Nation: Mystery at 400 Fathoms

As the Yarmouth Castle pulled out of Miami, the towers of the beachfront hotels sparkled across the unruffled bay. Sailing with 375 passengers—more than 40 from a senior citizens' club in Pompano, Fla.—and a crew of 174, the cruise ship headed out on her twice-weekly, overnight run to Nassau. By midnight most of the passengers had gone to bed. At 1 a.m., 120 miles east of Miami, many were awakened by the smell of smoke seeping under their cabin doors. The Yarmouth Castle, a 5,000-ton, 38-year-old veteran under Panamanian registry, was on fire.

Two nearby ships, the Bahama Star and the Finnpulp, rushed to the burning vessel and heaved close to. Both launched lifeboats for the passengers, yanked many out of the water after they jumped from the burning deck. Coast Guard helicopters dropped flares to help the rescue. A column of smoke from the stricken vessel rose 4,000 ft.; flames were visible 20 miles away.

At 6:03 a.m., the burning hulk sank in 400 fathoms (2,400 ft.) of the Bahamas' Northwest Providence Channel. At last count, 458 persons had lived through the disaster; 91 had died. The cause of the blaze was a mystery. All that remained of the Yarmouth Castle was four empty lifeboats, scattered debris and an oil slick.