|
May I suggest that you navigate the site via the
index on page 001. PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE
Do you want to make a comment? A site guestbook is here. Copyright? Test.
Miramar, Plimsoll, images, xplornet, mariners-l.co.uk, Excel DP, MNL, eBay, Delcampe,
wrecksite.eu, Aug. 19, 2021.
To search for specific text on this page, just press 'CTRL +
F' & then enter your search term. A general site search facility is here.
SUNDERLAND SHIPWRECKS
A chronological listing of the wrecks which are referenced on this site, follows
in the table below.
But, as a further aid to your navigation of this page & site, I provide 2 alphabetic lists - a)
of
wrecks already listed & b) of wrecks yet to be listed.
Note as time advances, I seem to be
using the word 'wrecks' to cover not only true wrecks but also groundings -
which also are interesting.
a) Wrecks already listed on site,
mostly on this page :- Afon Towy,
Arendal,
Broomside,
Dora, Efos,
Emily Smeed, Fishing Boats 1869,
James Horn,
J. B. Eminson,
Jernaes,
Loch Cree,
Marjory Hastie,
Orion,
Ottercaps (1 & 2),
Peña Rocias,
Regfos,
Sentinel,
Quillota,
Tenterden,
Violante
b)
Wrecks yet to be listed on site:- Abasota, Abbotsford, Active, Alangueta,
Amelia, Ashanti, Cornwall,
Denham, Eva, Fame, Gefle, General Havelock, Geziena, Gladys, Gran, Indianic,
Lord Roberts, Maliano, Mazeppa, Name unknown - 1, Povena, Raloo, Sara, Sleipner,
UC-32, Westhampton, Zealand - but there are many, many more.
There were a great many shipwrecks at Sunderland over the centuries.
This page will record those that I 'come across' as this total site
advances.
It is said that every journey starts with a single step, As this page
commenced in May 2009, we had data about one shipwreck only. Today we have
rather more but still a tiny fraction, I am sure, of all of the wrecks that have
occurred in the Sunderland vicinity. Hopefully data
will soon be located about some at least of the other notable shipwrecks. Corrections, however
small, in the data on this page are invited.
As is data about other wrecks that occurred at or near Sunderland.
| 1 |
1866 |
TENTERDEN |
A schooner, built at Newcastle in 1815, later owned at Sunderland, that went aground, at
South Pier, South Shields, on Apl. 2, 1866. |
| 2 |
1869 |
FISHING BOATS |
The rescue of the crews of Scottish fishing boats in Jun. 1869, where the boats
likely would have sunk. |
| 3 |
1877 |
LOCH CREE |
An iron barque, that was stranded on the bar near Sunderland North Pier, on Oct. 14, 1877. |
| 4 |
1877 |
JAMES HORN |
A 160 ton schooner that was stranded at South Outlet, Sunderland, on Oct. 25, 1877. |
| 5 |
1881 |
J. B. EMINSON |
A collier, of 1031 tons, built by Short's at Sunderland, that went aground, at Sunderland North Pier, on Feb. 7, 1881. |
| 6 |
1894 |
DORA |
A collier, of 636 tons, built by Blumer's at North Dock, Sunderland, that went aground, at Roker, on Jan. 7, 1894. |
| 7 |
1894 |
JERNAES |
A Norwegian barque which was wrecked off Hendon beach, on Oct. 21, 1894. |
| 8 |
1899 |
VIOLANTE |
A cargo ship wrecked 1/2 mile south of Souter Point, on May 24, 1899. |
| 9 |
1901 |
QUILLOTA |
A fully rigged iron sailing ship, built by R. Steele of Greenock, Scotland, that
was driven ashore, at Hendon, on Nov. 12, 1901. |
| 10 |
1903 |
EMILY SMEED |
A barquentine, built by 'Smeed', of Sittingbourne, Kent, that
went aground at Roker, on Oct. 13, 1903 or maybe a little earlier. |
| 11 |
1904 |
PEÑA ROCIAS |
A 1730 ton cargo ship, built in 1889 by Wm. Gray of West Hartlepool, that
went aground at the South Dock pier, on Feb. 13, 1904 or maybe a day or so earlier. |
| 12 |
1906 |
ARENDAL |
An 1855 cargo ship, which went aground on Mar. 26, 1906, arriving at Sunderland with a
cargo of pitprops. |
| 13 |
1913 |
ORION |
A German collier of 1624 tons which was driven ashore at Roker Pier in a gale on Jan.
21, 1913 & broke in two. |
| 14 |
1923 |
SENTINEL |
A Royal Navy cruiser of 2900 tons which ran aground at Seaburn in 1923 while en
route to the ship breakers. |
| 15 |
1927 |
EFOS |
A British coaster/collier of 1245 tons which was driven ashore at Roker Pier in a gale on
Nov. 27, 1927, & later was re-floated. |
| 16 |
1941 |
MARJORY HASTIE |
A trawler, ashore at Marsden Bay in Feb. 1940. The vessel was owned by
the 'Hasties', a well known
trawler family. |
| 17 |
1947 |
REGFOS |
A collier, built by Pickersgill in 1910, which survived both World Wars. It ran
aground at White Steel Rocks, Whitburn, on Mar. 8, 1947. She survived that
encounter too! |
| 18 |
Date unknown |
AFON TOWY |
A coaster, built by Dibles (1918) Limited at Southampton in 1919, It is stated
to have run aground in the River Wear but the date & exact location of such
grounding is unknown. |
TENTERDEN - AGROUND AT THE
SOUTH PIER, SOUTH SHIELDS, ON APL. 2, 1866
 |
As I add the
image below to the site, I can tell you little about
Tenterden, the ship concerned - just the words at left which
accompanied the image. The vessel was a Sunderland ship, it would
seem. Perhaps we will be able to find additional data about the ship & the
1866 circumstances to add in here in due course.
But ... I read that
the vessel was swept onto the partly constructed South Pier, at South Shields, that there were
heavy seas & gales at the time, & that the vessel was a schooner. Seven were
aboard her, including the Master's wife & her baby - presumably
the lady & baby you can see below. The first rocket line
was not successful but later lines were since all seven were saved. Those
modest details from Google data 'snippets'.
Perhaps we can yet find more? |
It is interesting to note that this rescue was the first rescue
ever by any Volunteer Life Brigade, the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade having only been formed in Jan. 1866.
The image below was scanned, I thought, from a page in a very old book.
But that is not, in fact, so, though the event depicted dates to 1866. While the
'Watson' engraving would seem to be from the collection of
the 'South Tyneside Public Libraries & Museums', the book in which the
engraving appeared is quite recent - a volume published in 1979 by 'Frank Graham',
of Newcastle, entitled 'Northumberland and Durham - A
Social and Political Miscellany', ISBN 0859831132, of 96 pages. So we thank
Frank Graham, who may very well be the author also.
I indicated above that I can tell you very little about
Tenterden. But Don Hayward has now been in touch to advise that
his ancestor Isaac Hayward was the Mate and Isaac's older brother William was the Master of
Tenterden - as per the census of 1861 (which census was handed in at Portsmouth since the ship was en route to that port at the time).
Don, who is searching for data both re the ship & his early family history, is not
aware whether either Isaac or William were aboard Tenterden when
the vessel foundered at South Shields in 1866.
Now the webmaster has, over the years, downloaded many early editions of Lloyd's Register,
mainly ex Google Books. There are many gaps in the date sequence but they are a fine source
none-the-less for the purpose at hand - trying to identify which particular Tenterden
foundered at South Shields all those years ago. In all of the Register editions that the webmaster has
available, from 1830 thru 1866/67 in this case, there would seem to have been
only one Lloyd's registered vessel of the name. The last year for
which there is a Tenterden recorded is re 1866/67, the bottom
entry here. In the 1866/67 issue,
Tenterden is listed as being of 113 tons, snow rigged, 65.6 ft. in length, built at Newcastle in 1815, & owned & captained by S. Luckly of Sunderland.
