The U.S. President and many of his key officials cram onto a boat so they can get a up-close, first-hand demonstration of the vessel’s massive, largely untested new weapon. That was the scenario on the USS Princeton back on February 28, 1844. The steam frigate had at least 350 passengers (including President John Tyler), but the stars of the voyage were its pair of massive 27,000-pound cannons, dubbed “The Oregon” and “The Peacemaker.” The result was a uniquely foreseeable tragedy that could have been much, much worse.
On a happier note (albeit a creepy one), this gruesome disaster enabled President Tyler to win the heart of a traumatized younger woman.
Journey back to the days when presidential security had yet to become a priority.
Already an Accident
No one expected Tyler to reach the presidency, even after he was elected vice president in 1840. The celebrated hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe, General William Henry Harrison, topped the ticket and was clearly the star of the show. The campaign’s very slogan seemed to highlight that Tyler was an afterthought: “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.” Making it all the more shocking when Harrison proceeded to give a nearly two-hour inaugural speech in a freezing rainstorm, catch a cold, and die on April 4, 1841, barely a month after taking the oath. (He still holds the records for longest inaugural address and shortest time in office.)
