In August 1831, the steamer Rothsay Castle was following her routine excursion from Liverpool to North Wales. It was the height of summer and one hundred plus passengers were traveling to Beaumaris for an evening of festivities before the annual regatta the following day. The fifty-mile journey should take about 5 hours and the four-man band was aboard to entertain the passengers.
However, a negligent and drunken captain sat below deck for almost the entire voyage down the Mersey. Although the weather changed dramatically as the vessel entered the Irish Sea, Captain Atkinson was dismissive of the urgent appeals of his passengers to turn back to Liverpool or find the nearest safe harbor. In his own words: "I think there is a d.-d deal of fear on board, and very little danger. If we were to turn back with passengers, it would never do-we should have no profit." He, his crew, and passengers would pay dearly as they approached Dutchman's Bank in the middle of the night.