This may however not be the correct Tenterden because
S. Luckly was the Captain in every register issue that I have available back to
1852/53. I could spot no reference to William Hayward having been its captain,
even around the date of 1861. In 1848/49 & in years prior to that, the vessel was rigged as
a brig. In 1848, the North of England Maritime Directory lists Tenterden
as being then owned by J. Taylor, of Sunderland. No reference to its being a
schooner.
Should any site visitor have data to better identify the ship concerned, do be in touch with the webmaster. I will gladly
pass on to Don Hayward, any information which might assist him in his search for data.
Keith
Robertson has kindly drawn to my attention the details of the Tenterden
rescue as set out in contemporary newspapers, available here on the website of
the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade. It would seem that the vessel was got
off a couple of weeks later & was towed around to Sunderland. It now seems 100% certain that the
Tenterden in question was built at Newcastle in 1815. ON 2681. It is referenced in
Turnbull's Register of 1856
& also in Christie's Shipping Register of
1858
- then owned by William Adamson of Sunderland. Rather than S. Luckly of
Sunderland, as recorded in Lloyd's Registers.
We thank Alec Jones for the fine pair of
copyrighted images which follow - of a wreck which had previously been buried in the sands but became exposed
by the scouring of the tides in 2013. It is located at about the spot, near to the South Pier at
South Shields,
where Tenterden sank all those years ago, back in April of 1866. While the identity of the
newly exposed wreck is
at present unknown, it is intriguing to think it might one day be identified,
perhaps by
the now visible construction details including the
ship's iron deck supports. Could it be the Tenterden? While that is a possibility
it is only
a possibility at this stage. Hopefully,
one day soon, the wreck will be identified - Alec will keep us informed - thanks Alec!
The images which follow are essentially thumbnails of the giant original
images. Click each image to see a rather larger version of each image. And you
are invited to view
more images of the wreck via Alec Jones's 'Flickr' page.
In Aug. 2014,
Ian Robertson was kindly in touch to advise that the wreck - on the Herd Sand
apparently - has been identified. It is not of Tenterden, but rather of the Constance Ellen of Littlehampton, which foundered on
Nov. 12, 1901. He adds that 'the reason the wreck is so well preserved is because it was carrying steel rails when it foundered'. The Captain
of the Constance Ellen, in gratitude for his crew's rescue most
likely, left a legacy to the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade which still
provides income after all these years.
The Constance Ellen,
I learn, was a brigantine built by 'Martin' at Porthcawl, near Cardiff, Wales, in 1871
- for 'Brogdn & Co.' of Swansea. Of 171 tons, 103.2 ft. long, ON 65523, signal
letters KTCV.
At the time of its loss, in 1901, Joseph Robinson of Littlehampton was the
vessel's managing owner.
'SCOTCH FISHIN' BOATS' - OFF
THE HARBOUR MOUTH IN JUN. 1869
We thank Keith Cockerill for the following little story, ex a book
entitled 'Wearside Wedges' - written by J. H. Meek & published in 1912.
Keith advises that the book is full of short humorous stories about Sunderland
folk, all written in the vernacular Sunderland dialect - which may be a little
difficult to understand at first.
A 'Wearside Wedge' was a nickname for a Sunderland shipwright or carpenter
in the days of wooden ships. The word 'wedge' probably because a significant part of
a shipwright's duties was to split timbers.
It would seem that 50 lives
were saved in the gales that day, back in Jun. 1869.
LOCH CREE - THE BREECHES BUOY RESCUE OF 19 MEN
IN OCTOBER 1877
It would seem that this vessel may not, in fact, have been wrecked - read on!
There are
a few WWW references to this Oct. 14, 1877 rescue, in
which the Roker 'Volunteer Life Brigade' saved all 19 who were aboard Loch Cree,
an iron barque, stranded
on the bar near the North Pier at Sunderland. The rescue was notable because it
was the very first success for the Brigade, which had only been formed just a few months
earlier, in March of 1877. The rescue was surely widely reported at the time. And
was widely & publicly praised. But there
seems to be no detail presently WWW available as to what exactly
happened that day, what happened to the vessel (did it in fact founder?), even no detail as to which
particular vessel it was. A 'Sunderland Echo' article used to, if briefly, refer to the vessel.
 |
It would seem that Loch Cree
was being towed into Sunderland harbour during a North Sea gale. The vessel had
a crew of 18 & a pilot was aboard also. I presume that the tow must have broken,
& the vessel became stranded upon a bar close to the North Pier.
Close to the North Pier? You should understand that the Roker Volunteer Life
Brigade, as all of the Volunteer Life Brigades, did not operate lifeboats - that
was the sole province of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. What the
brigade did was to effect rescues via breeches buoy.
|
The webmaster is not 100% sure that the vessel shown above is the correct
Loch Cree. But .. that said, there was only one vessel of the name listed in Lloyd's
Register. Image thanks to the long gone 'Photoship' site.
A rocket, with a light line attached to it, was fired from shore by mortar over
the vessel in difficulty. Substantial ropes were then pulled through the seas to the
endangered vessel by
the vessel's crew & made tight, resulting in a taught line along which
survivors, one by one, could be dragged to safety by breeches buoy. (You can see
what a breeches buoy looks like here & a demonstration of its use here).
And next, you can see a breeches buoy in actual use saving lives. We thank 'Wrecks
& Rescues: Shelter from the Storm', by Alison Gale, for the image, which has
however been modified for better presentation on this page. And we also thank 'Tyne & Wear
Museums' in whose collection the actual print is, I see, held.
I read that
the Brigade was summoned to help by a Coastguard rocket fired just before 10 p.m.
- on
Oct. 13, 1877? A line was soon fired to Loch Cree,
but the vessel's crew decided to stay aboard the vessel at that time. Some 5 hours later,
at about 3:00 a.m. next morning, the intensity of the gale reached the point where the
19 had
no choice but to abandon the ship. Another Brigade rocket was fired, & by breeches buoy all of the 19 aboard
were safely landed within the hour.
It would be good to locate some
contemporary reports of the rescue, to hopefully provide more detail, to name
the Loch Cree captain, & the ship that was towing her, & detail the
tonnage & ownership data of Loch Cree. I cannot tell you for sure about
Loch Cree. There was, however, only one vessel of the name listed in Lloyd's
Register, but it was listed as a fully rigged ship rather than a barque, & was in service for
a great many
years after 1877. It was built at Port Glasgow in 1874. You can see the Lloyd's
Register listings for Loch Cree here - just those
of the applicable years - the 1878/79 listing in fact indicates that damage was
repaired in 1877. A greater degree of detail
about the Loch Cree that went aground would be needed to confirm that the
Loch Cree referenced in Lloyd's Register was the vessel in question.
And if that does prove to be the correct vessel, it surely did not founder.
Rather the vessel (Miramar
listing, though you must register to access the page) would have to have been salvaged, repaired, & lived on to fight many more gales
at sea. It barely survived one such experience, in early 1895, when in a
hurricane that lasted many days, Loch Cree lost masts & sails & barely made it
back to safety at Brisbane, Australia. As you can read here - find the article via the left
column, near the bottom. It was later renamed Giovanna B. in 1904, & Castagna
in 1912, & was wrecked at Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S.A., on Feb. 17, 1914.
You
used to be encouraged, to read a
brief account
of the Sunderland Loch Cree rescue at the Sunderland Volunteer
Life Brigade site - but no longer, alas. It seems no longer to be at the old
link & I did not spot a site-search facility.
If you can add to or correct this history, your contribution would be welcomed.
An image of a painting (by an unknown artist) of a barque named Loch Cree, likely,
the more I think about it, the vessel in question. Ex Wikipedia Commons,
ex the State Library of Victoria, Australia.
JAMES HORN - A SCHOONER, AGROUND AT SOUTH OUTLET ON OCT. 25, 1877
I include this vessel to record the vessel's grounding at South Outlet,
Sunderland, on Oct. 25, 1877, a grounding in which the lives of 8 seamen were
in danger. And in which the life of the vessel probably came to an end. An assumption, based upon the limited data that is available.
