On 25 November 1908, the
Sardinia left Malta's
Grand Harbour en route to
Alexandria at 09.45am. She was carrying 39 crew members, 12 first class passengers and 142
steerage passengers who were Muslims from
Morocco who were on their way to Mecca for the
Hajj pilgrimage. The vessel was also carrying some general cargo which included nitrate or
naphtha. She was captained by Charles Littler from
Birkenhead. Soon after the vessel left the harbour, fumes were seen coming out of a ventilator on the ship's port side. The crew attempted to fight the fire by hosing it with water down the ventilator, but this effort was futile. Within a couple of minutes, flames appeared out of other ventilators as well. When the vessel was about away from the breakwater, thick smoke was seen coming out of her starboard side. The fire probably started when embers from a pilgrim's cooking brazier came into contact with the cargo of nitrate held in the vessel's No. 2 hold. In less than 10 minutes, the
Sardinia's amidships was engulfed by flames. The vessel changed course, probably in an attempt to return to the harbour. However, it soon began to move in circles as the crew abandoned the wheel and lost control over the rudder, while the crew in the engine room were all killed in the fire. While the vessel was turning, it ran aground off
Fort Ricasoli. Multiple explosions tore through the vessel and blew off hatches, probably causing loss of life. Strong winds made the fire worse, and it reached the top deck and destroyed the ship's lifeboats. Captain Littler stayed on board the vessel and was one of the first to be killed in the fire. The crew handed out lifebelts to the passengers, although one of the chief cabin attendants was one of the first to jump overboard. Many of the Moroccan passengers, who included many women and children, had been below deck and died, while others who were on deck panicked and refused to abandon ship. Some of the people on board the ship managed to jump into the water and were rescued. Small boats with Maltese fishermen and sailors attempted to reach the
Sardinia to help the survivors, but they were unable to reach the burning vessel due to the intensity of the flames.
Admiralty tugboats were also sent to the scene. The ship was left to burn out on the rocks as thousands of people gathered on the harbour's fortifications to witness the disaster.
Victims Sources conflict as to how many people on the ship died and how many were rescued. Some sources state that only 23 crew members and 10 passengers survived, while others state that 21 crew members, 9 European passengers and 40 Moroccan passengers were rescued. By 16.00 on the day of the accident, 18 crew members, 5 European passengers, and 100 Moroccans were missing. The final death toll was also reported to be 16 crew members, 2 European passengers and over 100 Moroccans. Therefore, it can be said that the final death toll was at least 118 people. At least 40 bodies were recovered on the day of the accident, including that of the captain. Post mortem examinations revealed that those who died had either burned to death or drowned. Only 23 of the Moroccan pilgrims' bodies were recovered. They were taken to the Central Civil Hospital, and they were buried at the
Turkish Military Cemetery in Marsa on the following day. The captain and some crew members were buried at
Ta' Braxia Cemetery, as were three other bodies who were recovered later. At least one victim was buried at the
Addolorata Cemetery. Captain Littler's remains were later returned to England and reburied there. ==Aftermath==