Princess Alice collides with Bywell Castle on the Thames
- When
- 1878
- Where
- Thames estuary; Court of law
- Episodes
- 2
On 3 September 1878, the crowded pleasure steamer Princess Alice collided with the passenger and cargo ship Bywell Castle in the River Thames. The collision resulted in the sinking of the pleasure boat and the death of over 640 people, marking one of the worst river disasters in England.
Episodes
- Collision in the Thames Estuary
The crowded pleasure steamer Princess Alice collided with the passenger and cargo ship Bywell Castle in the River Thames on 3 September 1878.
- Legal Verdict on Blame
Hall Brothers appealed the verdict, resulting in the Bywell Castle being held blameless for the collision.
Background and detail
Collision and Casualties. The collision occurred on 3 September 1878. The crowded pleasure boat Princess Alice struck the Bywell Castle in the Thames estuary. The impact caused the sinking of the pleasure steamer, resulting in the deaths of more than 600 people, with estimates reaching over 640 fatalities.
Legal Outcome. Hall Brothers appealed the verdict, and Bywell Castle was held blameless for the collision.
People involved
- Princess Alice · Pleasure steamer
- Bywell Castle · Passenger and cargo ship
- Hall Brothers · Appellant in the verdict appeal
Sources
- SS Princess Alice Wikipedia, revision of 2024-08-21
- River Thames Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-04
- SS Bywell Castle Wikipedia, revision of 2026-02-14
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.