Tuesday, November 7, 2023

 On 8th November 1888,"Titanic of Gujarat" sank off the coast of Saurashtra in a cyclonic storm during a crossing from Mandvi to Bombay. The SS Vaitarna Ship which was owned by A. J. Shepherd & co, Bombay and was also known as Vijli or Haji Kasam Ni Vijli. The name Vijli was given after its appearance as the ship was decked up with many electric bulbs. The ship started its service in year 1885 and was captained by Kasam Ibrahim also known as Haji Kasam. The ship operated to ferry people between Mandvi and Bombay (now Mumbai). The ferry took 30 hours to travel from Mandvi to Bombay at a fare of Rs 8. During the incident, there were around 1300 people on board which included thirteen wedding parties and several students who headed for Bombay to appear in the matriculation examination of Bombay University in December. Later on, during the inquiry it was found that ship was not well equipped and was not build to operate in the stormy weather. Till date, no shipwreck is found making it to be mystery in the pages of history. However the RMS Titanic sank off after 24 years of this incident. 



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