Rescue at Sea — SS Minnehaha, April 1910
What’s happening here: Six men in a small rowing boat ferry cattle from the SS Minnehaha swimming toward the Isles of Scilly after the ship ran aground.
Where: Off Scilly Rock, near Bryher and Samson Island, in the Isles of Scilly, southwest of Cornwall, England.
The Ship: SS Minnehaha was a 13,443‑ton Atlantic passenger and cargo liner, built in Belfast and launched in 1900.
What happened: On 18 April 1910, she grounded in fog while en route from New York to Tilbury (London).
Cattle Rescue: Of the roughly 243 steers on board, about 200 were brought ashore to temporary pasture on Samson Island — many swimming out to boats like this one to be hauled in.
People and Crew: All 66 passengers and 171 crew were safely landed — no lives lost in the incident.
Aftermath: The ship was eventually refloated, repaired, and returned to service. In 1917 she was later sunk by a German U‑boat during World War I
