The capsize happened too quickly for a distress signal, killing roughly 900 sailors, women, children, and tradespeople aboard; about 230 people survived. Kempenfelt may have been trapped in his cabin, where the ship's heel could have jammed the doors. Another account places him outside trying to help move guns and save the ship, while his administrative duties provide a reason he might instead have been writing. The conflicting accounts leave no secure basis for turning his death into a simple heroic story.
Notable Point · 35:17-37:20
The human loss and Kempenfelt's uncertain final moments
About 900 people died in the sudden sinking, while conflicting accounts leave Kempenfelt's actions in the final minutes unresolved.