Bristol Channel Shipping Memories

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December 19th, the Liverpool brig “Bounty Hall” , Calcutta for Liverpool, stranded at Whitford. The vessel was later taken into Whitford Pill and then to Penclawdd for repairs. The vessel was reloaded in February of 1820 and proceeded to Liverpool. Mr Hemmings said the waters west of Britain were teeming with German submarines, and all ships which sailed through the Irish Sea ran the risk of being hunted down. November 16th. The Milford ketch “Favourite”, became disabled in a heavy gale. The next day she had drifted to a point three miles off Worms Head where the Mate left the vessel and rowed up the coast. The Porteynon lifeboat was launched and brought him ashore. The Master and a seaman were brought off the vessel just before she foundered

March 28th. In near hurricane winds and blinding snow the Russian schooner “Olga”, Moss Point, Mississippi for Swansea with pit props, parted he anchor cables and was blown onto Mumbles Head. The crew managed to get ashore safely with the assistance of the lighthouse keepers. The vessel was later refloated but considered a constructive total loss and sold for breaking. On 10th December the large four master “Drumblair”, left Barry for Mauritius with a cargo of coke and railway materials, but because of a severe gale, waited in Barry Roads. The severity of the gale, however, caused her to drag her anchors and landed up stranded on Sully Island. A steam tug tried to connect with her but was unsuccessful and eventually towed the Penarth lifeboat (Joseph Denman II) to Sully. Some of the ship's crew had been able to get off in the ship's boat but the remaining 15 and the captain were taken off by the lifeboat. The ship did survive, however, and was salved. February 12th. The brigantine “Reine des Fleurs”, bound for her home port of Cannes with coal from Swansea, became stranded at West Cross in a heavy gale. The crew were saved but the vessel later broke up. The cargo, hull and store were salvaged and later auctioned.On 28th May the banana ship “Carare” caught fire and sunk after an explosion in the Channel. The Minehead, Lynmouth, Ilfracombe and Barry lifeboats went in search of survivors but a naval patrol boat found the crew first and rescued them. An unknown sloop, bound for Bristol from Neath, ran ashore on Kenfig Sands. The crew of five were saved but the vessel and her cargo were a loss.

On the same night of 18th November the Penarth lifeboat, George Gay, was towed by the paddle tug Marquis to the English and Welsh Grounds, near the mouth of the river Usk where the full rigged ship “ Far West”, of Newport, with 22 crew, on her voyage from Chile via Queenstown, Ireland, to Newport, had run aground after losing her anchors when her hawsers and windlass broke in a S.W.gale off Lundy and she drifted up Channel. Some of the lifeboatmen were put aboard and she was connected to three tugs, the Marquis, Iron Duke and Pilot. Her anchors were recovered and she was re-floated and towed to Bristol for repair. December 23rd. The brig “Felicete”, of Vannes, bound from Nantes to Swansea with pit props, ran aground on Oxwich Point. Porteynon lifeboat was launched but on its arrival the crew had managed to get ashore. The vessel became a total loss. Getty Images". www.itnsource.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014 . Retrieved 19 September 2012. February 11th. The “Mary Stenhouse” was being towed from Barrow to Newport when the tow parted and the vessel ran aground at Rhossili. A ships boat was launched and contained nine crew members and the Masters wife. On nearing the beach a heavy swell capsized the boat and all ten were lost. The remaining eleven crew members and the mate’s wife were rescued by Rhossili L.S.A Company. The vessel was refloated the following morning by the tug “Hero”. The sixteenth-century geographer, Roger Barlow, defined the ‘see called severne’ as all those waters east of the Scilly Isles ‘betwene the principlitie of wales and englande’: E. G. R. Taylor (ed.), A Brief Summe of Geographie, by Roger Barlow (Abingdon, 2016), p. 32.July, the Plymouth registered brigantine schooner “Joseph Anderson”, Newport for Bristol with coal, went down on the Culver Sands, about six or seven miles south of Steep Holm. The Captain, Mate and three of the crew perished and two others were saved.