On December 19, 1870 a small boat arrived off the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Caught in the breakers, the vessel capsized, and its crew of five men were thrown into the ocean. Three drowned, one died of his injuries, and just one man, described as a starved, emaciated skeleton, crippled by a splinter in his leg, was found alive by an island local. That man, Coxswain William Halford, USN, told an incredible story of survival, and of an urgent mission.
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Script by THG
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50 Comments
I'm from Saginaw Michigan, how have I not heard of this?
IN this day of GPS and cell phones it's hard to imagine what men who were shipwrecked in the 1800s actually went through!
Quite a saga. Thank you for sharing. Have a great Holiday and stay safe.🙂🙂
What is your theme song sir?
I seem to remember it from maybe 1980?
I just can’t place it!
9:16 constructed a Sextant from scraps of debris and scraps… wow
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It’s ironic that the Saginaw’s reason for visiting the island was to see if there were any shipwrecked sailors there in need of rescuing, and the Saginaw promptly wrecked and her own men needed rescuing.
Your choise of no background noise for the last 5 screens is appreciated…
You never know when the History Guy is going to bring a tear to your eye. Well done, sir.
No doubt very brave men
May the memory of the bravery of those stalwart men of the sea never fade. Thank you for telling their story so well, History Guy.
Great video.
Interesting story I've never heard before. Much hardship and heartache. Reminiscent of the Endurance. Thanks for the upload.
Thank you for the video, but I don't think you meant to say that Talbot graduated from the Academy in 1962.
That was something I never heard about. Thank you for telling me story of bravery and courage.
How could Talbot have graduated in 1962?
For some insight into what it must have been like for the crew of this small boat I recommend reading The Open Boat by Stephen Crane.
Few today , could have accomplished so much with bare hands and experience .
Riveting story! Thank you History Guy! As always, your timing and knowledge are indubitable!!
In response to many comments, and with respect, if you listen carefully, I said 1862.
Very well told. So many vessels with names given but seldom explained or understood.
GOD Bless them all
History Guy, I have to say, when I first heard Saginaw, I thought of this song below. I grew up (60's – 70's) with a dad that listened to country music.
https://youtu.be/9GcNf8VWhe4
Your stories are great.
Courage: Embarking on an endeavor that means almost certain death…and doing it anyway.
No mater how large or small ,wonderful or horrific you always manage to find parts of history that in some cases have truly been nearly forgotten .and they all deserve to be remembered
I went through nuke school in mare island nice little city.
Amazing!
Wow. A great story. Thank you.
Anchors Aweigh…GO NAVY.
Yet another awesome episode of THG👍👏 thank you and merry christmas to you and yours👍
I live near Saginaw PA. Now I’m wondering if it is but a name or a connection?
Thank you for the video, I’d never heard this story. I’ve always been stunned by the tale of the Endurance , and this tale reminds me of it.
I definitely learned something new, because I knew nothing of the Saginaw. Thank you!
One ship story that always gets me is the story of the Brother Jonathan that sank just off the coast of Crescent City California in 1865. 11 crew survived with only 8 passengers also surviving, 5 women and 3 children.
Fair winds and flowing seas to the lost, forever on patrol. The mind of the sailor is amazing to save weight aboard for comforts like tea and coffee. Desperate times call for the best of times
Karma – In April 1868, a year after the United States purchased Alaska from Russia, Saginaw got underway for the Alaska Territory and, with the exception of a run home late in the year for replenishment… In the February 1869 Kake War the USS Saginaw destroyed three deserted villages and two forts near present-day Kake, Alaska. Prior to the conflict, two white trappers were killed by the Kake in retribution for the death of two Kake departing Sitka village in canoe. Sitka was the site of a standoff between the Army and Tlingit due to the army demanding the surrender of chief Colchika who was involved in an altercation in Fort Sitka. While no Kake, or possibly a single old woman, died in the destruction of the villages, the loss of winter stores, canoes, and shelter led to the death during the winter of some of the Kake.[2][3] Wikipedia
Today, with no cell phone reception in a spot on the earth, death will be imminent in just a few hours to all! HG Thank you for all the videos I have enjoyed them all. Merry Christmas!
As always, you have delivered a wonderful segment of our history 👏! Keep up your good work! 👍
I've never heard about this before. Very interesting.
The most dangerous thing in a hopeless situation is the belief one is saved one minute before safety is realized.
This whole story reminds me of the Shackleton expedition, albeit men unfortunately lost their lives from the Saginaw. As I recall Shackleton’s entire crew survived, somehow.
5:28 what an incredible description
At 10:09 Say's 1962 …. I think you meant 1862… despite your disclaimer its clearly 1962
Man what a story, reminds me of the story of two groups stuck on Auckland Island around the same era? Both groups were on the island but didn't know the others existed. One groups made a boat like this one and sailed it to new Zealand looking for help. The wrote a book about it call island of the lost, I listed to it as a audio boom in absolute awe
Dear Lance.
I so love how you bring to life – stories of courage that have laid long forgotten
I am quite certain had this happened today the crew would have complained to HR. They would have demanded internet and transgender privy's be erected first. LOL…god bless these brave men who were all america's forefathers.
I know it is only a small footnote to you but to the people of Kake, the bombing of our village sites and burning of our food caches was a horrible ordeal meant to starve and kill our people. Spoiler alert, we survived
Thank you for this. When I was in stationed at NS Midway we flew LOG flights to Kure to take supplies to the LORAN station that was there. I has no idea about its history.
HONORS TO THESE MEN. Thank you for telling this story.
TALK ABOUT PORT CHICAGO DISASTER! You can see it from Mare Island. It is one of the wildest untold stories in the San Francisco Bay Area. +10,000,000 pounds of explosive 🔥🔥🔥💥