444 Men Eaten by Sharks 

I stumbled upon your video of "4 Men lost at sea" and then your video on the HMS Birkenhead came on. My great great parents arrived in South Africa on the Birkenhead. My great great grandfather was an military officer in the British Army and as such he was allowed to have his wife and two children on board with him. My great great grandmother and her two children were on the life boats and my great great grandfather remained on board. He survived by hanging on to floating wreckage but was separated from his family for a period of several years. Each believing the other to have died. They were reunited again when my great great grandfather arrived in King Williams Town. They had several more children. My great grandfather was on of the surviving children. Thank you for such a well told and factual story.

Although being aware of the Birkenhead's story, this is the first time I've seen it told in full. The fate of the survivors of USS Indianapolis is well known, but this horrific story is almost lost in the mists of time. Thank you for reminding us that the proximity of land in no way guarantees salvation.

I'm getting some USS Indianapolis vibes from this story. Thanks again.

What incredible discipline these men showed in the face of almost sure death.

Huh, YT algorithms did me right for once! Just logged in, had never seen a video from your channel, and this was JUST uploaded? That worked out great!

I come from Birkenhead where this ship was built and it is still a matter of great pride to those of us that remember. The painting that has been shown several times is based in the Williamson art gallery in Oxton. Prominent in this evocative painting is the fourteen year old drummer boy who when ordered to get into the lifeboat refused because he was in his uniform. We do not know what became of him or even his name. Great documentary and many thanks.

I’ve been on the Birkenhead ferry many times. The Birkenhead drill The Albert dock u boat and zeebrugh raid 1918 make it an amazing day out

Hats off to the discipline of the soldiers to keep their ground as the ship sank around them.

Never knew Birkenhead's role in "women & children first". Great video thanks.

heart-breaking story, i really love your channel your story telling is something else man. your naval experience really comes out in your lengthy detailed descriptions where if i closed my eyes I swear I could see it, some really chilling descriptions to.

Thanks Ou. Yster as usual👍 Nogals a homeland story😁 And I know Gansbaai very well🎣🎣🎣, and you share true facts about the area

Good Day to my favorite story teller😉😉 another great story. I am amazed of how many people/cargo can fit on those ships. Thank you ❤

The title to this video is very misleading. Not all of the men lost in this accident were eaten by sharks.

Thank you for sharing and telling this story, without people like you sharing these types of stories i feel they would be lost and forgotten history.

Yay, the horses made it! (R.I.P. 1 horse)

I love south African stories ❤ amazing video as always

Possibly the most terrifying part of the ocean to be dropped into.

I have dived on this wreck a couple of times.Always a scary experience.

For those that don't know Birkenhead is the other side of the river Mersey from Liverpool.

The cape of good hope has so many wreck stories and gruesome fates.

Excellent productions! Incredibly informative while easy to watch.

Very well done. Thank you for sharing this story. What a terrifying moment in time

Glad I already ate breakfast. LOL Thanks for the episode mate.

What a great video. It's a heartbreaking story, but a great job of telling it.

tragic and fascinating. Many thanks for sharing,,,

Why does LT colonel Seaton look like 3 kids in a trenchcoat?

As a horse person I would have jumped on a horse because horses are good swimmers. I Used to swim my horses quite a bit and it’s easy to stay with them as they swim. I actually teared up listening to this story.

Excellent episode Sir, thank you!!!🙏😢⛵❣️

Great video. Thank you

great storytelling.

Thank you for covering this. I mentioned this on Sharks Happen comment section a while back and I got criticized (not by Hal - the narrator) but by “RU-vid comment shark experts”. Thanks for covering this. I commented that it was the reason why it’s called the Birkenhead Drill aka “Women & Children first” but I got I got shut down by know-it-alls that didn’t want to admit that great whites had anything to do with the deaths. Glad you covered it, though. Also, I read there was a young Scottish soldier that gave his spot on the lifeboat he was on for another soldier struggling in the water. He gave his spot up for him. As soon as he got in the water - he was taken by a great white. Very sad, but again thanks for covering. I’m subscribing!

i didn't know horses were such good swimmers for 7 out of 8 to make it that far

This is the first of your videos I have come across, I really enjoyed it. I love the descriptions, the visual aids, maps etc... and the subject told so concisely. I have never heard of this sea disaster before, what a nightmare way to go. You can’t put up a fair fight with a shark... the cold bastards. RIP to the brave sailors and soldiers and horse who perished. Thank you for this excellent video from W Nevada 🇺🇸 ☮️🌸🐚

Thanks for posting this. I have been aware of this sad tale for some time. It occurs to me, that we could do with a little less 'stiff upper lip', sometimes.

