The Star of Bengal was an iron three-masted 1,877 GRT merchant sailing vessel built in Belfast in 1874 by Harland and Wolff Industries (the shipyard that later constructed the Titanic).

As a result, the Star of Bengal was purchased by San Francisco trading company J.J. Smith & Co. and, along with many other old European vessels, taken around Cape Horn to the Pacific Ocean.

As steamships pushed sailing vessels out of business, the trading company could no longer operate her for profit, and in 1905, the Star of Bengal was sold to the Alaska Packers' Association.

On September 20, 1908, at the beginning of her return trip from Fort Wrangell to San Francisco, the Star of Bengal was in tow in open sea when she encountered a storm.

Later, Captain Wagner's daughter, Joan Lowell, pursued literary career, that led to the Star of Bengal's portrayal in fiction.

[9] During the ship's 1886 voyage to Calcutta, the Scottish maritime novelist George Cupples sailed as the Star of Bengal's honorary first mate.

After the impact of the Long Depression on regional shipping peaked in 1896–1897,[32][33] the demand for Pacific Coast maritime transportation unexpectedly soared.

[34] It was driven by the Nome Gold Rush, which intensified the colonization of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and created numerous opportunities for new passenger and trade routes.

[53][56] Taking advantage of "good strong old British iron" and "lower insurance rates,"[46] APA operated the ship seasonally: in the spring, she would sail from San Francisco to Alaska, bringing seasonal workers, fuel, and other supplies to the canneries; in the fall, she would sail back loaded with canned salmon and returning workers.

"[57] At the time, salmon canneries required cheap, unskilled labor, and the Alaska Packers' Association primarily hired immigrants of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino descent as seasonal workers.

[58] On the company ships, "Orientals" were segregated from white workers and crew, in part due to separate habits and diet and because they were treated as second-class citizens.

[61][62] In addition to the workers and supplies, the ship could carry a maximum load of 85,000 48-pound (22 kg) cases of salmon, an equivalent of 2,040 short tons (1,850 t) of cargo.

[64][73] The Kayak's draft was too shallow, so when towing a vessel she risked propeller and rudder being submerged too shallowly for effective operation, especially in rough weather.

[56] The Hattie Gage was under command of Captain Erwin Ferrar,[note 7] who had 35 years of experience at sea, including 13 seasons in Alaska.

[88] For some time, the tugs worked against each other,[73] their combined effort overpowering the Star of Bengal's rudder and preventing her from making the turn to safety.

[90] Whether due to a sudden change in direction of the wind or to an error on part of the Star of Bengal's crew, her sails were filled aback.

[92] Pulled into less than 10 fathoms (60 ft; 18 m) of water and occasionally as close as 100 feet (30 m) to the land,[93] the tugs finally severed their hawsers at 4:00 a.m., steamed out of danger,[93] and found shelter from the still-strengthening winds 12 miles (19 km) away, behind Warren Island.

[67] With the dawn, the Star of Bengal's crew realized how dangerous the ship's position was: just 100 yards (91 m) from the rocky beach of Coronation Island, barely held by her anchors amidst the storm.

[54][56][69][106] Passengers and crew found themselves in 40 °F (4 °C) water surrounded by wooden cases of canned salmon and empty steel fuel drums from the ship's hold.

[67] The US government cable ship Burnside arrived at the scene of the wreck later, and her crew buried the remaining corpses in a mass grave.

[83][114] During the hearing, the Alaska Packers' Association provided written testimonies of nautical experts that supported the position of the tugs' captains.

[116] Captains Farrar and Hamilton provided their written testimonies,[84] insisting that their actions were justified, as after the Star of Bengal dropped her anchors they were powerless to assist the large ship and responsible to ensure safety of their own vessels and crews.

[115] After completing repairs, the Hattie Gage steamed to Fort Wrangell to seek assistance of a larger ship, the Burnside,[note 8] while the Kayak went searching for the Star of Bengal, eventually locating the survivors.

[122] Due to the high number of casualties, as of 2015, the wreck of the Star of Bengal remains in the top 5 worst marine disasters in the history of Alaska.

[132][133] In the book, Lowell spends the first 17 years of her life aboard her father's schooner, the Minnie A. Caine, barefoot and surrounded by the all-male crew.

[143] In chapter 11 of The Cradle of the Deep, Lowell gives her account of the Star of Bengal's wreck, which is loosely based on the stories she heard from her father.

[144] In the book, ominous signs foreshadow the wreck,[145] and the full responsibility of the disaster is placed on the shoulders of the tugboat captains,[38] who mishandle their drunken and inexperienced crews, become "panic-stricken," and flee the scene.

[146] Furthermore, the tug captains commit other acts "beyond human comprehension," including burning the corpses of the Chinese passengers "like rubbish" on Coronation Island, and salvaging the food from the Star of Bengal's hold that was mixed with the dead men and selling the cooked mixture to Eskimos.

[147] Inspired by the scandal, humorist Corey Ford published a parody on Lowell's book titled Salt Water Taffy; or, Twenty thousand leagues away from the sea; the almost incredible autobiography of Capt.

[153] The play was produced by Christopher Morley and opened in late September, starring Charles Starrett, Joan Lowell, and William P.