This is an iHeart Podcast. Hey, it's Bobby from the Bobby Bone Show. I had an incredible time at this year's iHeartRadio Music Festival and even got the chance to hang out with Diplo and Bailey Zimmerman while I was there. How did Ashes come together, Diplo? I pulled up real quick.
He was about to leave on tour. You're about to jump in your tour bus, and we had like three hours. It was really cool. He literally just like randomly showed up to my house. I'm like, oh, hey, Diplo, what are you doing?
He's like, I have a song that I want to show you. And I was like, okay. You can listen to the full episode out now wherever you get your podcast. And big shout out to my friends at Hyundai for making this possible. At a blast, cruising around the festival weekend in the all-new Palisade Hybrid.
America is changing. And so is the world. But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere. I'm a smah in Washington, D.C.
I'm Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global Story. Every weekday, we'll bring you a story from this intersection, where the world and America meet. Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Hear that? That's what it sounds like when you plant more trees than you harvest.
Work done by thousands of working forest professionals, like Adam, a district forest manager who works to protect our forests from fires. Keeping the forest fire resistant, synonymous with keeping the forest healthy. And we do that through planting more than we harvest and mitigate those risks through active management. It's a long-term commitment. Visit WorkingForestInitiative.com to learn more.
Hey, what's up, it's Marla Lopez? Back to schools, an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit. Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor. Check in.
Ask questions. Stay connected. Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign. I'm Scott Hansen, host of NFL Red Zone.
Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. That's why we're here to help you get your next DIY project done, even when the clock isn't on your side. Whether that's a new Filtrite filter or Bosch and Cobalt power tools, Lowe's has everything you need to feel like the MVP of DIY.
So get it done and earn your Sunday. Shop now in store and online. Lowe's, official partner of the NFL. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star. and the American people.
And we love your stories. Send them to ouramericanstories.com. They're some of our favorites. Our next story comes to us from a man who's simply known as the History Guy. His videos are watched by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages on YouTube.
The History Guy is also a regular contributor for us here. at our American Stories. Today The history guy remembers the Birkenhead disaster. and explains where the protocol Women and children first. was first used.
Hopefully you've never been in a shipwreck before, but if you did, you know the first rule of loading the lifeboats, women and children first. But did you ever wonder where this protocol came from?
Well, that's a great question for the history guy. And so today, we're going to talk about an extraordinary story of bravery in the face of horrible circumstances. in the Birkenhead disaster of 1852. Yeah. The Birkenhead was an iron-hulled, steam-driven, paddle-wheeled troop ship of the British Army.
Launched in 1845, she was a modern vessel. Larger, more comfortable, and faster than the typical wooden, sail-powered troop ships of her time. She had a top speed of 10 knots, able to make the trip from Britain to the Cape in just 37 days. She was safe, too. Her iron hull included twelve airtight compartments separated by strong bulkheads.
210 feet long with a 37-foot beam, she had a crew complement of 125 and room for more than 500 passengers. In January of 1852, the Birkenhead left Portsmouth with troops from ten different regiments on board. headed for South Africa, where the troops were desperately needed as reinforcements in one of the many South Africa border wars. She had several women and children on board, families of the officers. On the trip.
Three babies were born. She sailed through a strong Atlantic winterstorm, and yet her passage was the fastest of any troop ship to date. the urgency of getting reinforcements to the frontier. On February 23rd, she left Simonstown at about 6 p.m., headed for Algora Bay and Port Elizabeth, around the Cape. She had some 643 men, women, and children on board.
She was in a hurry, so she hugged the coast and steamed at full speed. In calm seas and clear skies, she was making eight and a half knots. Shortly before 2 a.m., the Birkenhead struck a submerged rock off aptly named Danger Point near Gansby, South Africa. Ironically, the barely submerged rock was easily visible in rough seas, but not readily apparent in calm conditions. Ensign G.
A. Lucas of the 74th Foot, just 20 years old at the time, later wrote. I was awakened by three distinct shocks. I stood up. Immediately it struck me that we were stuck on a rock.
There was a gash in the hole. Seawater rushed in. At least 100 soldiers were immediately drowned, trapped, sleeping in their bunks. Um Ship Captain Robert Salmond rushed on deck, shouting orders in a clear and firm voice. He ordered the lifeboats on the quarter deck lowered.
The women and children were placed in the ship's cutter, a small boat. The stress rockets were fired, but there were no vessels nearby to see. Sixty men were detailed to go below and operate the chain pumps to pump water out of the hull, and sixty more were meant to man the tackle on the two large lifeboats, each able to carry 150 people. But when they pulled on the tackle to lift the lifeboats, the ropes broke. The equipment hadn't been maintained.