I’ve always loved the British calmness under duress. Even just 20 years ago you would hear them on the net while in heavy contact over in Afghanistan and the QRF guys wouldn’t even react to the TIC because it sounded like they were just giving a routine situation report. God Save the King!

"I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers."

Proud Navy Veteran here! Great story about a terrible disaster. May God have blessed their souls! Something every Sailor thinks about in today’s Navies. But, fortunately, almost never happens! Great narration, by the way!

To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about, Is nothing so bad when you’ve cover to ’and, an’ leave an’ likin’ to shout; But to stand an’ be still to the Birken’ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew, An’ they done it, the Jollies - ’Er Majesty’s Jollies - soldier an’ sailor too! Their work was done when it ’adn’t begun; they was younger nor me an’ you; Their choice it was plain between drownin’ in ’eaps an’ bein’ mopped by the screw, So they stood an’ was still to the Birken’ead drill, soldier an’ sailor too! Soldier an' Sailor too: Rudyard Kipling.

Gah your channel is sooo good. Such great story telling

Great story! Love the shark stuff

In the autumn of 2007, a historical society I belong to visited the Royal Hospital Chelsea, including the museum. (It's group visits only for the entire establishment.) In a glass case, there were, and presumably still are, some buttons salvaged from the Birkenhead and I distinctly remember seeing one with the number 2 imprinted on it (Queen's Regiment). It was most poignant to see these buttons, knowing that all who had worn them had perished in a horrific way, but had still done their duty. R.I.P. to all those brave souls 🇬🇧.

Bro, love your channel 🔥🔥🔥

I once faced danger by surfing in south Africa cape town right where Bartolomeu Dias ship expedition also suffered a shipwreck, however, I had no courage of participating in a surfing championship. Greetins from Guaruja, Brazil!

every single case was a mistake sharks thought they where seals 🤷‍♂

A new video, you saved my day

Very interesting video, can you please list some sources you used , Especially concerning the information about the sharks eating them , thanks for the video !

Colonel Seton is an absolute gigachad. o7

At 10:25 in your video narration, the ship pictured is HMS Wellington, 1st rate of 131 guns in drydock at Keyham, Devonport, England 4th March /1854. The figurehead on the prow, and upper deck and vent stacks for the 780 hp engines are the dead giveaway. Enjoying the video however.

I had no idea that the whole "women and children first" had an official name. I always thought the Birkenhead drill was some kind of unwritten Maritime law of honor amongst sailors throughout history.

King Frederick William of Prussia was so impressed with the self discipline of the British soldiers he ordered the story to be read out to every regiment in his army.

For reference, Birkenhead is not in Lancashire. It would have been part of Cheshire then and is currently in Merseyside.

Baby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo 🎶 Baby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo 🎵 Baby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo🎶 Baby Shark.🎵🎶

I love the story of the Birkenhead. It's a thing of honor to imagine. You could do another hour on it considering this is the days when men were press ganged into service and the" custom of the sea" allowed you to cannibalize the weakest in the Lifeboat. They ended that when these guys ate a kid in their boat and there was a McDonald's like right there.

Man those old school English sailor's are absolutely solid !

Oh, hey, a fellow South African! Hello!

Lieutenant Colonel in the British Army is pronounced Lefftenant not Lootenant. Apart from that this was very interesting. Thank you.

Would bet there were more sharks species involved than GWS

I can’t wait to find out if the shark had a “no women and children” policy… that title leaves a lot of options open 😂

Ships have poop decks. Good to know in case of emergency.

Thanks

Sorry to ask and not to be contrary but I didn't hear where the 444 were confirmed to have been consumed by sharks?

The sharks said among themselves . Leave the women and kids ! Just go after the guy's !

I wonder if I would have that kind of discipline, to keep station on the deck like that.

Good video

Хорошее видео, спасибо 👍

Thank you! I guess that must be where the saying about being made of “Birkenhead Stuff” comes from and what it means.

Here is no chance of getting me on a ship or a sub. There is something terrifying about the thought of dying by drowning or by shark. I will take my chances with the earthquakes and forest fires that occur where I live.

I mean if you're going to sink anywhere, off the Gaazibi Coast, SA, near Dyer Island, where even today the numbers of GW sharks are legion, you couldn't have gotten a more frightening place, it was as if the dinner bell was raised and all the GWS set out to feast...truly tragic.

Always enjoy your excellent videos. May I remind you that Birkenhead is in Cheshire, not Lancs. And it’s pronounced with emphasis on ‘head’. Sorry if this is pernickety, but I live there!

