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The White Ship Disaster

Type Event Region Europe Time 1120

On November 25, 1120, the White Ship (Blanche-Nef) carrying England's heir William Adelin and many Norman nobles struck a rock and sank off Barfleur,…

Timeline

  1. 1120Port of Barfleur · NormandyHenry I had already sailed ahead on another ship; Prince William Adelin, along with courtiers and nobles, stayed behind drinking at Barfleur, then set out at night aboard the new ship White Ship under Captain Thomas FitzStephen, intending to overtake the king's fleet.
  2. 1120Waters off the rock near Quilleboeuf · English ChannelThe drunken crew sailed too fast, and the White Ship struck a submerged rock (near Quilleboeuf) and quickly filled with water and capsized. William had already boarded a small boat but turned back when he heard his half-sister Matilda cry for help; the overloaded boat overturned, and the prince and many nobles drowned; according to the chroniclers, only the butcher Berold climbed the mast and survived.

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