This is a rooster teeth production.

April 27, 1865. The Civil War has just ended as Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant just a few weeks ago.

A steamboat, known as the Sultana, was headed from Vicksburg, Mississippi, up the Mississippi River

to St. Louis. It was carrying thousands of Union soldiers who had just been released from

Confederate prison camps. What happened next would be the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history,

a deadly record that stands to this

day. This is a tale of bribery, corrupt military leaders, and soldiers coming to the rescue of their

former enemies. I'm Charlotte. I'm Patrick. I'm Brian. Ahoy and welcome aboard Ship Hits the Fan,

a podcast about some of history's most notable uh-ohs and whoopsies on the high seas.

And maybe, you know, cricks and reservoirs.

Seven score and 17 years ago.

A house precariously perched on the precipice of division was held fast.

Crisis so narrowly averted.

A famed scientist once said,

if you put your mind to it, you can

accomplish anything. A sentiment all too familiar to one John Wilkes booth as he purchased his

ticket to the theater. You may wonder, dear listener, could matters worsen? Well, as you'll soon

discover, yes. Credit to Universal Pictures for the Back to the Future quote.

So again, just want to say, we are very much amateurs. We have zero expertise on ships, ship building, navigating the waterways of our great country. Helming. Helming, captaining.

Yeah, depths, fathoms. We are kind of just enthusiasts. We have, you know,

about as much knowledge as maybe just the average person. We have a morbid curiosity.

The average landlocked person. Yeah, it's morbid curiosity more than anything else. So,

...