Speed and out of date maps led to stranding of SS Great Britain

What connects a Co Down beach and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s engineering leviathan, the SS Great Britain? It's a question that leaves many scratching their heads, puzzled.
A depiction of the stranding of the SS Great Britain in September 1846 on Tyrella Beach, Co DownA depiction of the stranding of the SS Great Britain in September 1846 on Tyrella Beach, Co Down
A depiction of the stranding of the SS Great Britain in September 1846 on Tyrella Beach, Co Down

The answer lies in the events of the night of September 22, 1846 when the SS Great Britain was stranded on the sands of the beach during her fifth voyage to New York.

It was believed that her captain, James Hosken, had miscalculated the steamer’s speed and, because of poor charts, had mistakenly taken the lighthouse at St John’s Point for the Hen and Chicken Rock Lighthouse which lies of the Isle of Man.

Hundreds of curious sightseers people journeyed to the Co Down coast between September 1846 and the end of July 1847, when the vessel was finally refloated.

Engineering giant Isambard Kingdom Brunel pictured centre front rowEngineering giant Isambard Kingdom Brunel pictured centre front row
Engineering giant Isambard Kingdom Brunel pictured centre front row

FIRST HAND ACCOUNT

A first hand account of what happened that evening was provided to the News Letter by one of the SS Great Britain's passengers which was published by the News Letter on Friday, September 25, 1846.

They wrote: “We left Liverpool shortly after eleven o'clock, with a fair wind. The day was fine, the passengers were in good spirits, and all were expecting a pleasant and expeditious voyage. At twelve o'clock, we went down to lunch, and at four to dinner, to each of which meals ample justice was done; nor was there any of the passengers absent from the table, as far as I could learn, nor any ill from sea sickness. At seven o'clock we sat down to tea, both before and after which, we were delighted by tire performances of some of the ladies on the piano, accompanied by singing. I remained in the cabin until nearly nine o'clock, when, after taking a turn on deck, I retired to bed; and I should say, that not more than half an hour could have elapsed, before I was alarmed by hearing much confusion on deck, and the men calling out to 'stop her'. Immediately after, she took the ground, at which time the wind was blowing very fresh, and occasional showers were falling. The night was dark, but not so much so that we could not clearly see a light on shore; but we could not tell what part of the coast we were on. The tide was flowing at this time, and, of course it tended to drive us farther towards the main land. In company with one or two other passengers, I remained on deck during the next four hour, when the wind having moderated and all danger as regarded life being at an end, the lifeboats were put in readiness for immediate service, if required; but thank God it continued comparatively calm, and at low water in the morning we were so near the shore that carts and cars could approach within it short distance of us, and the passengers, with their luggage were in a short time landed. The vessel is now lying between the coast guard house and the Cow and Calf rocks; had she struck on any of the numerous rocks in the neighbourhood, she must have been knocked to pieces, and in all probability many lives would have been lost; as it is, much will depend on the weather whether she will or will not be got off. She was, when I left, totally unmanageable having unshipped her rudder, and the flange of her screw being locked in the keel.

The passenger concluded: “It is but right for me to state, that every attention was shown to the passengers by the coast guards stationed at Tyrella. Captain Hosken is acknowledged, on all hands, to be an able and experienced seaman, and we will, no doubt, be able more fully to account for this accident."

SS Great Britain on the sands at Dundrum, this picture was painted by the Irish artist Matthew KendrickSS Great Britain on the sands at Dundrum, this picture was painted by the Irish artist Matthew Kendrick
SS Great Britain on the sands at Dundrum, this picture was painted by the Irish artist Matthew Kendrick

CAPTAIN HOSKEN'S REPORT

In October 1846 a letter that been written by Hosken to the directors of the Great Western Steamship Company, in which he gave his own account of the disaster which had befallen the colossal steamer, had come into the possession of the News Letter.

Hosken explained: “Captain Claxton’s letter will have put you in possession of the leading facts relating to the stranding of this ship, but I feel called on to give you an account of the sad disaster more in detail, both for your satisfaction and that of the proprietors, as well as in my own justification.”

Launching into the full details of the accident Hosken wrote: “Our pilot left a little inside the Bell Buoy, about one o’clock, and it was about ten minutes past one when we were fairly under weigh abreast it; all plain sail was set with a line breeze from the SE at times SSE.

A clipping from the News Letter reporting the stranding of the SS Great Britain from September 1846A clipping from the News Letter reporting the stranding of the SS Great Britain from September 1846
A clipping from the News Letter reporting the stranding of the SS Great Britain from September 1846

“I determined to go by the North Channel in consequence, as the wind was certain to be south-westerly in the South Channel, after passing Holyhead; and I have frequently taken the North Channel before, and think it the best under those circumstances; indeed I would take it in preference were all equal.”

He went on to explain his decision to take the route that he took. He stated: “My reasons are, in thick weather (and I have gone out of the North Channel in a fog), you meet one vessel in that channel to twenty in the south; indeed, with the first of a southwester, one to fifty.

“You cheat the tides, and have less against and more for you. You get clear of the land in much less time. You shorten the distance to New York a little, and you get a great advantage by being north, as the set of the Atlantic generally is to the southward, indeed almost invariably, and a slant of wind sometimes, as the wind hangs more to the northward than it does further south; on the whole, it is my opinion that a day is saved in the passage. . .”

At about half past five that evening, Hosken told the directors of the Great Western Steamship Company, that he had “caught a glimpse” of the Isle of Man.

