SS ATLANTIC Sinking - a Real-Time Historical Animation
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Published 2023-07-09
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In the early hours of April 1st, 1873, the SS Atlantic was steaming toward Halifax in order to re-coal, after having diverted from its schedule route to Jersey City, USA. The ship is 12 miles off course and instead of sailing toward the harbor, Atlantic was heading straight for the rocky coast of Nova Scotia. The wreck of the Atlantic was the worst maritime disaster in the North Atlantic until 1898 and the worst disaster for the White Star Line until the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Around 550 were lost, including every woman and all but one or two children.
This video is meant to supplement my full documentary on the wreck of the Atlantic, so watch that if you have not already.
• The Terrifying Wreck of the SS ATLANT...
All animations in this video are property of HFX Studios and may not be used without written permission.
It's been a while since I posted a real-time sinking animation, but I've been sitting on a few in the past few months. Since working with Alex, these animations have really come to life and his work takes these projects to a new level.
I'm currently up in Halifax now and recently visited the SS Atlantic Heritage museum. When I got there, I saw they were playing my old 2018 Atlantic animation on loop, so I offered to put this remake together using our recent and heavily improved animations. That being said, this video is meant to work both in the context of my YouTube channel for the public and for visitors of the museum.
The historical research has been updated in this video, so this is even more accurate than it was. The visuals are obviously improved, but also the sound mixing.
I first directed a real-time sinking animation in 2016 (it was of the Titanic and for another YouTube channel) and for a while it was one of my go-to things to produce, so this has been an enjoyable throw back to a few years ago.
All Comments (21)
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The first person perspective of Reverend Ancient climbing aboard to rescue those in the mast was amazingly well done, and equally terrifying. Thank you to everyone involved in this!
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The animation really illustrates how fast these ships can go down. In simple narration it's easy to think of ten minutes as plenty of time but here you can see how quickly the situation really deteriorates. Well done.
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The animation work on this is incredible, well done guys
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The Atlantic is now memorialized in a video format that gives people the perspective of what it was actually like to be there that fateful early morning. Thank you for preserving our maritime history in your videos.
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My great great great great grandfather was 2nd officer Metcalfe, I’m glad that you have made this video to better show the events that happened that day.
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The quality of the videos put out by Part Time Explorer is second to none. I'm so grateful that I found this channel. The best!
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Absolutely incredible animation! Thank you, Tom!
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Such a very sad and tragic moment in history, but once again you have all treated this with the most amazing respect and care. A true memorial for those who lost their lives. Thank you
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It always gets to me when I hear the "2 babies born on board" and then the 14 year old boy who would be the only child survivor. Both babies and their mothers never made it out really does bother me in whole.
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Thank you for this representation, it makes the tragedy all the more real and personal. Those Islanders were very brave and must have worked tirelessly.
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I’ve been loving your videos, I can’t wait for in 100 or so years for a video like this to come out for the Costa Concordia
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Amazing work! I just discovered your channel in the wake of the Titan tradgedy and it has quickly become one of my favorites. The Atlantic is such a heartwrenching tradgedy. All those people perishing so close to the shore, so close to salvation. The fact that it could have been prevented, were it not for the supreme arrogance of one young man is profoundly upsetting. Metcalf got a more meciful fate than he deserved in my opinion.
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The highest praise to HFX Studio on a quality presentation of the tragedy of the Atlantic shipwreck. And without narration. Musical accompaniment selection the finest. Had a real sense of witnessing events. Heroic feats in incredible losses. Very grateful for your efforts HFX and Tom L. 💙
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Thank you for not allowing them to be forgotten.
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These real-time animations are phenomenal at really helping you understand what their experience was like. It would've been so so so so so horrifying
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Very well done, Tom and Team! Seeing the sinking in real time makes it so much more real - and sad.
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Appreciate the professionalism and attention to detail of these animations. Adds to the poignancy of watching the tragedy unfold. Well done, Tom!
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What a horrific way to die, we all gotta go one day but this aint it. The visuals, animation, sound and text are all on point!
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This particular maritime disaster has made me feel physically ill from the first time I read about it, then watched your historical video account of the cascade of stubbornness, arrogance, incompetence and hubris that led to the situation the Atlantic found itself in and now this brilliant followup video. This time around the use of the low light in those wee hours of the morning, the sounds of the relentless crashing of waves and the adept way the soundscape made me feel the swells and the cold and that nauseating transition from a blustery night at sea to the inexorable doom that could not be denied--was brilliantly done! The music was also so hauntingly tragic and yet managed to bring me to experience what someone writing an account of a horrific battle during WWI termed, "A terrible beauty". Once again, Mother Nature triumphed over Man's frail limitations. I can't wait to watch this again after I've had a day or two to process this marvelous video. Whenevr I notice something new has arrived from you guys I know I can become submerged in an accurate telling of the historic fates of these fantastic ships without fear of learning later that you all just faked it and served up some sloppy noise like 70% of internet content. I trust you all so much and feel privileged to become one of ypur loyal followers. What a treat.
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Wow! Your other video on the "Atlantic" was great but watching this really made it home. It's like I could even feel the coldness in the air. I can't imagine the hours this took to put together. Just a fantastic job as always. Thank you