The vessel was built in 1865
by David Burns at Aberdeen, Scotland. A 160 (later 151) ton schooner, 91 ft. 6 in.
long, built for 'Commercial Lime Co.', later 'Aberdeen Commercial Lime Co.', of Aberdeen. ON 53243. Signal letters JVKH.
Intended for, I presume, the carriage of lime - intended voyages are referenced
to the Baltic. Described as being '1 deck, 2 masts, brigantine rigged,
eliptical stern, carvel built, male figurehead'.
I cannot tell you what exactly happened on Oct. 25, 1877. Just that, per the
'Sunderland Echo', the vessel ran aground at the South Outlet & that the South
or South Sunderland 'Volunteer Life Brigade' saved the lives of 8 seamen, likely
the whole crew. Could it be that the vessel was at Sunderland to load lime from
the lime kilns located on the north bank of the River Wear, west of the bridges?
A
summary of the available listings in Lloyd's Registers is here
thru 1876/77. Note that while I do not have the register of 1877/78 available to
me, there is no listing for the vessel in the 1878/79 edition of
Lloyd's Register.
The vessel was presumably named after James Horn, a merchant, who was one of three shareholders in the vessel.
Data sources:-
a) a brief
'Sunderland Echo' reference (no
longer available), to the
1877 grounding
of the vessel & the
saving of the lives of 8 seamen by the South or South Sunderland
'Volunteer Life Brigade' - 'On October 25, the same year, the South Division
received its baptism by saving eight seamen from the schooner, James Horn, which
had stranded at the South Outlet'.
b) data, available here about
the vessel, thanks to 'www.aberdeenships.com'.
c) An expired (Sep. 25, 2011) eBay listing - of
documents related to the estate of James Horn, of Pitmeddon House, Oyne,
Aberdeenshire, one of three shareholders in the vessel. James Horn died on Feb. 13,
1874. Offered by eBay vendor 'cigsy'.
J. B. EMINSON - AN 1881 WRECK AT
NORTH
PIER
On Feb. 7, 1881, J. B. Eminson, a collier, ran aground & was wrecked at Sunderland North Pier. 'Eminson'
is not a very common family name. But there was one J. B. Eminson, who was from
1869 to 1896, the chief financial agent of the Marquis of Londonderry
family, noted colliery & land owners, at Seaham. Indeed, on Sep. 9, 1880, when a major disaster occurred at the Seaham
Colliery with a great many mine workers losing their lives, J. B. Eminson was the manager
of that colliery. A Justice of the Peace, & a prominent member, most certainly, of Seaham society at the
time. The vessel was a collier, likely owned by the
Londonderry family or someone related to the family in some way, & was
surely named after J. B. Eminson.
The vessel was built, of iron, in 1875, by Short Brothers of Sunderland.
Hull # 71. 1031 tons gross, 220.0 ft. - or 67.1 metres long, perpendicular to
perpendicular. Launched Sep. 18, 1875. Vessel #68928. Owned by J. O. Clazey. The Miramar reference is here,
(but you need to be registered to see that item today). It would seem that there was a lithograph published, in or about 1875, of its
then innovative self-trimming hatchways. A page in 'The Engineer' of Apl. 14,
1876 featured an illustration of 'Spence's Improved Sea Cocks', installed in
J. B. Eminson, as you can see
here in May 2013. A site visitor, Sharon Spry of U.S.A., has
kindly written into the guestbook as you can read next & see here.
Regarding the J. B. Eminson, J. O. Clazey could have been either John Oswald
Clazey or James Oswald Clazey. Both had business arrangements with Lord
Londonderry. In Lord Londonderry papers online, mention is made of one ship
owned by the Clazeys ... this may be a second ship because it is my understanding
that it was sold ... after the death of John and sank in the North Sea on its way to
Germany with a load of coal. (Now see next paragraph). John and James Clazey were brothers to my great great great grandfather, George
Oswald Clazey who left England in 1841 and settled in New York State. His
son ... also a James Oswald Clazey returned to England, attended Durham College
and became a schoolmaster. This was a profession pursued by both his uncles
until they became involved with Lord Londonderry. (James was a schoolmaster in
one of his schools in 1841).
And Sharon adds:-
Ex 'The Newcastle Weekly Courant', of Saturday, November 21, 1891, Issue
11314. In an article entitled "The Recent Gale"
The loss of the Pinnas, a vessel of about 675 tons not registered owned by
H. Lorentzen and Company, Hamburg. The Pinnas left Sunderland for Hamburg on
the 10th instant and should have arrived at the latter Port on the following
Thursday. A telegram was received by the local agents Messrs. Napier and
Render, Sunderland - stating that vessel was abandoned in the North Sea in a
sinking condition on Wednesday last, and that the crew was picked up by a
passing steamer and landed at Alloa, Scotland. She was commanded by Captain
Eggert and had a crew of 18. The Pinnas was built in 1874 by Messrs. Short
Brothers, Sunderland and originally named, The Silkesworth. She was owned by
J. O. Clazey and Partners but subsequently purchased by Messrs. Lorentzen and has
since carried coal from the Lambton Drops, Sunderland to Hamburg.
In the
papers of Lord Londonderry, both Lorentzen and Short Brothers were
involved in the construction of the ship.
So Sharon has not only provided data about J. B. Eminson, but
has also provided data about another
'Short' built ship, i.e. Silkesworth, correctly (here) Silksworth, that needs to be researched
to the extent possible, & listed in these pages.
I digressed! Back to J. B.
Eminson. What happened in 1881? For that I am indebted to
Kathleen (Katy) Gill (thanks!), director today of Sunderland Volunteer Life Brigade, a limited
company which replaced its predecessor entities, whose website is here. Who advises as follows:-
She was wrecked on 7th February 1881 and had been sailing from London to the
Wear in ballast. She attempted to enter the river that evening at about 8 p.m. when
the sea was heaving. She grounded very close to the North Pier. Both Divisions
of the Volunteer Life Brigade were called out; the Roker Volunteer Life Brigade getting a line on board the vessel by
means of a heaving cane. The Roker Volunteer Life Brigade rescued one crew member by breeches
buoy. The rest of the crew of 16 managed to get onto the pier by using a ladder,
showing how close the ship was to it. Several steam tugs tried to tow the stranded vessel off the rocks but she
became a total loss.
A little more data. The vessel was under the command of Captain J. Rutherford
at the time. I am advised that one of the steam tugs, the Rescue,
lost its smokestack in the towing attempt.
 |
You may be interested to know that Kathleen Gill has written
a soft cover book entitled 'Sunderland Volunteer Life Brigade', published in 2010
by 'The History Press Ltd.', of U.K. - ISBN 0752450913. The 'Bookfinder' listing for the
volume is here
& the book's cover is at left.
My understanding is that there were, in 1881 at least, 2 divisions of
the 'Roker Volunteer Life Brigade', operating north of the River Wear & 3
divisions of the 'Sunderland Volunteer Life Brigade', operating to the south of
the river. The various sections merged in 1958, it would appear. Katy Gill advises me
that the various Volunteer Life Brigades did not operate lifeboats, that being the sole
province of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution ('RNLI'). |
The Brigades
rather saved life through the use of shore-based rocket equipment, or via
ladders as in J. B. Eminson's case.
If anyone has any
other images of
J. B. Eminson, it would be most welcomed for display on this page.
An image,
ex the Apl. 6, 1878 issue of 'The Graphic', a portion of page #356, of the Sunderland
Volunteer Life Brigade &
their shore-based rescue apparatus. Similar apparatus was surely used in the
J. B. Eminson rescue. From an e-Bay image available, back in 2011.
The item has long since expired. We sincerely thank eBay vendor 'prints-4-all', of Scotland,
whose inventory of prints is (certainly used to be) astonishing.
DORA - AN 1894 WRECK
We have limited data about this vessel which ran aground & was wrecked at Roker on Jan. 7, 1894.
The vessel, which is now listed on site, here, was built by 'Blumer & Co.', at
North Dock, in 1873. A modest 636 gross ton collier, 186.4 ft. long, built for J. D.
