A broken jar of liquid triggered a maritime disaster
In short: In 1881, the HMS Doterel vanished in a violent explosion off the coast of Chile. While initial theories blamed torpedoes or sabotage, the reality was a mundane industrial accident: a cracked jar of a drying compound ignited, triggering a massive magazine blast that instantly destroyed the vessel and its crew.
The HMS Doterel, a Doterel-class sloop launched in 1880, was a product of Nathaniel Barnaby's design philosophy. Barnaby championed a fleet of small, inexpensive ships for imperial constabulary duties—protecting British interests and policing local regions across the Pacific Station. The Doterel was a composite vessel, featuring wooden planks over an iron frame, powered by three cylindrical boilers producing 900 indicated horsepower.
On April 26, 1881, while at anchor off Punta Arenas, the ship was struck by a massive explosion in its forward magazine. The blast was so violent that it instantly sank the vessel, killing 143 of the 155 men on board. Early speculation was wide-ranging, with some suggesting an attack by Fenians, a lost Whitehead torpedo from 1878, or a boiler burst. However, a subsequent inquiry in September 1881 initially pointed toward coal gas.
It took until 1883 to uncover the true mechanism of the disaster. A survivor recalled smelling "xerotine siccative"—a compound known as a "patent drier"—shortly before the blast. It was determined that a jar of this explosive liquid had cracked below deck. While two men were attempting to clean the leak from beneath the forward magazine, they likely violated the rule against open flames, causing the siccative to explode first. A total of 4,456 kg (4 tons and 7 cwt) of explosives blew up within the magazine following this primary blast.
This tragedy led to significant safety reforms in the Royal Navy. The Admiralty ordered the immediate withdrawal of xerotine siccative from use across the fleet and mandated improved ventilation systems for all ships below decks. The disaster remains a notable example of how a single chemical oversight can lead to catastrophic mechanical failure.
The ship sank on April 26, 1881, off Punta Arenas, Chile.
The Admiralty ordered the compound withdrawn and improved ventilation after the disaster. canvas timeline timeline 1878 A Whitehead torpedo was lost by the ship Shah. 1878 1880
HMS Doterel was launched on 2 March from Chatham Dockyard. 1880 1880 The ship was commissioned on 7 December. 1881 1881 The HMS Doterel sank at anchor off Punta Arenas on 26 April. 1881 1881 A scientific committee determined coal gas was the cause of the explosion. Officials concluded in 1883 that the initial Doterel blast resulted from xerotine siccative.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: HMS Doterel (1880)
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