How many guns do you think went down with the Titanic?

[twaits]

It's almost the 100th birthday of the sinking.
Since in 1912 gun laws were much more lenient around the world I bet a lot of people were packing heat on the Titanic. I wonder if anyone would know statistically how many guns might have sunk on board? Did any of the salvage crews find any rusted remains of guns?
Just a random thought

[MtnSpur]

We'll never know, however, the cargo manifest Titanic cargo manifest states that cases of machinery, lots of booze and even cases of opium went down with her. As we all know manifests might not be accurate in regards to description by the shipper in those early years and the machinery could very well have been? Just a randon answer

[Shack]

I'd been a lot more concerned about the people who they didn't bother to have lifeboats for.

But yes, there were probably in all those on board at least a gun or two. And, if that ship was carrying mail or freight similar to express mail/overnight cargo trains of the day, then it's likely in the holds somewhere would be a few then new best quality English built double rifles or long guns ordered by U.S. citizens. That's quite possible.

Btw, did you know what the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history was? The answer is known to very few (no fair looking it up).

[rhmc24]

How many guns do you think went down with the Titanic?

All of them?

[Kid Sopris]

Thanks to PBS and a Series of US Rivers...USS Sultana would be the one in 1865...Parts of the wreckage can still be seen during low tide I hear.

[Kid Sopris]

But The question was Maritime, NOT US Navy..Did I misunderstand ?

[Shack]

Correctamundo, Kid!! And "maritime" can be either. Sultana is the worst. Worse than Titantic or the Indy.

880 dead on the Indy and 1300 to 1900 for the Sultana, although no one knows really the exact toll. It was carrying Union POWs home after the war. Titantic's losses were about 1200. And about 1200 on the Arizona also. The Royal Navy's worst lost by comparison was about 1400 on the Hood. Other countries had it worse, with about 2000 on the Bismarck and no telling how many on Yamato.

Contrary to rumor there are no visible Sultana remains. No gold either. Whatever remains are long rotted away beneath someone's bean field near Hopefield Chute in Arkansas just across Old Man River, not far from Dacus Lake. You have to know something there, which is the big muddy changed course frequently in them days and what was then the river has long since been dry land. There are actually oxbow lakes like Horseshoe the deep water parts of which were once the main channels of Ole Miss (the river not the school), and which Mark Twain once navigated when he worked in the pilot houses of packet boats. You stand there looking into those waters and you're looking into history.

Anyways, it was a boiler explosion what did in the Sultana, a pretty common failing on river steamers back in the day.

If you wander the banks of the river at extreme low water, like in late Summer or early Fall, with a metal detector you can find old, old long square nails and stuff from early steamers and wood barges and such. But nothing from Sultana.

[B.C.]

Did the Boat sink with the Colt saa prototype? and some gold teeth? ...how did that go......?

[charles isaac]

For those that find recovered guns and other items from shipwrecks interesting, check out the wreck of the steamship "Arabia". It is literally a time capsule of life in America, circa 1856, with it's 222 tons of recovered frontier cargo.


Steamboat Arabia Museum, Kansas City, Mo Photo Gallery by David Jolley at pbase.com

[charles isaac]

You have to know something there, which is the big muddy changed course frequently in them days and what was then the river has long since been dry land.

Well, you seem to know your stuff here, the Arabia was found inland-over 40 feet underground!