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Events on Wednesday 7 September 1870 1
1870HMS Captain CapsizesExperimental Royal Navy warship sinks with heavy loss of lifeThe Royal Navy turret ship HMS Captain capsized in a gale off Cape Finisterre on 7 September 1870, killing nearly 480 officers and crew. The disaster exposed a fatal design flaw: the ship's low freeboard left it dangerously unstable under sail. It prompted a rethink of Royal Navy ship design.