We visited the memorial and one of the mass grave sites for the SS Atlantic today. This ship was another White Star ship (same as the Titanic.) The ship operated between Liverpool, UK and New York City, US. On April 1, 1873 the ship struck rocks and sank off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. At least 535 of the 952 people on board were killed.
The captain had gone to bed and left to ship to his first mate. As the ship was traveling from the UK to the US the first mate didn’t think they had enough coal to make the trip. He decided to divert the ship and head to Halifax to obtain more coal. He didn’t wake the captain and tell him the new plan. There was a terrible storm and the crew was unaware of the approach to Halifax they didn’t reduce their speed in time. Before it was too late they struck rocks. The ship quickly filled with water and partially capsized. All 10 lifeboats were lowered by the crew but the storm washed them away. People were forced to try and swim for shore. Some people tied themselves to the masts. The tiny fishing villages nearby showed up to rescue and shelter the survivors. All women and children perished except for one 12 year old boy, John Hendley.
Photo of the ship wrecked 
Depiction of what the storms were like the night the ship wrecked. 
Good to know…don’t use white star line.
Their safety record sucked! Such sneaky people!