On the 15th and 16th of March 1889, a tropical hurricane (as most of its contemporaries called it ... modern people might prefer the term "typhoon") struck the South Pacific island kingdom of Samoa. In the port of Apia, on the northern coast of the Samoan island of Upolu, seven foreign warships were anchored in the town's small and very exposed harbor, protecting their national interests during a time of domestic Samoan political unrest. Active German military involvement in the local crisis was perceived as a threat to U.S. commerical interests in the islands, and the U.S. Navy's Pacific Station flagship, USS Trenton, and the smaller U.S. warships Vandalia and Nipsic were present as a "show of force" in opposition to the German corvette Olga and gunboats Adler and Eber. This tense situation carried a serious risk of war between those two countries. Also anchored in Apia harbor was the British Royal Navy corvette Calliope and several civilian vessels.
Though the weather was visibly threatening in the hours before the storm, the senior officer present, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Lewis A. Kimberly, had decided to remain at Apia, basing his decision on local opinion that the hurricane season was already past. However, the force of wind and waves proved much greater than anticipated. With the exception of the relatively modern Calliope, which was able with great difficulty to steam out of the harbor in the teeth of the storm, the ships' anchors and engines proved unable to resist the blow. Eber, the smallest of the warships present, was blown into the reef and completely destroyed, with the loss of nearly all of her crew. Adler and Vandalia also suffered heavy personnel casualties and were wrecked beyond any possibility of recovery. Trenton, whose steam powerplant was extinguished by water entering through her low hause pipes, dragged her anchors and was also wrecked, though losses among her men were light. Olga and Nipsic were run ashore, but both were later hauled off and repaired.
The shocking violence of the storm, which took the lives of more than fifty U.S. Sailors and Marines, and about ninety Germans, overwhelmed the international naval confrontation. A diplomatic settlement of the Samoan question followed, though the islands' internal problems were not over and foreign intervention again took place during the next decade. Within the United States' Navy, the Samoan Hurricane was seen as something of a "last gasp" of the age of wooden cruisers, muzzle-loading guns, full sail rig and moderate steam power. Already in 1889 the "New Navy"'s steel ships, with powerful engines and modern ordnance, were beginning to enter service and, in the next half-decade, would almost completely displace what contemporary opinion regarded as the seagoing "relics" of the post-Civil War era.
This page features, or provides links to, all the views we have related to the Apia, Samoa, hurricane of 15-16 March 1889.
For more images related to the March 1889 Apia hurricane,
see:
For textual information relating to this storm, see the
"Frequently Asked Questions" entry:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions. |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
For more images related to the March 1889 Apia hurricane,
see:
Note: In addition to the views referenced above, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, holds several artworks that depict scenes before and during the Apia hurricane of 15-16 March 1889. Among these are: National Maritime Museum photo # 7746 -- Oil painting by a German artist depicting the warships at anchor in Apia harbor shortly before the storm. National Maritime Museum photo # 7747 -- Oil painting by a German artist depicting the warships in distress amid towering waves at the height of the storm. National Maritime Museum photo # 58/6603 -- Engraving from a contemporary publication, depicting the ships at the height of the storm, with some of them being driven onto the reefs. This view has a heavy vertical line in its center. National Maritime Museum photo # 2959 -- Etching by W.L. Wyllie, depicting HMS Calliope steaming out of Apia Harbor into the teeth of the hurricane. The view shows Calliope from off her stern (somewhat to the port side), with another ship (probably USS Trenton) beyond. National Maritime Museum photo # 58/6590 -- Engraving from the "Illustrated London News", depicting the crew of USS Trenton cheering HMS Calliope as she steamed seaward at the peak of the hurricane. The artist's vantage point is from on board Trenton, with Calliope passing nearby (seen from off her port quarter). National Maritime Museum photo # A.8339 -- Painting showing HMS Calliope escaping from Apia Harbor during the storm. The view shows Calliope from off her starboard side, with a huge wave breaking amidships.
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For textual information relating to this storm, see the
"Frequently Asked Questions" entry:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions. |
Page made 24 March 2002
New Image added 20 July 2002