Hill & Co., of London. The ship was likely engaged, throughout its lifetime, on the shipment of coal from
the north east to London & other cities in southern England & to ports on the
continent. The vessel changed hands a couple of times & by 1882/83 was owned by
the Earl of Durham.
 |
|
In early Jan.
1894, Dora was en route, in ballast, from Portsmouth to Sunderland. I know
nothing of the circumstances - who knows, maybe the vessel encountered bad
weather, common in the month of January, a violent storm perhaps & high seas. Anyway, under circumstances yet to
be established, on Jan. 7, 1894 the vessel ran aground at Roker & would seem to have ended up as
a total loss.
We do
have an image, thanks to eBay 'university'. One of two images on a stereo card offered for sale in May 2011. It sold on May 28, 2011 for GBP 19.99 or U.S. $32.76.
The
wreck was probably a tourist attraction at the time, & visited by many. Can you tell us more as to the circumstances &
the story? |
The hull of the vessel was offered for sale at a public auction on Jan. 27, 1894, as you can read here.
Another image of the vessel is
now available, included in 'Mines de Lambton' a volume of albumen photographs published in
the French language in 1891. Below is the original
sepia image, modified to make it into a black & white image. At the Lambton staithes in or about 1891.
JERNAES - WRECKED AT HENDON IN OCT. 1894
Jernaes, a Norwegian barque, was wrecked on Hendon Beach on
Oct. 21, 1894. It was built at Rusoer, (possibly now Risar?), Norway, in 1870, 289 tons, 108.1 ft. long,
signal letters HRMQ. I have not spotted any listings for the vessel in Lloyd's
Registers but the vessel is listed in the 1889 edition of 'The Record of
American and Foreign Shipping' available
here.
Then owned by L. Alsing, of
Kragerø, Norway, who also owned the vessel in 1885.
I was alerted to the wreck of Jernaes via a book entitled 'Life of Harry Watts', published
in 1911 by Halls & Company at Sunderland. By author Alfred Spencer. A book
commissioned to honour the life-time contribution of Harry Watts, then 85 years
of age. An 'www.archive.org'
book
& a worthy book indeed! The book refers to the wreck of
Jernaes as per the image & text as below, the text being provided
so search engines can find it.
 |
|
'Here is an extract from a report sent to the Parent Society by the local
secretary on Oct. 24th, 1894 : — "The 'Jernaes,' barque, of Norway,
from Falmouth to Shields, in ballast, wind N.E., blinding showers, very
heavy sea. At twelve, midday, the 'Jernaes' stranded on Hendon beach
and became a total wreck. No lives were lost, but one of the crew died after
landing. The Life-boat was manned and attempted to go out between the piers, but was driven by the force
of the sea against the roundhead and six oars were smashed. She returned to
the boat-house, got new oars and tried again, but failed, and there was
no steam tug to be got." Mr. Watts was one of the crew on this occasion. |
The 'Sunderland Echo' advised us, low in the article you used
to be able to read on their website (no longer!) that the member of the
Sunderland Branch of the Royal National Life-boat Institution who lost his
life in that rescue was John Levis, who, it would seem was dragged into the sea but died after being landed.
As I read the available data, it
would seem that it proved to be impossible to actually assist the crew of
Jernaes & that they would have made it to shore themselves in some way.
I presume that the wreck would have been reported in the Sunderland press at the
time, but no such texts are WWW available.
A painting of the wrecked vessel, Wreck of the Norwegian Barque 'Jernaes of Risar', by an unknown artist, is
in the collection of 'Sunderland Museum & Winter Garden', on Burdon Road in
Sunderland. The work is an
oil on board, 30.5 x 40.4 cm. in size, painted c.1894. As you can read
here, where a
fine image of the painting is available.
VIOLANTE - WRECKED SOUTH OF SOUTER POINT IN MAY 1899
Violante, an iron steamship, was built by Edward Finch
& Co. Ltd. of Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, for Cuthbert,
Hancock & Co., of Cardiff. It was built in 1882, of 863 gross tons, 199.3 ft. long, ON 86496, signal letters HCDS.
By the 1885/86 edition of Lloyd's Register, the vessel had become owned by Blindell, Dale & Co. also of Cardiff.
Some available Lloyd's Register entries are here.
On
the night of Nov. 20, 1895, Violante left Sunderland fully laden (with coal
I presume) at a time when Merthyr, of London, was entering the harbour. The
vessels collided with a sliding blow in the heavy seas. Violante, undamaged it
would seem, continued her voyage whilst Merthyr was thrown against the North
Pier 'and the rebound jammed it into the North-Eastern jetty, where she remained
fast for about half an hour'. Tug Her Majesty (1) came to her rescue and pulled
her off her dangerous position. Merthyr was taken upriver to have several
damaged plates repaired.
Violante must have later been sold again for in early 1899
the vessel was owned by James & Alexander Davidson and John C. Bennett, of
Aberdeen, Scotland.
At noon on May 23, 1899, Violante left
Aberdeen, in ballast, for the short voyage down the east coast to Sunderland.
Peter Smith was in command with a crew of 14 all told. The weather was fine and
the vessel made good progress. Shortly after 2 a.m. on May 24, 1899, after
passing the Coquet Light, Northumberland, a dense fog set in, so dense that only
a boat's length could be seen ahead of the vessel. The captain had given instructions that he
should be called to the deck 'if the weather came on thick'. So he was called on deck,
at 2:20 a.m. & stayed on deck thereafter. Despite the conditions, the vessel did not
lessen its speed - it continued forward at its full speed of about 9 knots.
The fog signal from Souter Point was heard and just after 4 a.m. the vessel was
within a few miles of the Point. A short time later breakers were seen both ahead
&
on the starboard bow. Evasive action was taken to no avail. The vessel struck the rocks about 1/2 mile south of the Souter Lighthouse
at a location I have also seen described as Whitburn.
The opinion of the Court of Inquiry was scathing. 'It
was reckless to keep the vessel at full speed for fully two hours in a densely thick fog, and especially to do so at the time of passing the entrance to the
Tyne, where incoming and outgoing vessels were likely to be met on a course at about right angles to the course of the "Violante". Also 'The navigation of the vessel
after 2 a.m. on May 24th was both reckless and negligent'. The captain was criticised for not using the lead. Why such behaviour? Captain Smith stated that
he was racing to try to hit the tides correctly to enter the port of Sunderland. The Court held him responsible for the disaster & his master's licence was suspended for a period of nine months.
What exactly happened to the vessel? It had gone ashore when the tide was nearly at half ebb. The ship's water ballast was pumped out and an anchor and hawser was run out in an effort to
extricate the vessel. Such efforts had to be abandoned as the tide continued to ebb. One of the ship's boats, manned by the Chief Officer and two crewmen, made it to Sunderland to request assistance.
When next morning, two tugs arrived to pull the vessel off, the tide was in flood and the vessel was further driven onto the shore. At mid day, facing rising seas, Violante was abandoned by the captain and her
remaining crew, all of whom were safely carried to shore via a rocket apparatus. The vessel was repeatedly bumped against the rocks, lying broadside on close to
the edge of the cliffs. In due course the vessel became a total wreck.
So far so good - we know all of the above from the Court of Inquiry report
& from newspaper articles.
Now this section was added as the result of the webmaster having
seen, at the Facebook 'Sunderland Tugs and
Shipbuilding' site, an image of a vessel named Violante aground at Hendon in or about 1925. Alas
the image below does not do the original justice - do see the image via Photo Viewer. Geoff Bethell advises that Miramar only
list one vessel of the name though I see that there was also an earlier vessel named Violante, a
barquentine built in 1853 in Nova Scotia, Canada. I have to think, however, that the image below dates, in fact, from 1899
rather than 1925 & from the disaster already
described. It
would be good to know however, from someone familiar with the coastline south of Souter
Point, that the image location jives with the actual coastline there.
QUILLOTA - A 1901 WRECK AT HENDON
Quillota, which was wrecked on Hendon Beach on
Nov. 12, 1901, was not built at Sunderland. She was rather built, in 1876, by R.
