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RMS ''Atlantic'' was a Steamship of the White Star Line that operated between Liverpool , United Kingdom and New York City . The 3,707 ton ocean liner was built by Harland And Wolff in Belfast, Ireland in 1870 and had a single propeller along with 4 masts rigged for Sail , her single engine producing only 600 horsepower (447 kW). The vessel measured 420 feet (128 m) in length, with a beam of 40 feet (12.2 m) and draught of 31 feet (9.4 m). On March 20 , 1873 the ''Atlantic'' departed on her 19th voyage from Liverpool with 959 persons onboard, of whom 835 were passengers. En route, the crew decided to make port at Halifax, Nova Scotia to replenish coal for the boilers. During the approach to Halifax on the evening of March 31 the captain and 3rd officer were on the bridge until midnight while the ''Atlantic'' made her way through a storm, experiencing limited visibility and heavy seas. Unbeknownst to the crew or passengers, the ''Atlantic'' was approximately 20 kilometres off-course to the west of Halifax Harbour and was proceeding at 12 knots (22 km/h) for Terence Bay, Nova Scotia . At 02:00 local time on April 1 1873 , the ''Atlantic'' struck an underwater rock called Marr's Head 50 metres from Meagher's Island . Lifeboat s lowered by the crew were washed away and wrecked and the ship began to sink, killing 546. The ship's manifest indicates there were 156 women and 189 children on board. All perished except for one boy - John Hindley. Every member of the crew survived. Several sources put the survivor count between 371 and 413. This was the worst loss of life in the Northern Atlantic since the Scillies in 1707 and the Titanic in 1912. Today, most of the ship still lies under 15 to 90 feet of water. Artifacts recovered from several salvage operations are on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia. RMS Atlantic was the second White Star Liner built ( Oceanic being first ) but carried the distiction of being the first White Star Line ship to sink. Other White Star Line ships lost in the North Atlantic include SS ''Naronic'' and RMS ''Titanic'' . EXTERNAL LINKS
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