In the second half of the nineteenth century, an astonishing campaign to save the lives of countless seafarers stirred a nation. Hundreds of British sailors were drowning every year as overladen and unseaworthy ships set sail, their doomed crews sacrificed while mercenary shipowners profited from the insurance.
Samuel Plimsoll, encouraged by his wife Eliza, blew the whistle on these scandalous practices. This tale of the decade of agitation that was known as the Plimsoll Sensation takes us from storm-ravaged seas to the heart of the British establishment, from courtroom conflicts to outrageous breaches of protocol in the House of Commons.
Thwarted by fellow MPs, Plimsoll caught the public imagination and became, for a while, 'the most popular man in Britain'. Crowds thronged to cheer him. Music-hall songs praised him. Novels, plays and poems were written in support of the cause. Under Plimsoll's banner working men and women stood side by side with enlightened aristocrats and industrialists, and their clamour almost toppled a prime minister.
Tireless campaigning took its tool on Plimsoll. His health suffered, his sanity was questioned, libel cases accumulated against him, and ruinous legal fees forced him to sell his home. But he persevered and in 1876 his legacy was secured: the hull of every cargo ship was marked with the level of maximum submergence - the Plimsoll line.
The story of a Victorian philanthropist who reformed shipping laws, saved thousands of sailors' lives and became a national hero.
This enthusiastically reviewed, scrupulously researched, and Mountbatten Maritime Prize-winning book chronicles a resonant episode of Victorian history led by Samuel Plimsoll, MP, "The Sailor's Friend," and his wife Eliza, who worked together to defend sailors against nefarious practices including overloading and the use of unseaworthy "coffin ships." It is the tale of the decade of agitation that was known as the Plimsoll Sensation and takes us from storm ravaged seas to the heart of the British establishment, featuring courtroom conflicts and outrageous breaches of protocol in the House of Commons. The backlash of libel cases and vilification almost ruined Plimsoll, but his drive and passion made him feverishly popular with the public; he was the subject of plays, novels, street ballads, and music hall songs. With the demonstrative support of his country, he faced down his enemies, came close to ousting Disraeli's government, and achieved lasting safety measures for merchant sailors, including the load line that bears his name.
