— 11 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 116.

— 11 NCDC/NOAA. Event Record Details, Tstm Wind, Alabama, Madison County.

— 11 NCDC/NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 1984, p. 5.

— 11 Syracuse Herald Journal (NY). “11 Die as Wind Flips Riverboat in Alabama,” 7-8-1984.

Narrative Information

Grazulis: “Eleven people were killed as a sternwheeler capsized on the Tennessee River by what Professor Fujita suggested was a “vortex roll”…. The boat had used proper boating procedure and turned into the macroburst wind (from the west) when the suspected “roll-vortex” unexpectedly hit the boat broadside (from the south-southwest).” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 116.)

NCDC Storm Data: “Microburst near Huntsville, Alabama on July 7, 1984. Between 1025 and 1045 CST on July 7^th, a microburst descended from a severe thunderstorm over the Tennessee River south of Huntsville, Alabama. The microburst’s winds struck a 90 ft. sternwheeler boat broadside, and capsized it, killing 11 and injuring 2 of the 18 people aboard. The victims reportedly drowned after having been trapped in a lower cabin. Wind damage occurred in areas southwest of the accident site, while the highest measured wind in the area was a 70 mph gust at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.” (NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 1984, p. 5.)

July 8, UPI: “Huntsville, Ala. (UPI) — A hurricane-force wind shear capsized a riverboat carrying 18 electronic company employees and family members on a Tennessee River outing Saturday, killing 11 people trapped in lower deck lounge. Seven people survived the capsizing of the two-deck, 90-foot sternwheeler “SCItanic” owned by SCI Corp. of Huntsville, when it was buffeted by 70 mph winds.

”Leonard Mitchum, a founder of SCI, said all 18 people aboard, including three crewmen, were company employees or families of employees. At least one of the victims was a child, 8-year-old Jason Tolbert….”Everyone is accounted for,” Madison County Chief Deputy Charlie Norment said. “The survivors weren’t seriously injured. They happened to be the ones who got the doors open and got out.”

”Norment said the captain and a crewman were in the wheelhouse atop the second-deck cabin when the storm struck. The passengers were sent to the lower deck lounge to ride out the storm. One crewman was instructed to break out life-jackets.

”Alabama Marine Patrol Investigator John Clifton said a preliminary report showed it “probably was wind shear” that caused the 30-foot high vessel to overturn. “The height had a lot to do with it,” he said. Clifton said that the weather was not threatening when the “SCItanic” departed about 10:20 a.m. CST. But the weather worsened in the next hour and the vessel capsized about 11:30 a.m. as it was attempting to return to the landing, he said….

“Divers rushed to the murky green waters of the Tennessee River — 400 yards wide where the
“SCItanic” overturned — and worked in a violent storm from a lone boat anchored beside the wreck. All that could be seen of the paddlewheeler was its green pontoon hull.
“Gene Sapp, the president of SCI, a multi-million dollar aerospace and electronics firm with 4,000 employees, said the company allowed different departments to use the boat for recreation each weekend….The “SCItanic” was described as a modern, diesel-powered copy of the old paddlewheel riverboats.

“Curt Jones…of Huntsville, said he was helping two friends repair a boat when he heard yelling for the marine police boat and rushed to the scene about 300 yards away. “The boat was completely upside down in the water. The wind just flipped it over,” Jones said.
“It was capsized in about 25 feet of water. Only a small part of the boat wasn’t underneath the surface.”….

“The National Weather Service said winds of up to 70 mph occurred during thunderstorms at the Army’s Redstone Arsenal in the vicinity of the boating accident.

“The mishap occurred in the Ditto’s Landing recreation area, about 10 miles south of Huntsville.
Other storm damage was reported at Lacey’s Spring in Morgan County, where a trailer was overturned and several fruit stands were blown apart by high winds, the weather service said.” (Syracuse Herald Journal (NY). “11 Die as Wind Flips Riverboat in Alabama,” July 8, 1984)

Sources

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993.

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Event Record Details, Tstm Wind, Alabama, Madison County. NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce. Accessed 2-5-2009 at: http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~2961

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 1984. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce, 44 pages. Accessed 2-13-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-20D4DCBC-4094-4CAC-BA37-12CC43F939E1.pdf

Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “11 Die as Wind Flips Riverboat in Alabama,” 7-8-1984. At: http://www3.gendisasters.com/alabama/13337/huntsville-al-riverboat-accident-july-1984

1984 — July 7, Microburst, Sternwheel SCItanic capsizes, TN River, Ditto Landing, AL– 11