Steele of Greenock, Scotland, as Brahmin (image next, thanks to the good folks
here).
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Brahmin,
later Quillota, was an iron fully rigged ship built for J. &
W. Stewart of Greenock & launched on Jun. 12, 1876. Intended for use,
apparently, as an
opium clipper on the India - China route. 70.5 metres long between verticals, of 1325 (or 1335) gross tons, signal letters KSFH, ON number 72413.
The vessel is Miramar
listed here, though you now need to register to
be able to access that page. |
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As
Brahmin, the vessel made a number of
voyages, chartered to The New Zealand Shipping Co., to New Zealand carrying emigrants, as did her sister ship
Padishah.
On Nov. 17, 1893, the vessel was sold to 'Ant. Dom. Bordes et Fils'
(A. D. Bordes &
Sons) ('Bordes'), of Dunkirk, France, (have seen many references to Bordeaux,
also), & was renamed Quillota. Quillota? Quillota is a
city in Chile, located in the
Aconcagua River valley of central Chile, 75 miles from Santiago. Bordes, I learn,
was a company active in the nitrate trade - its ships traded between France & the South
American nitrate ports. Hence, I presume, the
choice of name.
Quillota sailed from Nantes, France, in ballast, on Oct. 29, 1901 for Shields to load a cargo of coal.
She was under the command
of
Celestine Delapine of Saint Malo,
France, with a crew
all told of 22 (or maybe 21 & a pilot). She had the misfortune to be at sea when
a monstrous storm was
in full spate, with Force 10 or Force 11 winds, & mountainous seas. The
storm lasted for 3 days & I read that 115 lives were lost in the storm up & down
the coast. When off Sunderland, Quillota
accepted the tow of Flying Dragon, a tug, in an attempt to take shelter in the River Wear. But
the tug could not handle her in the terrible conditions & had to let her go
early on Nov. 12, 1901. Quillota was forced to anchor off the
mouth of the river & for many hours her two anchors held the ship. However the
cables eventually gave way & the vessel was driven on shore off the end of
Hendon Promenade at about 1 a.m. on the 13th (I think that is correct). Her situation was desperate. The crew
tried to take refuge on the
bridge, but were forced to take to the rigging. Many of the crew were swept off the ship & some jumped into the sea,
in the darkness, in an attempt to save their lives. No help from
shore was possible. The South Side Volunteer Life Brigade
attempted to fire lines aboard by
rocket, but the ship was out of rocket range. The lifeboat crew wanted to launch the
lifeboat but needed a tug to tow them out. The tug skipper refused to help,
however, saying it would be suicidal to go out in the prevailing conditions.
So the ship
was left, in the darkness, at the mercy of the elements. Eventually all aboard were swept off
the ship.
Of the 22 aboard, only six, including the Captain & the pilot, survived
the experience. Seven men made it to shore alive while the rest were presumably drowned.
A number of the men made it to shore & found themselves confronted by a cliff, the
only way to exit the beach being to climb it. Exhausted, soaked, freezing,
poorly clothed, & with cut & bleeding feet, two (or maybe four) of them made the attempt to climb the cliff - but it collapsed on top of them.
They ended up trapped under a
huge, 20 ton, heap of soil & rocks. They were dug out, but one of the men later died. A few others made it
to shore, were
found & provided with shelter, warmth & dry clothes.
An inquest was
held at Hendon Grange Hotel on the
afternoon of Nov. 14, 1901 into the death of Jean Bordien, who had died
after being buried in the cliff fall. The Coroner commented that he had escaped
the fury of the sea only to be killed by the treachery of the earth. A verdict
of accidental death was recorded.
Little was left of the ship which
had broken up in the raging sea. Wreckage was thickly strewn in the Ryhope
area while the ship itself completely disappeared. Gone, at virtually the same
spot at which Harriot had apparently been lost the day
before. A couple of bodies later washed ashore. The ship's
remains, such as they are, were located, in 8 metres of water, almost 100 years later, in Aug. 2001.
There are a number of fine sources for data about
Quillota. 1 (ex
here, wreck
circumstances, about 80% down article),
2 (extensive wreck & background data, thanks to Ron Young
-
the same Ron Young, I presume, who is the author of this volume),
&
3 (Bordes
fleet data).
The following image
shows Charles Sheldon's
artist's impression of the
wreck of
Quillota. It is ex eBay, the centrefold of the
Nov. 23, 1901 issue of 'The Black and White' magazine. We
have not troubled 'devonian35', the eBay vendor of the item, re the use of the
image here. Their eBay store is here.
Do drop by! I understand that the rear of the page shows prints of three other wrecks - Hampton at Kingstown, the schooner Boxer on Scarborough Sands & of an unidentified schooner in Tynemouth Harbour.
EMILY SMEED - AGROUND AT ROKER IN
1903
We have a fair bit of data (derived from WWW data 'snippets') about this vessel which ran aground at Roker on
or about Oct. 13, 1903. It would seem
that it must have been re-floated.
Emily Smeed was built, in 1872, by a ship builder by the name of Smeed, at Murston,
Sittingbourne, Kent. A 299 ton wooden schooner, 133.3 ft. long,
3 masts, initially owned by G. Smeed & registered at Rochester, Kent, with a crew of five (at the census in 1881, James Bennett
was the
Master). ON #67034. The vessel may have been
built of recycled timber due to the difficulty of obtaining seasoned timber at
the time at an economical cost. Now the webmaster has a
number of editions of Lloyd's Register available to him, ex Google Books, thru
1889/90. As you can see here. During that period the vessel was always a schooner,
& became, in the 1882/83 edition, owned by J. H.
Bull & Company ('Bull'), of Rochester. Soon registered at Newhaven, Sussex.
I read that Bull held a contract to deliver coal
from NE of England to the Eastbourne Gas Company,
presumably at Eastbourne, Sussex, & though they also sailed to the Baltic &
to ports on the mainland of Europe,
that such coal trade was their principal business.
When I commented that the vessel
was, thru 1889/90 always a schooner I said that because I have seen other
WWW snippet references to the vessel being of modestly different tonnages, & being
i) a barquentine, ii) a
sailing barge and/or c) a lighter. One 'snippet' reference seems to indicate that the
vessel was initially a barquentine, 'with
three square sails on the foremast, of which one was a single topsail, and the
fore course was set on a bentinck boom'. Which data seems to be in conflict with
the Lloyd's Registers. However, while the webmaster is not an expert on such
subjects, the vessel, aground at Roker, would seem to be a barquentine in the
image below, i.e. square sails on the foremast & fore-and-aft sails on the other
masts.
It would seem, in fact, that in 1903, Bull sold the
vessel to become a lighter at Aberdeen, Scotland.
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The latest WWW reference to the vessel
that I was able to find was that Emily Smeed, a lighter, was on Jan. 5, 1907, towed by
Captain GN 50 from St. Abbs Head to Granton.
We do
have an image, thanks to eBay 'university', an image that I have modified for
inclusion here. A postcard, posted in 1903, that was sold, on Aug. 21, 2011, for GBP
28.70 or U.S. $46.51. |
Another postcard image of the vessel aground at Roker
was eBay listed in Feb. 2014. You can see it
here.
And it is good to learn that the
grounded vessel was painted, in 1904 or 1905, by Johnson Hedley (1848/1914). A
tiny work, an oil on millboard, just 20.4 cm. by 30.9 cm. in size.
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The work is in the collection of
'Sunderland Museum & Winter Garden', on Burdon Road in Sunderland. There the
work is known as 'Emily Smead Aground at Sunderland', though we can see,
from the available Lloyd's Registers, that the vessel's name was, in fact, Emily Smeed.
Unless, rather unlikely, the vessel's name was later changed from 'Emily Smeed' to
'Emily Smead'. The image is here. |
|
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PEÑA ROCIAS - AGROUND AT SOUTH
DOCK IN
1904
We have a fair bit of data, (mostly from a Spanish site
which references data from a volume written by Pedro Blanco Alvarez), about this vessel which ran aground at
South Dock on
or about Feb. 13, 1904. It was re-floated & towed to West Hartlepool where
repairs were effected.