My Great Grandfather was on this ship, but was one of sick that was left at Simon town SA. That's why I exsist

I googled various websites about this event and couldn't find 1 confirming that all the 400 deaths were by sharks

Holy cow!? I"ve never been this early to a release before! Hope this story doesn't wind up as scary/devastating as it sounds. :( Edit: Wow! I didn't even draw a connection to the ships name and the Birkenhead Drill. As a vet myself I can tell that the kind of discipline that would be required to stand at attention aboard a sinking ship does not come easy.

Took boats to get repaired in gansbaai when i worked at sea . Beautiful fishing village with the pilchard factory. Igrew up in Port Elizabeth

Excellent show...i say..what,what

From Rudyard killings "soldier an sailor too": "To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about, Is nothing so bad when you've cover to 'and, an' leave an' likin' to shout; But to stand an' be still to the Birken'ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew, An' they done it, the Jollies-'Er Majesty's Jollies-soldier an' sailor too! Their work was done when it 'adn't begun; they was younger nor me an' you; Their choice it was plain between drownin' in 'eaps an' bein' mopped by the screw, So they stood an' was still to the Birken'ead drill, soldier an' sailor too

This looks really interesting

The birkenhead drill was replaced about 35 years ago, the modern version states "invalids, children and physically compromised people first", adult women and men are expected to depart together now.

Brave mates and soldiers.

They should change the name "Cape of good hope" to " Cape with an incredible amount of sharks", "The Birkenhead drill" by Kipling is a favorite of mine, "soldiers and sailors too...."

USS Indianapolis. No actual count could be made but the survivors said well over 90% of the sailors that went into the water were eaten by Tiger sharks. Sailors have it rough. If they get in trouble, the trouble is just starting.

A lot of the soldiers on that ship were hungry Irishmen trying to escape the so called "great famine" their motivation for signing up in the first place.

New subscriber, love your channel, thank you! I have always hated the women and children first bit

It is such a harrowing story. I've known of this incident for several years at this point, though some of the story is still debated. Exactly what species of sharks were involved, for instance, has been a matter of speculation. I would fully agree that Great White Sharks were definitely involved, but there is no survivor testimony to categorically prove they were. There could have been a mix of sharks there, including Bronze Whalers as well as Great White Sharks. The majority of the men of HMS _Birkenhead_ were likely drowned before they were eaten. Body parts washed up on the coast of Gansbaai for a while, and it's obvious that the sharks were feeding on corpses of the drowned as much if not more than the corpses _they_ had made themselves. There were most definitely many dozens killed by sharks, in the chaos, though. Perhaps not hundreds, but I wouldn't be so sure either way. It wasn't just a matter of swimming 2 miles to shore. For a lot of those men, it was more like 2.8-3 miles to shore, and they also had to contend with a kelp forest along large stretches of the coast. The prospect of even being in the water with dozens of Great White Sharks is horrific enough, and modern Marine Biology understands that where you find one or a few Great Whites, as new drone footage in South Africa has proven, you'll likely see quite a lot more than that (dozens or more) congregating. Throw a sinking ship into the mix and obviously it's a real nightmare on the cards. The men in the water mainly would not have taken formal swimming lessons and being largely a troop transport, they'd never have been expected to. This was still a time in which most of the _navy_ could not swim regardless of risking their lives day in day out on board the ships of the Royal Navy, worldwide. The men of the British Army may have been expected to ford a shallow river from time to time but not to swim 2-3 miles to shore in waters full of sharks. Even for the Victorian stiff upper lip that was expecting a bit too much of anyone. What people should realise about the kelp, is that it can easily tangle you up and I'm wondering if any tired men reaching the kelp near the shore, were panicking and tangled up in kelp and drowned/eaten while struggling to get out of the water. It's not just a matter of reaching the shore you have to reach a section of the shore you can get out of the sea from. And along the coast there'd be several metre high rockfaces near the kelp in places, and they'd have to risk excruciating dread trying to find their way out along the coastline, likely while being watched by sharks the entire time. It is genuinely one of the most disturbing stories in maritime history. Another aspect you came close to mentioning I'm sure, but did not mention, was the fact that the horses were put into the water before the men hit the water, because there had been numerous incidents of horses fatally kicking people in the head and body on other sinkings of ships, with horses being commonly transported and so it not being uncommon for horses and humans to go into the water at roughly the same time during other sinking incidents. Obviously a half a tonne of horse thrashing around in front of a person might cause some unfortunate accidents. Equine kicks can be fatal and even when slowed down in the water. And imagine you're stuck in the water with a small herd of horses, and the panic they are going through, and imagine then trying to avoid all their hooves thrashing around. It's little wonder that pre-1852 in the case of this incident regarding HMS _Birkenhead_ in particular, that fatalities to horses in the water were possible. If you got knocked out by a horse you'd probably drown anyway in the chaos of a sinking, and I'm sure that has happened to dozens and dozens of people over the millennia regarding the sinking of ships. Suffice it to say, the British were aware of the potential for this happening and reluctantly would have forced their war horses into the sea beforehand, almost certainly drawing the attention of some sharks to begin with by doing so, but for the sake of avoiding unnecessary injuries with horses hoof kicks. When the horses had got a bit of distance from the ship, they then followed. As for the horse with the broken leg, I have seen no written reports which specifically mentioned Great White Sharks taking that individual animal. It most likely drowned and was then eaten, like so many of the men. It's quite possible that the sharks were confused by the horses long limbs thrashing and I wonder if any sharks went up to have a nosey and then got kicked in the nose by accident? It's not unlikely given what was going on and how many sharks were clearly around. And it's worth remembering that the sharks would have been arriving as time passed in greater numbers, drawn to the comotion, and yes, eventually the blood in the water. Colonel Seaton was so very young, and was never seen again after the ship broke up. He was a very brave lad and it showed the best of British discipline that he would not risk the women and children on the lifeboat. He knew they'd get swamped, so had his men stand to attention to the beat of the drum. Literally standing to, until the ship broke up under their feet. It's moving stuff. It is rumoured that the 8 horses which made it to shore out of the 9 horses, were the progenitors of a population of wild Gansbaai horses noted to have been local to the area for many years after the sinking. Whether this is true I cannot tell, but it is a good story. The idea being, this British war horses were mating with local wild horses and were not rounded up and brought back to British towns. I've seen some claims that a few of them were recaptured but I can't tell if they are just rumours. Another part of the story that must be contextualised, is the fact that most people at the time would have a rather limited understanding of Marine Biology or specifically shark behaviours, and even half a century later tourist boards in the USA for instance, were openly claiming, with 'Natural History Museum approval', that sharks 'don't attack people'. Shortly afterwards, the infamous Great White Shark and Bull Shark attacks alone the US eastern seaboard, which inspired 'JAWS' aka the 1916 Jersey Shore Shark attacks, amongst others, were happening. Bathers on Floridian beaches and elsewhere, could be told point blank they were in no danger, and they'd be sometimes eaten alive swimming 50 feet offshore for instance. There are numerous shark attack case file reports showing incidents like this. Back in 1852? When most people couldn't even swim and compulsory swimming lessons from childhood were long, long away from being a thing in Britain or anywhere else? Well, those poor men had no real chance of even vaguely understanding what was really in that water. Stories about sharks would have been around for centuries. Sailors and maritime merchants weren't stupid. They knew there were man-eaters in the water. Incidents directly involving the Royal Navy personnel in the Caribbean, had been known for at least a century by 1852. In those cases, probably Tiger sharks or Reef sharks. But not without some potential for Great White Sharks, as well. [part 1 of 2; part 2 in reply to myself below has a little bit on the Battle of the Saintes 1782]

