In this episode of Epoch Stories, co-hosts Butch Ringelspaugh and Jennifer Ringelspaugh dive into one of the most chilling maritime disasters in American history — the Steamship Larchmont Disaster.

On the bitterly cold and windy night of February 11, 1907, the steamship SS Larchmont was traveling from Providence, Rhode Island to New York City with hundreds of passengers on board. Near Block Island, the vessel collided with the schooner Harry Knowlton, tearing a massive hole into the ship’s side and puncturing its boiler.

What followed was fifteen minutes of unimaginable chaos.

Scalding steam filled the interior of the ship, suffocating and burning passengers trapped below deck while freezing seawater rushed inside. Those who escaped to the deck were met by hurricane-force winds, icy sea spray, and deadly winter temperatures. Panic spread as lifeboats were fought over, accusations of crew negligence surfaced, and desperate passengers struggled to survive the freezing Atlantic.

Some survivors endured the impossible — clinging to wreckage in brutal conditions until rescue arrived — while many others were lost to the sea. Bodies and survivors would eventually wash ashore along the coast of Block Island, many suffering severe frostbite. Because no passenger manifest existed, the true number of lives lost was never known.

The tragedy would ultimately change maritime safety laws, leading to the requirement that passenger manifests be recorded on land so the number of people aboard ships could never again vanish into uncertainty.

Joined by maritime historian Daniel Harrington, this episode explores the haunting story of the SS Larchmont, the people who were aboard that night, and the legacy left behind by one of America’s most terrifying maritime disasters.

If you enjoy maritime history, shipwrecks, survival stories, and the mysteries of the sea, this episode of Epoch Stories is one you won’t want to miss.