The Bikenhead Drill
The Birkenhead Drill
The Birkenhead was a British troop ship that on January 8, 1852 set sail for Algoa Bay, which is off the coast of Africa. On board the ship there were about 640 men, women, and children. Many of these people were soldiers bound for the Kaffir wars. On February 26, around 2:00 am, the Birkenhead struck a ledge near Cape Danger. Within 20 minutes the boat would be entirely submerged surrounded by man-eating sharks. Like the Titanic disaster, there was calls for “Women and children first!” Unlike the Titanic not a single woman or child perished.
When the ship was finally doomed and all the women and children safe away in the lifeboats about 150 yards away, the captain(captain Salmond) ordered the men to jump and swim for their lives for the boats. At this point the three most senior officers under the command of captain Salmond : Lieutenant colonel Seton, Captain Wright, and Lieutenant Giradot corrected Captain Salmond’s order. They told the men to stay in rank. Not a single man left his position. Moments later the boat cracked in two and the stern was filled with water: sinking the ship. Many men were sucked under, but a lucky few made clear of the ship to try to swim ashore. Even fewer made it to the beach because of man-eating sharks. Some men came within 30 feet of survival only to be crushed by monstrous waves. More than 400 men perished, but not a single woman or child.
The Birkenhead Drill is a true story of bravery and disaster. And I think in some ways it can apply to our lives. In modern days there are some disasters, 9/11 for example. People die in life. That’s just how it is. The men on the Birkenhead chose a horrific, but heroic death. So did those firefighters and policemen. And especially those people in the planes, risking life to save the President. But the wives and sons and daughters moved on – in both disasters, the Birkenhead and 9/11. We still grieve over the lost loved ones. It’s hard to move on. But we do. And there are two things for sure: No one will ever forget the Birkenhead, and no one will ever forget September 11, 2001.
Bibliography
Phillips, Douglas. The Birkenhead Drill. San Antonio: the vision forum, 2002.
The Birkenhead was a British troop ship that on January 8, 1852 set sail for Algoa Bay, which is off the coast of Africa. On board the ship there were about 640 men, women, and children. Many of these people were soldiers bound for the Kaffir wars. On February 26, around 2:00 am, the Birkenhead struck a ledge near Cape Danger. Within 20 minutes the boat would be entirely submerged surrounded by man-eating sharks. Like the Titanic disaster, there was calls for “Women and children first!” Unlike the Titanic not a single woman or child perished.
When the ship was finally doomed and all the women and children safe away in the lifeboats about 150 yards away, the captain(captain Salmond) ordered the men to jump and swim for their lives for the boats. At this point the three most senior officers under the command of captain Salmond : Lieutenant colonel Seton, Captain Wright, and Lieutenant Giradot corrected Captain Salmond’s order. They told the men to stay in rank. Not a single man left his position. Moments later the boat cracked in two and the stern was filled with water: sinking the ship. Many men were sucked under, but a lucky few made clear of the ship to try to swim ashore. Even fewer made it to the beach because of man-eating sharks. Some men came within 30 feet of survival only to be crushed by monstrous waves. More than 400 men perished, but not a single woman or child.
The Birkenhead Drill is a true story of bravery and disaster. And I think in some ways it can apply to our lives. In modern days there are some disasters, 9/11 for example. People die in life. That’s just how it is. The men on the Birkenhead chose a horrific, but heroic death. So did those firefighters and policemen. And especially those people in the planes, risking life to save the President. But the wives and sons and daughters moved on – in both disasters, the Birkenhead and 9/11. We still grieve over the lost loved ones. It’s hard to move on. But we do. And there are two things for sure: No one will ever forget the Birkenhead, and no one will ever forget September 11, 2001.
Bibliography
Phillips, Douglas. The Birkenhead Drill. San Antonio: the vision forum, 2002.
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