The ropes were rotten. and the 150 person boats were so heavy they could not be lifted on their own. Because of the tilt, several other lightboats couldn't be lowered, and the Birkenhead only had three operable lifeboats, the Cutter and two other small boats. not nearly enough for everyone on board. The ranking officer on board, Lieutenant Colonel Seaton of the 74th Foot, arranged the remaining soldiers to stand in ranks on the poop deck, using their weight to lift the bow of the ship.
In the pitch-black emergency, the men maintain their discipline. Captain Salmond ordered the engines in reverse, thinking he could pull off the rocks. It was a mistake. She struck again on the stern and core another gash. It flooded the engine room and killed the boilers.
The men sent below to man the pumps were instantly drowned. As the ship broke in half, Salmon ordered the horses thrown overboard in the hopes that they could swim for shore. Eight of the nine made it. Then Salmon gave a final order. All the men who could swim should jump off and swim for the lifeboats.
But that's where the story takes its extraordinary turn. Colonel Seaton realized that all the men swimming were way too much for the small lifeboats at sea, and so he shouted to his men. The cutter with the women and children, it will be swapped. I implore you not to do this thing. I ask.
that you stand Fast. And so they did. They stood bravely at attention as the ship broke up around them in what became known as the Birkenhead Drill. One of the few officers to survive the disaster, Captain Edward Wright of the 91st Regiment, wrote of that moment. Every one did as was directed, and there was not a murmur or cry among them.
all received their orders and carried them out as if they were embarking. instead of going to the bottom. Poet Rudyard Kipling immortalized the moment in his poem Soldier and Sailor II. But to stand and hold still to the Birkenhead grill is a damned tough bullet to chew. But they did it, the jollies.
Her Majesty's jollies?
Soldier and sailor too. The Birkenheads sunk within twenty-five minutes of striking the first rock. Many were sucked down with the ship, and many more were horribly taken by the great white sharks, which are prolific off of Danger Point. The next day, the schooner Lioness discovered the cutter with the women and children and rescued everyone who had been in the lifeboats. They returned to the scene of the wreck and found 40 more survivors still clinging to the wreckage.
about another hundred had managed to make it to shore. out of six hundred and thirty eight on the Birkinghead, 193 survived. including all. of the women and children. The conduct of the soldiers aboard the Birkenhead became known as a model for discipline and self-sacrifice.
it so impressed the Emperor of Prussia, Frederick William IV, that he had an account of the conduct aboard the Birkenhead read out to every regiment in his army. There are several monuments to the victims of the Birkenhead, both in England and in South Africa, and the people of Gonsby, South Africa, still hold a memorial every year. A memorial to remember people who deserve to be. be remembered. because of their sacrifice for others.
And a terrific job, as always, by our own Greg Hengler on the production and editing. And a special thanks as always to the history guy The story of where the protocol women and children first was first used here. on our American stories. Lee Habib here, and I'm inviting you to help Al American Story celebrate this country's 250th birthday coming soon. If you want to help inspire countless others to love America like we do, and want to help us bring the inspiring and important stories told here about a good and beautiful country, please.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to OurAmerican Stories. Go to OurAmericanStories.com and click the donate button. Any amount helps. Go to ouramericanstories.com and give. Hey, it's Bobby from the Bobby Bones Show.
I had an incredible time at this year's iHeartRadio Music Festival and even got the chance to hang out with Diplo and Bailey Zimmerman while I was there. How did Ashes come together, Diplo? I pulled up real quick. He was about to leave on tour. You're about to jump in your tour bus and we had like three hours.
It was really cool. He literally just like randomly showed up to my house. I'm like, oh, hey, Diplo, what are you doing? He's like, I have a song that I want to show you. And I was like, okay.
You can listen to the full episode out now wherever you get your podcast. And big shout out to my friends at Hyundai for making this possible. Had a blast, cruising around the festival weekend in the all-new Palisade Hybrid. America is changing. And so is the world.
But what's happening in America isn't just the cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere. I'm a smah in Washington, D.C. I'm Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global Story. Every weekday, we'll bring you a story from this intersection, where the world and America meet.
Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? It's Mario Lopez. Back to school. It's an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit.
Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor. Check in. Ask questions. Stay connected.
Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign. Greetings from my bath, festive friends. The holidays are overwhelming, but I'm tackling this season with PayPal and making the most of my money. Getting 5% cash back when I pay in four.
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Points can be redeemed for cash and more paying for subject to terms of approval. PayPal Inc. at NMLS 910-457. The day begins at the Chase Sapphire Lounge by the club at Boston Logan Airport. You get the clam chowder.
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Morgan Chase Bank, any member of FDIC, subject to credit approval. This is an iHeart podcast. Um