Beautiful

I dont think Birkenhead has ever come under " Lancashire " it was however " Cheshire " until 1974 ish . Birkenhead is and has always been known as part of the " WIRRAL "

Correction: The town of Birkenhead has never been part of the county of Lancashire. It’s on the Wirral Peninsula on the Western bank of the river Mersey, the river being the old dividing line between the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Birkenhead was part of Cheshire up until 1974, becoming part of Merseyside up to the present.

Such a good video ❤

incredible that even the strongest of men could swim those 2 miles given not just the distance, but considering how frigid the waters there are. There's also the sharks and it's all in darkness too.

When a sailing ship is leaking, what you should always do, is trying to cover it with a sail. Use ropes to get and keep the sail over the hole. This may not close the hole, but when you can pump out the water coming in, the ship won't sink. And when sailing, you must try to get the hole above the water, heave the ship. Repairing the hole would be great.

Horses are incredible swimmers. Stay with the horse 🐴 Any sharks would not attack immediately. February is spelled incorrectly on the plaque from 1936. Excellent factually accurate summary.

Let me tell you the sad tale of the USS Indianapolis...444 is rookie numbers. The drowned were the lucky ones.

Lt. Colonel Seaton seems to be 17 years old.

The Lt Colonel looks like a kid

Why am i just now hearing about this, absolutely bonkers

I was not aware of a horses buoyant attribute 🐴 how interesting

Yay!

*I don't hear this story as often as the Indianapolis but it is just as horrifying.*

ofc, not only shark infested waters but specifically great white infested waters, that's just perfect. It's the stuff of nightmares

I knew it was called the Birkenhead drill, but didn't put two and two together until this video. Wow.

3:04 Hey the 🇩🇪 stealth ships we 🇿🇦 bought at great expense We have no use for them and all 4 are usually brocken in the habour😊