The vessel was built as Norlands, in 1889, by Wm. Gray & Company
Ltd. of West Hartlepool & was launched on Apl. 3, 1889. A 1730 or 1774 ton
steamship, 79.2 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 250 ft., speed of 8 1/2
knots, hull #353, ON #95896, signal letters LBDS. The data sources which still
work are
1 (Lloyd's
Register listings, Norlands, of 1889/90 & 1890/91),
2, 3
& 4 (images,
Peña Rocias),
5 (data), 6 (Miramar, but you need to register in order to access the site).
The vessel was built for Hardy Wilson & Co., of West Hartlepool,
but in 1895 it was sold or transferred to R. Hardy & Co., also of
West Hartlepool. In 1899, the vessel was sold to
'Compañia Santanderina de Navegacion S.A.' ('Navegacion'), of Santander, Spain, which
company apparently named all of their fleet vessels after nearby mountains.
They renamed this vessel Peña Rocias, after Peña Rocias, a 3880 ft./1183 m. mountain near Solórzano,
in Cantabria, Spain. The
vessel frequently carried minerals from the iron ore mines at Ria de El Astillero,
Cantabria, to Rotterdam & to ports in the Bristol Channel & in Scotland. Returning with
coal. In the summer months, the vessel went to the Baltic, returning with decks
piled with timber. In Oct. 1903, the vessel was damaged, in the Irish Sea, in a
major storm.
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In Mar. 1904, but it would seem
in fact to have been, in fact, on or earlier than Feb. 13, 1904, Captain D.
Joaquin Díaz Gomez in command, the vessel was at Sunderland. It had been to
Stockton & was at Sunderland to take on board a cargo of coal. 2 indicates
that the vessel, with a pilot aboard, ran aground in the river & ended
up high & dry. It would seem, however, that the vessel may rather have run aground
S. of the south pier, on
the North Sea coast. The vessel was initially thought to be a total loss but it was re-floated. No
word as to how it was re-floated, but it was towed
to West Hartlepool & must have required extensive repairs since
it returned to Santander only in Aug. 1904 with a cargo of coal from Newcastle.
Can anybody advise the exact date that she ran aground?
We do
have an image, thanks to eBay, a postcard that was sold on Aug. 21, 2011, or GBP 33.60 or US $54.45.
The webmaster continues to be
amazed to see how long such 19th century steamers as this one lasted in service.
This vessel lasted for over 75 years, thru a momentous period in world history. |
A pair of images. Both clickable. At left aground at Sunderland
in 1904.
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The vessel ran aground, in 1912 at Rotterdam, but it was re-floated after two days with zero damage.
On Dec. 14, 1918 the vessel ran aground yet again, carrying coal, on the bar of San
Esteban de Pravia (Asturias). It was able to free itself after 3 days. There
was a voyage, in 1918, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, returning with grain. After WW1, Navegacion had to sell all of their fleet but they
chose to retain
Peña Rocias.
Which would seem to have provided infrequent service, however, & spent much time laid
up at Pedrosa. It was aground again at La Laja on Nov. 26, 1926 & a part of its
cargo of pyrites was jettisoned to help re-float the vessel - which was then
towed to Ayamonte (Huelva) for temporary repairs. Times were difficult in the 1930s,
indeed
from Aug. 29, 1929 the vessel, or its owners, had financial problems. On Aug. 30, 1933, the vessel was sold at
auction to satisfy a debt to the 'Cork
Santander S.A.' shipyard. The vessel was purchased by
Antonio Menchaca Bodega, of Bilbao, Spain, & he renamed it Briquetas Zorroza. Miramar
indicate that the vessel was recorded as Briquetas Zorroza only
in 1935. The vessel was requisitioned by the Spanish Government in 1936, but
remained moored in the estuary at Bilbao. A little before Jun. 19, 1937, the
vessel fled to Bordeaux, France, & was perhaps interned there. The vessel later
returned to Bilbao & was engaged in the coastal trade carrying coal. I presume that the vessel continued to provided economical service
for many more years, because only 30 years later, was the vessel sold for scrap.
It was sold on Oct. 5, 1964 to 'Naviera Letasa SL' of Bilbao, & on Dec. 31,
1964, it arrived at Santander ship breakers to be
broken up.
The above is largely derived from translations of Spanish texts into English.
With the webmaster's inability in Spanish, it
may well need correction. Which would be welcomed.
ARENDAL - A 1906 WRECK
We have limited data about this vessel but what we do have is
thanks to the combined efforts of Harold Appleyard & Clive Ketley. And now
Katy Gill, also! Harold advises that the ship was
built in 1855 at Arendal, Norway, & was owned by 'Acties. Brig Arendal' with B.
Jacobsen the manager. The vessel went ashore north of the mouth of the River
Wear on Mar. 26, 1906, in a north-east gale, having arrived from Tønsberg, Norway, with a cargo of pitprops. The vessel was re-floated, but being badly damaged, was broken up by
local ship breakers.
We thank Harold for the data & Clive for the image.
Miramar seem not to list this vessel.
Kathleen Gill (e-mail), of the Sunderland Volunteer Life Brigade,
provides
(thanks!) additional data.
That the Brigade attempted a rescue with rocket apparatus, but she was too far
out for the attempt to be successful, just inside the harbour. Six of her crew were taken off by the
Sunderland lifeboat, while the other two crew members - the Captain & the First Mate
- decided to stay on board. Tugs
Stag & Devonia succeeded in getting lines on board
& towed Arendal into the port.
The following image, of Arendal under tow in Mar. 1906, originated with
the old 'Sunderland Tugs and Shipbuilding in pictures' on 'Facebook'.
Click the image below to see the image in a larger size.
Another image of
Arendal under tow, thanks to the folks at Norsk Maritimt
Museum. Click the image to see it in full size.
ORION - A DRAMATIC 1913 WRECK AT ROKER
PIER
Many of the ships listed in this total site, ships built by
Sunderland shipbuilders, ended their lives on distant coasts & reefs of the world,
driven ashore by gales or hurricanes or sometimes wrecked due to human error in
the form of poor navigation.
The ship that follows is the reverse of that situation, a ship built in Germany
that ended its life on Sunderland's very doorstep, at Roker Pier on Jan. 21, 1913.
At 54.55.28N/01.21.41W.
The vessel is Orion,
a merchant ship built
in 1901 at the 'Koch' shipyards at Lubeck, Germany, for Schmidt & Hansen, of
Flensburg. 1623 gross tons, 79.4 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular,
speed of 8 1/2 knots. The Miramar link to the vessel is here.
The ship ran aground in a gale. The crew was rescued by the lifeboat of the Sunderland Volunteer Life Brigade
('Brigade'),
under the command of William Oliver (1859/1926), who earned his livelihood, I
read, as a
Borough Road grocer. A famous man indeed in
the history of the Brigade. He was at the forefront of setting it up
back in 1877 & helped save over 300 people in his lifesaving career that
spanned almost
50 years. As you used to be able to read
in a fine Sarah Stoner article, published in the 'Sunderland Echo' on Apl. 4, 2007.
This article seems to relate.
In Jan. 2010, a message has been received from Kathleen (Katy) Gill, a director of Brigade & its Head of Museum and Learning.
Katy advises that the text above is incorrect since the Brigade did not use
lifeboats, that being the sole province of the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution ('RNLI'). Katy advises that the Brigade was set up to assist H. M. Coastguard in saving life
through the use of
shore based rocket equipment. The rocket was used to fire a line to a ship &
a breeches buoy was used to remove the crew. In the case of the Orion, the
Brigade were called because the RNLI lifeboat could not initially reach the ship,
however eventually the RNLI lifeboat was used in the rescue with the Brigade standing
by in case assistance was needed. The crew were taken by the Brigadesmen to
their Watch House where they were given dry clothing & hot food.
