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WC Porter

The first night , April 25, 1865, on the boat several of us slept on the boiler deck in a coal bin as the other decks were so crowded. The next day we had a very pleasant ride. All were joyous and happy with the anticipation of seeing home and friends. The moment the boat touche dthe wharf in memphis, Tenn., the boys began to jump off . I went the rest and roamed about town until two o' clock in the evening of the 26th of April when we went back to the boat and as they were going to take on coal for the rest of our journey we had to find sleeping quarters. After roaming around on the cabin deck as best I could among sleepers, i found a place between the smoke stacks , and spread down my blanket and was about to lie down, when one of the men near by informed that it was being held for another man.

Andersonville prison , a prison where many of the passengers aboard the ship had just been set free.

I made my way back to the stairs and found room enough by sticking my feet over the steps , laid down and was soon lost in sleep. I slept peacefully and quietly until awakened by the noise of the explosion. The first thought was that the hurricane deck had fallen in from being overloaded, but soon found out different. It was not long before it was all confusion, some singing, some praying, some lamenting, some swearing, some crying, and some did not seem to know anything. I soon made my way down stairs. In a short time everytthing available on the bowe of the boat was thrown overboard. There were several bales of cotton and some bales of hay but there were generally enough men that went over with them to load them down..

When the gangway board was shoved over into the water there were a great many that went over with it. It was but a short time before the fire shot up and burned the boat to the water's edge. As the boat was crowded, the flames whipped down on them and those nearest the fire could not stand it and crowded back and crowded back so that a great many near the edge of the boat were pushed overboard, as the railing that went around the boat had been torn off. I remained on the boat until the largest part or nearly all had gottenoff. I took off my clothing, placed it between two sticks and tied them together with a pair of suspenders, with the intention of using them to aid me in floating or swimming, as I was not much of a swimmer . When I jumped off the boat into the water I lost them, i do not know hoe it happened.

Michigan's Sultana Memorial

The most that I was afraid of was that some drowning man catch hold of me. While making for shore I passed four men astride of something , using their hands for oars, and one of them gave the order so they would work together. When I got to land, or where land is most of the time, I found that it was covered with water. The trees were quite dense, and out in the woods a few rods I found a large tree that was floating in the water, climbed upon it and called to some others that were trying to find a place to get out of the water. Some got on the log with me, adn several got another log near by. I had to rub myself considerably to keep warm, as I did not have any clothing on. Remained there about four or five hours, when a boat came along and picked us up. When i got on the boat thay gave me a sheet to wrap around me. When we arrived in Memphis some of the Christian Commision came on board and distributed some clothing(shirts and drawers) to those that were needy. I was taken to the Soldier's Home, where in due time received a suit of clothes.

Of the company to which I belonged there were fifteen on board and only three of them survived...

Loss of the Sultana and Reminences of Survivors by Rev. Chester D. Berry

Additional Sources:

asms.k12.ar.us
www.usgennet.org
www.ezl.com
www.suite101.com
www.sultanadisaster.com
www.arkansasstories.com
www.censusdiggins.com
www.rootsweb.com
goodies.freeservers.com
www.tngenweb.org
www.geocities.com/austinblair2000

Sultana

I followed old Johnston to the hell that was Shiloh
By the time the Yanks caught me, I'd near forgot why
When they let me go home I thought it was over
Til the night the Sultana tore open the sky

She was a boat proud as any on the whole Mississippi
From the Arkansas banks I watched her steam by
But her engines were groaning from the load that she carried
Just before the Sultana tore open the sky

In an instant, the river had flames like a furnace
All through the night the wind thundered and cried
And men who had come through the battles and prisons
Slid into the rolling brown water and died

Every boat that we had we pushed into the river
And picked up the fortunate few who swam by
But a thousand were gone and five hundred soon followed
The night the Sultana tore open the sky

They were boys from Ohio and old Indiana
Battered and weary but their spirits were high
Herded like cattle but headed for home
The night the Sultana tore open the sky

They had come, just like me, through the hell that was Shiloh
They had starved at Cahaba and Andersonville
We cursed them for Yankees and mourned them for brothers
And the name of Sultana bedevils me still

