“No disaster story is quite complete without the rescue of at least one cat.”–Ithaca Journal, reporting on the sinking of the S.S. Vestris, November 15, 1928
On November 10, 1928, just around 4 p.m., the S.S. Vestris of the Lamport and Holt Line left her pier on the East River in Brooklyn. The steam ocean liner, which transported passengers from New York to South America and Liverpool, was bound for the Rio de la Plata with 128 human passengers, 198 crew members, and one feline mascot.
Nearly one-third of the people on board would not survive the trip. The cat would make it.
According to reports, not only had the ship’s ballast tanks not been pumped out before she headed out, the ship was overloaded below the load line marks. The ship may have even listing a bit.
To make matters worse, a severe storm storm the following day flooded the boat deck and swept away two lifeboats. Because some of the cargo and coal had shifted in the storm, the ship began listing to the right (starboard). A heavy wave that pushed the ship over even more put the proverbial nail in the coffin.
By Monday morning, the ship was taken on water faster than the pumps could pump it out. While the ship was off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, the captain gave the order to abandon ship. Because the ship was listing heavily starboard, he ordered the port lifeboats to be launched first.
The first boats were loaded with 13 children and 37 women. Unfortunately, the horrors continued. One boat was never released and was dragged down with the ship, one was cut away but sank, one damaged while being lowered and sank, and another was sunk by a davit that broke free from the deck. All 13 children and 27 of the women were killed.
The S.S. Vestris sank about 200 miles off the coast of Hampton Roads, Virginia, at about 2 p.m. on November 12, just two days after leaving Brooklyn.
Many of the passengers and crew who survived floated in the water for up to 22 hours waiting for the rescue ships to arrive and get everyone on board. Because the water was a bit warmer than the air, some people even opted to stay in the water rather than deal with the cold rain and winds in the lifeboats.
Among the Vestris survivors was Tiger Lil, the ship’s striped tiger mascot cat. She was saved by her owner, assistant steward Alfred Dinely, who held Tiger Lil in his arms all night in the lifeboat until they were both picked up by the American Shipper.
A wire-haired fox terrier named Speedway Lady, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Earl Devore, was also rescued after spending the night in an open boat in the arms of Mrs. Devore. Mr. Devore sacrificed his own life to save the life of his wife and dog, who were lowered in a lifeboat without him.
The American Clipper returned all the survivors to Pier 7 on the Hudson River. Once back at New York, passengers received $20 from Lamport and Holt officials for hotel expenses.
All total, 111 people died in the wreck of the Vestris, including 68 passengers and 43 crew members. None of the children on board and only 10 of the 33 women on board (which included 8 passengers and 25 stewardesses) survived. Captain William J. Carey and Chief Officer John Bolger also went down with the ship.
Only 22 bodies were recovered and returned to families. The first body was brought to New York on the rescue ship Berlin; the others were returned by several Coast Guard destroyers. It is thought that the wreck of the S.S. Vestris lies about 1.2 miles beneath the Atlantic Ocean.
If you enjoyed this story, you may enjoy reading about Captain, the New York City feline mascot of the RMS Carpathia.
What a horrible tragedy! I cannot imagine what these people must have gone through. It’s amazing that any of them survived, let alone two animals! Thank you for sharing this story.