The
Sunderland Volunteer Life Brigade's website can be seen here. The ship was driven aground in a gale. She was carrying coal from
Sunderland to Libau, which is,
by the way, the English name for Liepaja, an ice-free Latvian port on the Baltic
Sea. She had a crew of 18. Katy Gill advises me that the names of the crew were published
in the local press at the time & that the captain's name was 'A. Dickensen'. I wonder why
Orion headed out with a major storm
approaching? If you can add any more detail, do please be in touch.
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Clive Ketley
has advised me,
however, that Orion
was wrecked on Jan. 21, 1913 inside the old north pier at the entrance to the
River Wear (the pincer type piers are
later piers), & she stood in shallow water there before she broke into two
pieces. On the sand on the inside of the old
pier. Salvage work was done in situ. Remains of the wreck, intermingled with
remains from the 1881 wreck of J. B. Eminson,
'halfway along the inside of the north pier'. Clive remembers the spot as the
home of 'scurrying green-shore crabs' & other marine life. The remains were
visible at low tide until about 1988 when they were finally removed. Thank you
Clive!
A little map at left which shows where the wreck was.
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It may not be the whole story to state that the vessel just broke into two
pieces. An article in 'The Boy's Own Annual' of 1936-37, states 'A German tramp steamer,
Orion, was driven hard ashore off the coast of Sunderland. When the next high
tides came round tugs made several unsuccessful attempts to get her off.
Determined not to be beaten, they gathered their strength for one last effort. "
Ah! She moves." Slowly the tugs forge ahead, but instead of pulling the Orion
off, they pulled her in two ! As you can read here.
Nick Thompson adds that the wreck 'was completely removed as a cosmetic operation to clean up the area when up-market housing took over from the obsolete dock operations.'
Nick says that he played in the remains of the hull as a child
& 'enjoyed poking around the nooks and crannies as did his own children when we visited Roker beach'.
'The Comprehensive Guide to the Shipwrecks of the North East Coast to
1917: Volume One', a softcover book written by Ron Young, & published by 4
different publishers in 2000 (ISBN 0752417495) refers
extensively to the wreck.
Images? Yes indeed! The 2nd & 4th images that follow come from Clive Ketley's collection.
The 3rd & 6th images are thanks to Tony Frost. And the 5th from the Ron Young book just referred to. The first is from a rather different source.
The first
dramatic image is a
1913 press photograph from the archives of the San Francisco
Examiner - slightly sharpened & cleaned for better presentation on this page.
It probably was published around the world in 1913. The print was captioned as being:- 'The ship that broke itself. Never, perhaps, has the camera illustrated the force of wind, and waves on a vessel of iron and steel as strikingly as in this picture. This shows the German frieghter
[sic] Orion, which was blown on the Riker [sic] Sands, Sunderland,
England, during a terrific gale. All efforts to float the vessel failed, and it was abandoned. within a short time after it split literally in two, as the picture shows.'
This image was offered for sale on eBay in Feb. 2009,
amongst a great many other images from that newspaper's archives, but did not sell.
The vendor was 'alleycatv'.
The original eBay listing is now long gone.
EFOS - AGROUND AT ROKER
PIER IN 1927
Let me introduce Efos, which ran aground at Roker Pier on Nov. 22, 1927 & lived to tell the tale.
Efos was a
coaster/collier, built
as Forestroy for 'Forest Shipping Company', of Newcastle, with 'Mann Macneal & Co.', of
Glasgow,
the manager. Built at the 'Ardrossan
Dockyard &
Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.' shipyards at Ardrossan, Scotland. Hull #334. ON # 147735. Launched
on Aug. 16, 1924. 1245 gross tons, 70.1 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular,
speed likely quite modest. In 1927, the vessel was sold to 'Tyne & Wear Shipping Co.
Ltd.', of Newcastle, William France, Fenwick & Co.
Ltd., of London, the manager, & renamed Efos.
In Nov. 1927, the vessel left London presumably bound for Sunderland. In
ballast most likely. A strong easterly gale was in effect as she approached the
mouth of the River Wear. She 'had just got round Roker Pier
when a huge sea struck her'. Efos did not answer to her helm. The seas drove her
stern around & in high seas she was driven ashore south of the old pier. On
Nov. 22, 1927. A number of attempts
were made by the Roker Volunteer Life Brigade to get a line aboard, all without
success. However when it became apparent that no lifeboat could get near to the
ship, those efforts were intensified. Another line was fired, & this time it was
successful. All 17 of the
crew were successfully brought to shore, one by one by breeches buoy, Captain
Charles W. Forsyth, being the last to
leave. I have not read at what time of day Efos went ashore, but the rescue was
effected with the greater difficulties of working in darkness.
The image which follows, provided by Clive Ketley, shows Efos upright & looking intact at Roker in 1927 - but most firmly aground.
The image was taken, I understand, from the old north pier, looking north.
Now it could have been that Efos was pounded to
pieces over the ensuing days. But that did not happen. The vessel was
successfully re-floated with the help of tugs. Indeed, a silent
movie of the re-floating is available from British Pathé & is visible at their site
here.
I have not read the date on which she was re-floated. The movie was released on Nov. 28,
1927 so it must have been rather earlier than that date. Nor have I read if
repairs were necessary to get the ship seaworthy again. I presume that the
'Sunderland Echo' at the time would have reported that & other detail.
Efos clearly continued to serve in the following years. There are
just 3 WW2 convoy references, in Jan. & Feb. 1940, all U.K. coastal. On Feb.
19, 1940, the last of such references, the vessel left the Tyne for Southend in
convoy FS.100, presumably with a cargo of coal. She arrived safely at Southend &
about a week later, was south bound again, out of the Humber for London, en route to Devenport , i.e.
Plymouth, with another cargo of coal. Nick Thompson advises that the Captain
that day was 'T. Harland'. Nick knows that because his father, Alan Thompson,
told him so - Alan was a seaman aboard the vessel that day in 1940 & was on
watch at the time of the collision. At 10 p.m. on Feb. 26, 1940, at the
mouth of The Wash, proceeding at about 7 knots, an object was spotted in the water ahead, 'a long black
shape just under the surface', spotted alas too late for evasive action to
be taken. The collision ripped a hole in the ship's bottom, & the ship
soon turned turtle & within 4 minutes of the impact she sank. 4 miles NNW of the Haisborough Light
Vessel.
All 19 crew took to lifeboats, soon to be rescued by a small Dutch
cargo boat, transferred to a minesweeper & landed at Great Yarmouth.
What had
Efos hit?
It sounds as though it was a submarine. But nobody knows for sure what it was that they
hit that day. An 'unknown submerged
object'. Alan Thompson was always convinced that what the ship struck that day
was, indeed, a submarine.
According to Alan Thompson, there were 17 only aboard Efos
that day. You can read Alan's account
of the event, as he related it to his son Nick, who wrote it all down before his
father passed away in 2002.
In the image which follows, taken at 'The Home for Shipwrecked Sailors' at Great Yarmouth, kindly provided also by Nick
Thompson, Alan Thompson is at extreme left in the back row. Many of the crew can be identified but not all.
Data sources:
(most of the earlier links are now dead, alas)
1 (Miramar, you now must be registered to
access), 2 (British Pathé, 1 min 14 sec. silent movie available of
Efos being re-floated),
3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, Efos.
3 (some press cuttings saved years ago from the 'wrecksite.eu' website).
4 (some 1930s invoices that relate to
Efos. All sold ex the 'e-Bay' site of 'crowleyscrew' of the U.K.
MARJORY HASTIE - a trawler
Ian Robertson has kindly provided the above two images -
images
of the trawler Marjory Hastie
- stranded at Marsden Bay on Feb. 28, 1941. Larger images are available by
clicking the above image.
Marjory Hastie was a trawler launched on Jun. 27, 1930 at
the Aberdeen, Scotland, yard of Alexander Hall. 244 tons displacement, 123.4 ft.
long. Owned by the 'Hasties', a well known trawler family - Alex Hastie is a long term
captain of the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade. In Jun. 1940, the vessel was
requisitioned by the Navy & commissioned as HMS Marjory Hastie,
under the command of T/Lt. Richard Thomas Gilling. Pennant #FY1777. Assigned to mine-sweeping duties.
