The SS Eastland was a passenger ship that tragically capsized in the Chicago River on July 24, 1915, causing the deaths of 844 people. The ship was designed for a capacity of 2,500 passengers but was overloaded, leading to instability. The disaster occurred while the ship was still at the dock, resulting in a high death toll as many passengers were trapped below deck. The rescue efforts were hampered by the ship's location and the swift response of nearby vessels. The Eastland was later salvaged and sold, but the disaster had lasting effects on the ship's reputation and the regulations governing passenger ship safety. The tragedy of the SS Eastland remains one of the deadliest maritime disasters in American history.

This description has been generated using GPT-3.5-TURBO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.