Some day when it's time to go to my maker
The very first that I'll do is ask why
He'd bring men through cannons and chains to be here
The night the Sultana tore open the sky

-- Charley Sandage, 1996

Air Power
F-4 Phantom II

The F-4 Phantom II was a twin-engine, all-weather, fighter-bomber. The Phantom was first used by the U.S. Navy as an interceptor but also was capable of flying as a ground-support bomber for the U.S. Marine Corps. The aircraft could perform three tactical air roles — air superiority, interdiction and close air support — as it did in southeast Asia. McDonnell designed one of the greatest fighters of the postwar era as a company venture to meet anticipated future needs. Planned as an attack aircraft with four 20mm guns, it was quickly changed into a very advanced gunless all-weather interceptor with advanced radar and missile armament. The aircraft flew every traditional military mission: air superiority, close air support, interception, air defense suppression, long-range strike, fleet defense, attack and reconnaissance.

The Phantom was the first multiservice aircraft, flying concurrently with the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. It is the first and only aircraft ever to be flown concurrently by both the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. The name Phantom II was chosen to declare the aircraft’s lineage from McDonnell’s FD-1 Phantom which was the first all-jet aircraft the Navy operated. Phantom II production ended in 1979 after over 5,000 in 15 different models had been built -- more than 2,600 for the USAF, about 1,200 for the Navy and Marine Corps, and the rest for other nations, including to Israel, Iran, Greece, Spain, Turkey, South Korea, West Germany, Australia, Japan, and Great Britain. The US Air Force purchased more than 2,600 F-4s and, as a result, a large portion of the Air Force's pilots, navigators and maintenance people spent a great deal of their careers around and in F-4s. Used extensively in the Vietnam War, later versions of the aircraft were still active in the US Air Force inventory well into the 1990s. F-4s are no longer in the USAF inventory but are still flown by a number of other nations.

In the 1960s, most of the thousands of McDonnell employees were involved in delivering the Phantom. Between 1966-67, production averaged 63 F-4 aircraft each month. Production peaked at 72 Phantom aircraft a month in 1967. By 1978, production was 4 to 6 aircraft a month. In all, production of the F-4 contributed to more than 1 million man-years of employment at McDonnell.

The Phantom is powered by twin General Electric J79 engines, mounted side by side along the length of the fuselage. Of the engine's sub-models, the most important is the J79-GE-17. Each engine delivers a thrust of 5,385 kg. without using its afterburners, and 8,210 kg. thrust with the afterburners. The Phantom is a two seater, with the navigator/WSO sitting behind the pilot. In case of an emergency, the WSO can fly the plane from his seat.

Specifications:
Primary Function: All-weather fighter-bomber.
Contractor: McDonnell Aircraft Co., McDonnell Corporation.
Power Plant: Two General Electric turbojet engines with afterburners.
Thrust: 17,900 pounds (8,055 kilograms).
Crew: Two (pilot and Weapons system/electronic warfare officer).

Dimensions:
Length: 62 feet, 11 inches (19.1 meters).
Height: 16 feet, 5 inches (5 meters).
Wingspan: 38 feet, 11 inches (11.8 meters).
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 62,000 pounds (27,900 kilograms).

Performance:
Speed: More than 1,600 mph (Mach 2).
Ceiling: 60,000 feet (18,182 meters).
Climb Rate: 49,000 ft per minute
Range: 1,300 miles (1,130 nautical miles).

Armaments:
Four AIM-7 Sparrow and four AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles,
AGM-65 Maverick missiles, AGM-88 HARM missile capability,
One fuselage centerline bomb rack and four pylon bomb racks capable of carrying 12,500 pounds (5,625 kilograms) of general purpose bombs.

Systems:
F4:
APQ-120 fire-control radar [Hughes]
AJB-7 bombing system
ASQ-91 weapon release system,
ASX-1 TISEO (Target Identification System Electro-Optical) Northrup
ASN-63 INS
APR-36 RWR

F4G:
ALQ-87 FM barrage jammer
ALQ-101 ECM pod Westinghouse noise/deception jammer
ALQ-119 ECM pod Westinghouse noise/deception jammer (covering three bands)
ALQ-130 ECM pod
ALQ-131 ECM pod
ALQ-140 IR countermeasures system [Sanders]

Many more photos here!