Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

From: Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald dated 7th September 1973

THE PERILS OF THE SEA

ONLY THE SKIPPER SURVIVED

Over the two days of Thursday and Friday the 7th and 8th February, 1861, among the vessels which sailed out of Ardrossan harbour were 16 bound for the coast of Ireland. By the Saturday morning, six of them were total wrecks, and another was never seen again.

An easterly gale had sprung up on the Friday night, described as “the most fearful experienced within memory”, and with the worst consequences in so far as loss of shipping was concerned, Ardrossan had ever experienced. All the ships wrecked claimed Ardrossan as their home port.

Despite the conditions, there was comparatively little loss of life: apart from the missing ship, and the “WILLIAM CAMPBELL”, all the crews were saved. On the “WILLIAM CAMPBELL”, only the Captain survived, and so did his narrative to tell us what happened.

The missing ship was the “BARASSIE”, whose Captain was from Ardrossan, one of the seamen was also from Ardrossan, the mate, three more seamen and the boy were all from Ardrossan.

On board the “WILLIAM CAMPBELL”, were the Captain, Mr. Anderson, his father who was the mate, two brothers Duncan and a boy, seamen, all belonging to Saltcoats, a boy named Hutton from Ardrossan, and a seaman belonging to Holland.

The description given later by Captain Anderson of his experiences still vividly depicts the tragedy.

“On Friday night”, he wrote, “About ten o’clock, the gale came on us from the ENE and continued so all the time with great force. It was the most severe gale of wind I ever experienced from all I have heard it would seem that we have been in its centre. The sleet was very thick and heavy.

HOVE TO

“From 10 to 4 a.m. we laboured excessively to keep the ship right, but about the latter hour we lost the topmast, and we hove the ship to with her head to the southward, with the three reefed mainsail. In this way we struggled on, all the while the wind blowing most furiously, till about 7 a.m. when a tremendous gust took away the main boom gaff and tore the mainsail all to rags.

“However though thus disabled, we got before the sea and went WSW, half an hour afterwards we pooped a huge sea which swept away wheel, skylight, binnacle, casks and boats, sweeping the decks clean and washing Isaac Abrams and John Duncan under the windlass and with such force as to break the leg of the former and some of the ribs of the latter. Canvas all being gone, with considerable difficulty and immense risk, we lashed half of the studding sail boom to the rudder head and kept right before the sea.

“The last tremendous sea sweeping the decks, we began now to make water, and about 10 a.m. our fate seemed to be symbolized when we saw a brig and schooner steering in the same direction and in much the same condition - canvas aft gone, and soon after, one after the other go down, and not a soul of either the one or the other saved.” - (These ships were not identified, and may have been Irish vessels).

The Captain continued: “We were now, as well as could be guessed, 25 miles from Howth Head, bearing WSW and all hands kept close at the pumps, each sea making us take great quantities of water. By this time we were almost undone, that excessive labours of the past night and the sorry condition we were in, and the gale blowing very hard, it seemed to us all a dark look out.

DRIVEN ASHORE

“We weatherd it out however till about 3 o’clock, when we made the Kish light, about a mile ahead. Being ebb tide, we were carried across the sand bank, touching once but very lightly and about 5 p.m. we were driven ashore about a mile and a half to the north Wicklow, the sea making a complete breach over us.

“Now was it,” continued Captain Anderson, that we met what stared us all day long face to face - it was every man for himself, and God for us all. Though we were so near the shore that every word we uttered could be heard, yet the back surge was so great, and the most of us so far gone already, safety could only be had in our own strength, or the appliances which they might have on shore.

“Of appliances they had none, or else I am convinced every soul would have been saved. The first who was washed away was the mate, my own father, from the main rigging. For 10 minutes did he struggle to reach the shore, but no helping hand was given him from the shore like as was given unto myself. The back surge drew him back, and back and he went down.

“A little after, from the same place I was washed away with a tremendous sea, and a like fear was to be mine had not Mr. Richard Flanagan - who had earned noble honours at other wrecks in the previous part of the day - ran into the surf and caught me and I was saved. Afterwards I knew nothing as I was rendered unconscious and had my arm dislocated, doubtless battling with the surge.”

An eye witness on the shore described the end of the story - “John Hutton (the boy) and next Issac Abram were in turn washed away and drowned. The last on the wreck were the two Duncans: the night was coming on, the floodtide was making and the sea raged furiously, so that the poor fellows were left to their fate, as nothing could be done for the want of proper appliances, and they too were drowned - and all the five lost their lives on a sandy beach”.

The wreck of the “WILLIAM CAMPBELL” was sold some time later for four or five pounds for firewood.

Scribe Tango