News from 1942: Death of Capt Sealby

[Mark Baber]

MAB Note: White Star commander Inman Sealby, perhaps best remembered for having been in command of Republic II when she sank in 1909, died in 1942, a resident of Vineland, New Jersey, and President of the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society. In 1943 and 1944 the Society's Vineland Historical Magazine published a number of articles about Sealby, including several family trees from which I may be able finally to figure out how the Sealbys, Inmans and Ismays were related to one another. Some of those articles, including one written by Jack Binns, will appear here in coming months, but for now, here are two pictures.

Vineland Historical Magazine, Vol. XXVIII, 1943

 

[Mark Baber]

Vineland Historical Magazine, Vol. XXIX, 1944

 

[Susan Sealby Orsini]

Vineland Historical Magazine, Vol. XXIX, 1944
View attachment 31194

Hi. I’m Susan Sealby Orsini. I’m a relative of Inman’s. I, too, am a ship’s Captain. I didn’t know about Inman until my Dad gave me a bunch of his stuff after I had already been sailing for a number of
Years. I continue to be intrigued. Posts like yours are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Mark Baber]

Thanks. There are a few articles about Capt. Sealby on this board; a search for his last will pull them up. An interesting guy, to say the least (and a cousin of the Ismays, to boot).

 

[Steven Christian]

I was reading about the Republic a while ago about her use of the radio in the disaster. First CQD sent in a real emergency at sea. One of the articles I read stated that Capt. Sealby was credited with one of the most well organized and successful evacuations at sea. No passengers lost during the evacuations. Yes the situation was different from Titanic. Time and ships responding being the major factors but from what I read he was an excellent Captain. I also read that the Republic sank only a few miles from where the Andrea Doria sank. I would think that would be kind of a ship salvagers/explorers dream.