Hello ,, does anyone have a historical account or information about the ship in this song,, or know where I maybe able to find ,, I'm interested in knowing more that what the song tell,, btw, it's a Great Song and very easy to play on the guitar,
thanks , Steve

Hi Steve,

Welcome to this discussion board!

First of all, here are the lyrics to this ballad: Ballad of Yarmouth Castle

The Yarmouth Castle was registered in Panama.

Here are two reports on what has happened:

November 13 1965
Yarmouth Cruise Line's "Yarmouth Castle" sinks on its New York-to-Nassau run.
The Yarmouth Castle left Miami for Bermuda at 4 p.m and caught fire from a unknown souce some time around 9.pm but wasn't reported until after midnight. The fire started in a utility room under the forward stair case and smoldered through the evening. When it finally flared up, it quickly worked it's way up to the bridge. No S.O.S or P.A. announcement
was sent so people in the aft didn't know about it until the smoke or the noise woke them up.
While the fire worked it's way forward the ship Bahama Star saw the Castle burning and prepared to rescue survivors.
The captain of the Castle left in his lifeboat.
89 people died in the fire.
The Castle rests in about 1600' of water. It is completley gutted. There would be nothing to see diving on the wreck.


S.S. YARMOUTH CASTLE
The SS Yarmouth Castle was built as a passenger vessel in 1927 with a riveted steel constructed hull and multiple wooden decks, structural support and compartments. During an overnight cruise on November 13, 1965 from Miami to Nassau, a fire broke out in a storeroom on the main deck. The USCG fire inspection proposed that a stored bed mattress fell on a jury-rigged ceiling light and started the fire. Because the ship was designed for natural ventilation, the fire progressed through the ship at an alarming rate. By the time the crew located the fire, available extinguishing equipment was not effective. A loss of radio equipment prevented the Captain from alerting the passengers soon enough to organize a successful evacuation. Of 552 passengers on board, nearly one-quarter perished.

The discovery channel even has a video-tape series about famous shipwrecks. Here is what they advertise: 'Rare film footage and eyewitness accounts highlight these six amazing stories of bravery amidst shipwreck.'

You might want to check their website: Shipwrecks - Discovery Channel

All in all, it is amazing on how accurately Gordon Lightfoot told the real story in his ballad.

My parents were aboard the Yarmouth Castle when it caught fire. They had to slide down ropes into a lifeboat which took them over to the Bahama Star. My father wrote a very detailed account of the whole event, which was one of many passenger accounts used in the class action lawsuit against the cruise line. However, GL's lyrics were taken almost exclusively (including quotes from crewmembers)from an article in Life Magazine that was published soon after this fateful incident.

Either the History Channel or the Discovery Channel did a show dedicated to the Yarmouth Castle. It included 8mm movie footage shot by passengers on the Bahama Star. It's possible to see the figures of passengers running past open hatches, backlit by the flames... a terrible sight, as GL says. I can only imagine the terror and shock your parents must have felt, having seen actual footage of the fire and the passengers. I believe the show said that the Castle's Captain never Mastered a ship again, abandoning the crew and passengers to save himself effectively ended his career, as it should have, at the very least.

www.lostliners.com 'Ships of the Golden Age'
trawl down to 'Yarmouth Castle'
________
SHIP SALE

I've known about the fire for about 7 years, because I'm interested in ships and watched the documentry on the Discovery Channel- but I've never heard the songl ( I Have heard "The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald", I think that's the title.) Does anyone know where it's available?

I have actually sailed on The Bahama Star! I did not know that it was involved with The Yarmouth Castle.
Sean

quote:Originally posted by GB:
I've known about the fire for about 7 years, because I'm interested in ships and watched the documentry on the Discovery Channel- but I've never heard the songl ( I Have heard "The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald", I think that's the title.) Does anyone know where it's available?

It's on Gord's Sunday Concert CD. You can pick it up at most online stores.

Cathy http://www.cathycowette.com

That's really interesting. Are you sure it was the Bahama Star and not the New Bahama Star? After the Bahama Star had to be retired because she didn't meet the safety standards set after the Yarmouth Castle fire (ironic?) she was replaced by another ship with the name New Bahama Star.

Anyway, I might buy it, but I was mostly interested in The Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle, and maybe The Sinking of the Edumund Fitzgerald.

Good question. I was on one of them in 1971. Was it the "new" Bahama Star? I just remeber we called it "the banana boat" 'cause it was so old!
Sean

It was very likely the "New Bahama Star" as the Bahama Star had to be retired before that and capsized in a hurricane during a conversion to a floating hotel in 1970.

I appreciate the knowledge! It was still a fun boat and, now, to think that her namesake was involved in that incident, still sends shivers down my spine!
Sean

There are also some beautiful pictures of the Yarmouth Castle at: http://www.timetableimages.com/marit...ges/ycl65i.htm
Ironically the fire is not even mentioned here.

Yes, what a hidden gem that song is! It gives me chills, transports me far away.

Re: "Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle" who knows?
 

Re: "Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle" who knows?
 

Very old thread here, but a comment:

I just noticed that Valerie's GL website containing the lyrics notes a copyright date of 1969 - but while that is right for the released performance it was not right as per the writing of the song. If you read the liner notes on the original release gatefold-style LP, it gives an "unpublished" Witmark copyright date of 1966 for the writing of the song. Much like "Wreck" it was written fairly early on following the incident. I know that I noted that date long ago, and combined with a comment in the liner notes, I think this is one of those songs that Gord liked to do live but either didn't choose to, or found that it didn't work in the studio, (like Divorce, Country Style) but when a "contractual obligation" live album came around, it was an auto-include.