On April 1st, 1873, the White Star Line suffered its first major disaster when the Atlantic under the command of Captain James A. Williams, while crossing from Liverpool to New York, was forced to head for Halifax after experiencing several days of atrocious weather.

Coal was running low, the chief engineer reported only 127 tons remaining

in the bunkers. Captain Williams changed course for the nearest port, it was quite common for ships to put into Halifax for coal after a particularly bad crossing of the Atlantic.

On the 1st April at 3 am she went aground on rocks outside Halifax, with the loss of 585 passengers and crew out of a total of 1,038.

Subsequent enquiries in both Britain and Canada came to the conclusion that White Star was to blame by sending one of her ships to sea with inadequate supplies of coal, thus indirectly causing the disaster.

White Star appealed and the British Board of Trade ruled in their favour saying that the coal had nothing to do with the loss of the Atlantic.

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