On Feb. 28, 1941, the vessel
struck a mine while performing such duties & was driven ashore in a force 7 NNE
gale. At Marsden Bay. As depicted above. The crew were rescued by the Marsden Life
Saving Association, which was based at Souter. The vessel was re-floated on Mar.
14, 1941 & was returned to its owners in 1945.
Ian Robertson is, I learn, a past Captain
of South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade. And the images are ex the files of that
fine organisation.
SENTINEL - A ROYAL NAVY 2,900
TON CRUISER
Sentinel was a 2900 ton cruiser, built for the Royal Navy by
Vickers, Sons & Maxim, of Barrow-in-Furness, at a cost of about £282,000. It was launched as Inchkeith on
Apl. 19, 1904 but delivered as Sentinel to the Royal Navy in Apl. 1905. Her career over, the vessel was sold to
Thomas Young & Sons (Shipbreakers) Ltd., Sunderland shipbreakers, on Jan. 18, 1923 & later that year was taken, under tow,
to her appointment at the breakers. It would seem that she somehow was permitted to run aground, on Seaburn Beach near Sunderland.
Did she break free of her tow? Was the weather bad? Does anybody know? I cannot tell you the exact date that she
grounded but she did eventually arrive at 'Thomas Young' on Jun. 20, 1923. It may
have taken a while to get her off the beach.
You can read a little of her
service both prior to and during WW1 at Wikipedia, here.
A postcard of the vessel on the beach at Seaburn was
sold via eBay in late Sep. 2013, the postcard being
by Eric Robinson, Photographer, of Sunderland. That image can be seen below, the second of the
two images. What I show you is not, however, the eBay listing image with its,
to me at least, most intrusive
logo, but rather a webmaster modified version of an image of the card which was posted in
Jun. 2013 to the 'Sunderland Tugs and Shipbuilding in Pictures' site at 'Facebook'.
The first image below (similarly modified) is also from that Facebook source. I thank whoever posted
those two images but do not know whom specifically to thank.
You can click each image below to see it in a larger size.
REGFOS, AGROUND AT WHITE STEEL ROCKS, WHITBURN, IN 1947
Facebook's 'Sunderland Tugs and Shipbuilding in pictures' used to have in its collection
a large and very fine photograph of a vessel aground, possibly at Sunderland.
The image was posted to Facebook, I read, by Linda Roy.
The grounding was not at Sunderland but rather at nearby White Steel Rocks, Whitburn.
The vessel was Regfos, built by Pickersgill in 1910 as
West Quarter & sold and renamed Regfos in 1929. The vessel is covered in detail on site.
Here is a part of the text I earlier wrote about the vessel & its 1947 grounding.
The winter of 1947/48 was a ferocious winter in the U.K., I read, with abnormal
cold, snow storms etc. Early on Mar. 8, 1947,
Regfos was approaching Sunderland from London, in ballast,
with John S. Gardner (awarded the OBE - when I wonder, not for this matter!) in command, & a crew of 18. Visibility was poor due
to both fog & a blinding snowstorm. The ship missed the entrance to the Wear, &
soon after 8:00 a.m., drove ashore on the rocks at White Steel Rocks, Whitburn,
2 miles to the north. Thanks to Harold Appleyard, we have a dramatic image of her on
the rocks. The ship stayed upright, did not take on water, &
while the Sunderland lifeboat stood by, Regfos awaited the
assistance of tugs despatched from Sunderland. By noon that day she was
re-floated, & made it safely into Sunderland to have her hull inspected. And
there, I presume, to load her cargo of coal for London.
You are invited to read a 'Sunderland Echo article about the grounding.
I offer next Linda Roy's fine image of
Regfos aground in 1947. Click on the image to see it in a larger
size.
AFON TOWY, A COASTER, AGROUND IN THE
RIVER WEAR
As for Regfos covered immediately above, this
image of the grounding of Afon Towy came to us via the now
'long-gone' Facebook's 'Sunderland Tugs and Shipbuilding in pictures',
in an image posted by Catherine Anne Harrison. As you can see here.
Catherine advised us that it is of the vessel aground in the Wear - ex 'Echo
booklet'.
It would seem that the Echo booklet in question was 'Canny Aad Sunlun ...', a collection of Sunderland Echo images. The booklet page does not date the grounding but does state that
the vessel went aground in the River Wear. I presume that details of the
grounding would have been included when the image was originally published -
whenever that was.
Afon Towy was a 684 ton vessel, O.N. 130058, built in
1919 by Dibles (1918) Limited of Southampton. It was initially owned by Afon
Steamship Co. Ltd. of Llanelly, Wales, however in 1928 it was sold to Afon
Lleidi Steamship Co. Ltd., also of Llanelly. Signal letters CFBQ later MJXC, 178.0 ft. long
perpendicular to perpendicular, 183.4 ft. long overall. You can view Lloyd's Register entries for the
vessel from 1930/31 thru 1944/45 at 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', here.
While the vessel is Lloyd's listed thru 1944/45, the vessel was in fact wrecked on Aug.
6, 1941 under some unusual circumstances. The vessel was in convoy FS 559
proceeding from Blyth to Queenborough, Kent, with a cargo of coal. The convoy was being
escorted by two Royal Navy destroyers, HMS Vimiera & HMS Wolsey, with two
trawlers providing additional escort services. One of those two trawlers was
HM
Trawler Agate. The convoy was, I read, being attacked by German E-boats
& the convoy's course was accordingly changed. A gale was blowing, visibility was poor & it
was night time. Anyway for whatever reason - navigation error, buoys having
been swept away, or the Haisborough light vessel being invisible, Agate and the seven vessels
that she was leading ran straight onto Haisborough Sands. At 52.54.30N/1.43.30E, off the coast of Norfolk at Happisburgh. The seven vessels
lost were Aberhill, Betty Hindley, Deerwood, Gallois, Oxshott, Taara & of course
Afon Towy which ended up breaking her back. Lifeboats came from
both Cromer and Great Yarmouth & Gorleston & did what they could. They rescued
a total of 137 men from the many wrecked ships, but 37 men perished including 9
from Afon Towy including William F. (Francis) Strunks, her master, & all 16 aboard Agate. There was,
I read,
an Admiralty Court of Inquiry into the whole matter.
Three of the seven
merchant ships lost that day were built in Sunderland - Deerwood
was built by J. Crown in 1919, Taara was built as Fleetwing by S. P. Austin in 1907,
while Betty Hindley was built by S. P. Austin in 1941. Betty
Hindley had a
very short life! She was brand new having been delivered only in Jul. 1941!
I have spotted a
French 'pdf' reference (1 ex 2 at page 3 of 4)
to Afon Towy having earlier run aground, in fog, 1/2 mile S. of
the point at Flamborough Head, Yorkshire. On or about Nov. 7, 1935. I presume, however, that such grounding would not
be related to the grounding reported as being in the River Wear. I have added
into the first link above, my best efforts translation of the French text, which
seems to incorrectly refer to the Tyne, in its first paragraph.
AN UNKNOWN WRECK AT WHITBURN
 |
|
I cannot tell you
the name of the vessel at left. Which would seem, however, to be of a wreck
aground at Whitburn, in 1919 or maybe a little earlier.
The card was an
eBay item which sold on
Jun. 1, 2011 for GBP 12.00. It bore a postmark, at Whitburn, of Jan. 30,
1919.
Is it possible that anyone can identify the vessel, so that we
might try to establish the circumstances? |
May I suggest that you navigate the site via the
index on page 001.PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE
Thomas M. M. Hemy Data Pages
01,
02 and
03 are now on site. Plus all
of the other image pages, accessible though the index on page
05. æ
To MV Danmark
Slider Puzzle
page &
to the
Special Pages Index.
| A SITE SEARCH FACILITY
THE GUEST BOOK - GO
HERE
|
|
|
