HMS Birkenhead Tank Top

HMS Birkenhead, also known as HM Troopship Birkenhead, was one of the first iron-hulled ships built for the Royal Navy. In January 1852, HMS Birkenhead left Portsmouth to transport troops to fight in the Frontier War in South Africa. In February 1852, the ship sank off the South African coast. The sinking of the Birkenhead is one of the earliest maritime disaster evacuations during which the concept of "women and children first" is known to have been applied. "Women and children first" subsequently became standard procedure in relation to the evacuation of sinking ships, in fiction and in life. The term "Birkenhead drill" became defined as courageous behaviour in hopeless circumstances.