The launch of the Iron Steam Ship Great Britain, 19th July 1843The launch of the Iron Steam Ship Great Britain, 19th July 1843
The launch of the Iron Steam Ship Great Britain, 19th July 1843

“What part of the island exactly or how far of I could not decidedly say, as it was then getting dark and the weather becoming thick. Immediately after, or about six o’clock, it came on to rain and blow harder . . .and it threatened to be, as it proved, as vile a night as could be experienced. I have no doubt this would be corroborated by any one al sea that night,” he commented.

Hosken then went on to explain how the weather had battered the SS Great Britain that night and how the ship had lost any visible contact with the Isle of Man because of the heavy fog but light was sighted.

“I immediately kept the ship off her former course, NW by N, exclaiming ‘How is it possible she has not run her distance; what can have held her back?’ taking the light for one of the Calf of Man lights and supposing the other hidden by the thick weather, which is often the case, as many seamen well know.”

Hosken continued: “I then continued by the compass watching the bearing of the light and trying with a glass to make out the second light, but a glass on that night was useless, from the continued rain; I could not help thinking we must be past the island and at the same time there was a revolving light occasionally before my eyes to tell me we were not past it and I did, as I believe most sailors in my situation would have done. . .stood on until I got the right bearing for rounding the Hen and Chicken Rock.

It was to be a fateful decision it was in fact the light at St John’s Point which had been sighted on the SS Great Britain and the path being taken by the steamer would lead it into shallower waters.

He recalled: “The sea began to break over us and the engineer told me he could not move the engines; this made our case for the time hopeless as it was near high water on a spring tide. I then ordered an anchor to be got clear; the skylights, hatchways, companions & c to be secured, the boats to be looked to, to be ready in case of need. I went below to assure the passengers that I believed there was no danger of loss of life, provided they did as I wished them, namely, remain quiet until daylight should show us where we were and what was best to be done.”

Clipping about the SS Great Britain from the News Letter in October 1846Clipping about the SS Great Britain from the News Letter in October 1846
Clipping about the SS Great Britain from the News Letter in October 1846

Hosken then went to consult his chart but could not make out to his own satisfaction where they were anchored. But he stated that he believed that they were not far from Ardglass close to Gun Island and that the light had been the South Rock.

SITE OF STRANDING DISCOVERED

It was discovered when daybreak arrived that the SS Great Britain was in fact in Dundrum Bay. Hosken declared: “When the coastguard [came] . . . I would not believe we were in Dundrum Bay and that there was light on St John’s Point for some time.”

The battle to prevent the SS Great Britain was a fruitless one explained Hosken. He wrote: “The ship was forging ahead with the sea and I was afraid to let an anchor go lest it might go through her bottom and do more harm than good – besides, the further the ship went the greater the chance there was of saving everybody.

“Towards daybreak it [the weather] moderated and I immediately lowered one of our lifeboats and commenced landing the passengers, the Iadies first. The tide soon ebbed out to the ship and the passengers got on shore in a variety of ways,by ropes, by carts, on men’s shoulders, &c; and then their luggage, only one or two packages of which have, I believe been lost. There was a great rush among the poorer people for jobs, for which they took good care to be well paid, but no ill treatment to any of the passengers has come to my knowledge.”

While a number of paintings and sketches were made of the ship on the sands, no accurate position was recorded at the time.

The question of where the ship was precisely positioned has long eluded historians, but it has now been determined by a team from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol and the SS Great Britain Trust in September 2014 when they surveyed large sections of Tyrella Beach during exceptionally low tides.

'LOCALS RUSHED TO HELP'

Of the stranding of SS Great Britain Dr Helen Doe of the University of Exeter and the author of SS Great Britain: Brunel's Ship, Her Voyages, Passengers and Crew said: “The stranding of the SS Great Britain September 22, 1846 was a disaster for her owners, the Great Western Steamship Company, but was a benefit for a time to the local people around Dundrum Bay.

“The incident came as the potato famine was wreaking havoc with livelihoods. The ship went aground on Tuesday evening and, at first light in the morning, locals rushed down to help bring people, including a group of young child dancers, and their baggage ashore. Hundreds of men, it was said, appeared to act as porters.

“Accommodation was found for people in local hostelries, private houses and the local school house.

“As passengers returned to England, reports of missing luggage circulated in the press and the managing director of the ship’s owners wrote to The Times on September 28 to correct the reports and defend the local populace.

“While admitting there may have been some natural confusion in the chaos, Captain Claxton strongly defended their honesty writing: ‘To the poor as well as to the rich in the neighbourhood the grateful thanks of the directors are due, for nothing can exceed the desire to alleviate the misfortunes of all concerned that has been manifested by everyone in this locality. Your giving currency to this will oblige'.”

Dr Doe concluded: “The ship remained firmly stuck in the bay from September 1846 with local people working with the salvagers to remove every item from within her and to form barriers to protect the ship from winter storms. Boat trips were advertised from Belfast to view the scene.

“Then at last in August 1847, with an enormous effort, the SS Great Britain was finally released from her imprisonment and towed back to England. She was eventually sold to new owners and the Great Western Steamship Company was wound up.”

SS Great Britain: Brunel's Ship, Her Voyages, Passengers and Crew by Dr Helen Doe is published by Amberley Publishing and is priced £20 and can be downloaded in eReaders for £14.99.

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