One of the deadliest ferry disasters in American history happened 50 years ago in Luling, when the MV George Prince Ferry was struck by the Norwegian tanker SS Frosta, killing 77 people.
St. Charles Parish will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragedy this Tuesday, Oct. 20, with a memorial ceremony at 5 p.m. at the Eastbank Bridge Park. St. Charles Parish representatives are inviting residents to attend and reflect on a tragedy that left a lasting impact on the parish and its history, and honor the lives that were lost that day.
October 20 officially marks 50 years since the George Prince ferry was struck while crossing the Mississippi River from Destrehan to Luling in the early morning hours of October 20, 1976.
“For 50 years, the George Prince Ferry disaster has remained a profound part of St. Charles Parish’s history and in the hearts of the families who lost loved ones that day,” Parish President Matthew Jewell said. “As we gather to mark this anniversary, we remember the 77 lives lost, honor the families who have carried their memory forward, and ensure their stories are never forgotten.”
Eyewitnesses say that ferry passengers saw the tanker approaching the George Prince Ferry and tried to warn the pilot by frantically honking their car horns and flashing their lights to no avail.
The Frosta and George Prince collided head-on, flipping the ferry over and dumping passengers and their automobiles into the Mississippi River. Only 16 people survived.
Less than two minutes had elapsed since the ferry departed from the dock.
George Prince pilot Egidio Auletta had a blood alcohol level just .001 percent under the legal limit. An investigation by the United States Coast Guard concluded that due to complacency, fatigue, and/or the effects of alcohol, Auletta failed to detect the approaching ship until the final seconds before collision, when she disappeared from the view of the Frosta’s pilot, by which time the collision was inevitable. The investigators concluded that he had time to maneuver to lessen the collision by making it a glancing blow, but the forward momentum and downstream current made the collision “beyond human remedy.”
The accident directly impacted 94 local families with relatives who were passengers on the boat. Royd Anderson gave them a voice.
In 2006, the former Hahnville High School history teacher wrote and directed his first major documentary, The Luling Ferry Disaster. He was a student at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at the time and made the documentary for his thesis.
“For many decades, it seems like the tragedy was forgotten,” said Anderson. “People from my age group didn’t remember it, and I was teaching at Hahnville at the time and none of those kids knew anything about it. It was important to let the future generations and some generations today know about what happened there. It inspired me to put together that documentary.”
He filmed the documentary on the heels of Hurricane Katrina – Anderson said some of his professors encouraged him to shift to a documentary about the devastating storm.
“I’m glad I stuck to the ferry disaster, and it’s good to know today that (the accident) hasn’t been forgotten,” Anderson said. “It’s very rewarding for me to hear from the family members who lost someone in that tragedy, when they say they’re grateful that it hasn’t been forgotten.”
Anderson said the ferry accident resulted in laws changing in an effort to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
“Pilots are subject to random drug and alcohol testing now, and ships in the river now legally have the right of way because it takes them about a mile to stop,” Anderson said. “At the time, the ferry had the right of way … I don’t think there’s been a major disaster like that since. Laws were changed to make it safer.”
There were those with loved ones on the ferry who stood on the levee for hours, or even days, waiting to learn some news, Anderson said. Painfully, for many of those who suffered loss in the tragedy, closure did not come immediately.
“They’re heartbroken,” said Anderson of those family members he spoke to for the documentary. “The hurt never leaves them.”
There will be three screenings of Anderson’s 2006 The Luling Ferry Disaster in St. Charles Parish, with Anderson present for a Q&A session: Oct. 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the West Regional Library; Oct. 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the East Regional Library; and Oct. 23 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Lafon Performing Arts Center in Luling. Admission is free. Registration is required for the Lafon Center showing.
