WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES AT SEA

 

When tragedy strikes at sea

“This is your captain speaking”

Doesn’t get the message across,

But “THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SHOUTING”

THE ROYAL CHARTER STORM

 

The Royal Charter storm

Which blew up out of the Irish Sea

Takes its name from one ship

Out of the 133 ships

Sunk on the 25 and 26 October 1859

With a further 80 damaged

And a death toll of 800

EAST INDIAMAN ARNISTON

 

The Arniston was an East Indiaman

But had been requisitioned as a troopship

She was sailing from Ceylon to England

To repatriate soldiers wounded in the Kandyan Wars

When during a storm near Cape Agulhas, South Africa

She was wrecked at Waenhuiskrans on 30 May 1815

With only six surviving of the 378 aboard

HMS BIRKENHEAD

 

HMS Birkenhead began life

As a steam frigate

One of the first iron-hulled vessels

Built for the Royal Navy

But she was quickly converted

And was commissioned as a troopship

It was as such on 26 February 1852

While transporting troops to Algoa Bay,

She was wrecked at Danger Point

Near to Gansbaai

100 miles from Cape Town,

With insufficient serviceable lifeboats

For all the passengers.

This gave rise to the most disciplined

Act of self-sacrifice ever witnessed

Described in verse by Rudyard Kipling

As the "Birkenhead drill"

Where the soldiers famously stood firm,

In serried ranks and allowed

The women and children

To safely board the boats

The courage and chivalry

Of the noble soldiers

In the face of certain death

Gave rise to the now accepted practice

When abandoning ship

Of “Women and children first”

And 550 men perished in the sea

L&ASNC ROYAL CHARTER

 

The steamship Royal Charter

Was returning to Liverpool

In late October 1859

Laden with gold

And Nuevo riche prospectors

From the Australian goldfields.

 

It was recommended to

Thomas Taylor, Captain

To put into Holyhead harbour

To wait out the storm

But having thus far

Made good time from Melbourne

He wanted to press on to Liverpool

 

As she rounded Anglesey’s

North-western tip

The barometer dropped

The squall quickly grew

And reached Storm force 10

On the Beaufort scale

The Royal Charter tried,

Off Point Lynas,

To pick up the Liverpool pilot

To guide them to safety

But the wind had risen

To Hurricane force 12

And was driving her

Towards the Anglesey coast

The Captain dropped anchor

But within two hours

Both anchor chains had snapped

And on 26 October 1859

The steam clipper Royal Charter

Broke up on the rocks near Moelfre

 

Despite the heroic efforts

From the people of Anglesey

Less than 40 survived

From the 450 passengers and crew

IN THE TEETH OF A GALE

 

As the savage seas

Pounded the stricken ship

Helpless onlookers watched

From the lonely beach

As nature won out

Ropes attached to Rockets

Were shot from the cliff top

But in the howling gale

Each fell short

ON THE TITANIC

The most popular drink on the Titanic

Was not served with a lemon slice

Nor with an olive or a soda splash

It was simply served with lots of ice 

ON THE CONCORDIA

 

The most popular drink on the Concordia

As it was approaching the docks

You might be surprised to know

Was served on the rocks

It Happened At Sea

MARY KEZIA ROBERTS

Mary Kezia Roberts
Was a remarkable woman
If for no other reason
Then she sailed, as a stewardess,
Aboard Titanic, and survived
And two years later
Was aboard the HMHS Rohilla
When she was wrecked
And she survived again

HMHS ROHILLA

On 30 October 1914
The hospital ship Rohilla
Sailed southerly through
The stormy North Sea
Bound from Leith to Dunkirk
To bring allied wounded home
Around 4:00 a.m.
On that fateful morn
With the high seas
And storm force winds
Battering the ship
She struck Whitby Rock,
On the Saltwick reef
South of Whitby town.
It was wartime
No landmarks were visible
As blackouts were observed
And aids to navigation
Were nonexistent
Although only 600 yards
From the safety of shore
The fiercely blowing gale
Hampered rescue attempts
But the RNLI persevered
And more than half aboard
The stricken ship were saved

RNLI – THE WRECK OF THE ROHILLA

When the Rohilla
Struck Whitby rock
On the Saltwick reef
In October 1914
The storm was so bad
The life boat
Could not be launched
From Whitby harbour
So the rescuers grittily
Manhandled the lifeboat
Over an eight-foot seawall
And treacherous rocks
So it could be launched
From the beach
On the first attempt
They rescued seventeen
On the second
Another eighteen
But in the second attempt
The lifeboat was damaged
Too badly to make a third

IN THE TEETH OF A GALE

As the savage seas
Pounded the stricken ship
Helpless onlookers watched
From the lonely beach
As nature won out
Ropes attached to Rockets
Were shot from the cliff top
But in the howling gale
Each fell short

HMS BIRKENHEAD

HMS Birkenhead began life
As a steam frigate
One of the first iron-hulled vessels
Built for the Royal Navy
But she was quickly converted
And was commissioned as a troopship
It was as such on 26 February 1852
While transporting troops to Algoa Bay,
She was wrecked at Danger Point
Near to Gansbaai
100 miles from Cape Town,
With insufficient serviceable lifeboats
For all the passengers.
This gave rise to the most disciplined
Act of self-sacrifice ever witnessed
Described in verse by Rudyard Kipling
As the "Birkenhead drill"
Where the soldiers famously stood firm,
In serried ranks and allowed
The women and children
To safely board the boats
The courage and chivalry
Of the noble soldiers
In the face of certain death
Gave rise to the now accepted practice
When abandoning ship
Of “Women and children first”
And 550 men perished in the sea

EAST INDIAMAN ARNISTON

The Arniston was an East Indiaman
But had been requisitioned as a troopship
She was sailing from Ceylon to England
To repatriate soldiers wounded in the Kandyan Wars
When during a storm near Cape Agulhas, South Africa
She was wrecked at Waenhuiskrans on 30 May 1815
With only six surviving of the 378 aboard

L&ASNC ROYAL CHARTER

The steamship Royal Charter
Was returning to Liverpool
In late October 1859
Laden with gold
And Nuevo riche prospectors
From the Australian goldfields.

It was recommended to
Thomas Taylor, Captain
To put into Holyhead harbour
To wait out the storm
But having thus far
Made good time from Melbourne
He wanted to press on to Liverpool

As she rounded Anglesey’s
North-western tip
The barometer dropped
The squall quickly grew
And reached Storm force 10
On the Beaufort scale
The Royal Charter tried,
Off Point Lynas,
To pick up the Liverpool pilot
To guide them to safety
But the wind had risen
To Hurricane force 12
And was driving her
Towards the Anglesey coast
The Captain dropped anchor
But within two hours
Both anchor chains had snapped
And on 26 October 1859
The steam clipper Royal Charter
Broke up on the rocks near Moelfre

Despite the heroic efforts
From the people of Anglesey
Less than 40 survived
From the 450 passengers and crew

THE ROYAL CHARTER STORM

The Royal Charter storm
Which blew up out of the Irish Sea
Takes its name from one ship
Out of the 133 ships
Sunk on the 25 and 26 October 1859
With a further 80 damaged
And a death toll of 800

CAPTAIN’S AWARD

In the aftermath
Of the sinking
Of HMHS Rohilla
In 1914
Amidst all the plaudits
Medals and awards
For heroism and gallantry
Was Captain Neilson,
Awarded the RSPCA’s
Bronze Medal
For his efforts to rescue
The ship's cat