamboat Sultana: The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History” by Gene Eric Salecker (Naval Institute Press, 2022).

In April 1865, the steamboat Sultana’s boilers burst shortly after passing Memphis on its way to Cairo, Illinois. The boat burned and sank. Aboard were nearly 2,200 passengers and crew. Of those aboard, 1,168 died. It was the deadliest maritime disaster in the United States. Not until the Titanic sank in 1912 would another maritime disaster exceed Sultana’s death toll.

“Destruction of the Steamboat Sultana: The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History,” by Gene Eric Salecker, is a new book about the steamboat’s loss. Salecker, acknowledged as one of the two foremost authorities about the steamboat’s history, took a fresh look at the disaster starting in 2015. This book is the result. It is the most authoritative look at the event written to date.