Narrative Report of SS Cretic
9/26/1918
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In this narrative report of the SS Cretic, a troop transport ship during World War, describes the outbreak of influenza during its voyage. Though medical inspections occurred and no actively people were let on board (though 24 people recovering from the flu were allowed to board), within days dozens were admitted to the ship's hospital with influenza symptoms. In the end, 30 suffered complications from pneumonia, 13 of which died.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu, was one of the deadliest events in human history. One fifth of the world's population was attacked. The epidemic killed an estimated 50 million people around the world – more than died in World War I. Within months, the deadly flu virus had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not identify this disease which was striking so fast and so viciously, eluding treatment and defying control. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others succumbed after a few days; their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated to death. The flu did not discriminate. It was rampant in urban and rural areas, from the densely populated East coast to the remotest parts of Alaska. Young adults, usually unaffected by these types of infectious diseases, were among the hardest hit groups along with the elderly and young children. The flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General.
Full Citation: Narrative Report of SS Cretic; 9/26/1918; General Correspondence, 1917 - 1920; Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Record Group 92; National Archives at New York, New York, NY. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/narrative-report-of-ss-cretic, April 26, 2024]