sv Andromeda (1915)

sv Andromeda was built in Glasgow by Robert Duncan & Co. Ltd and completed in April 1890.

Propulsion: Sail. 4 mastsLaunched: Wednesday, 23/04/1890Built: 1890Ship Type: Steel barqueShip’s Role: CargoTonnage: 1928 g |1822 nrtLength: 271.35 feetBreadth: 40 feetDraught: 23.6 feet depthOwner History:George F. Smith, Saint John, New Brunswick.1895: Mrs W. Smith (manager, A. W. Adams), Saint John, N.B.1901: Black, Moore & Co, London – Andromeda Ship Company (manager, Robert Moore), London.

For 10 years she operated from eastern Canada, before changing owners and sailing from London aspart of the Andromeda Ship Company. This was the era of steamships, but Andromeda held her ownagainst them despite being powered only by wind. One factor enabling this was her use of cadets, who made up about a third of her crew. Cadets could be paid considerably less than experienced seamen, allowing Andromeda to keep costs down. The cadets profited from their time on Andromeda through the training they received.

The “Andromeda” was last dry docked at Belfast, in October, 1913, just before starting on the voyage that ended with the wrecking. She was in good order and condition, and carried two life-boats, seven life buoys, about 40 life belts, three dozen blue lights, and a dozen distress rocket signals. Two other boats had been lost early in the voyage. The two boats remaining were capable ofcarrying 29 and 27 persons respectively, and were on skids aft, under davits, their after ends resting on the break of the poop.

There were seven compasses on board; the navigating compass, made by McGregor, being placed on the fore and aft bridge. This had not been adjusted for some years, but the master made the necessary observations for deviations from time to time. She had two patent logs (one a Cherub), and a Walker sounding machine; and she was supplied with Admiralty charts and sailing directions. At the time of the casualty the master was navigating with Chart No. 2565, Lizard to Dodman Point,and was using directions from the “Channel Pilot,” Part I.

In September 1914 Andromeda was in harbour at Tacoma, Washington, on the western seaboard of the USA. War had been under way for about a month, and merchant ships feared being captured or sunk if they ventured out of harbour. As a precaution, all ships had been ordered to stay in port. However, James Deeks, captain of Andromeda, decided to risk the voyage and requested to leave port. Andromeda sailed for Britain on 6 September, her hold full of 3,000 tons of wheat that could be vital to the war effort. Her destination was Falmouth for orders. It was a testing journey – a 120 day voyage lengthened to a nerve wrecking 180 days when the ship was becalmed twice, once off the tip of South America and once in the tropics.

Somewhere west of the Scillies, the master reported to an armed patrol vessel, the officer in charge of which undertook to send a wireless message to his flagship and to Poldhu, to the effect that the “Andromeda” was making for Falmouth. Having been warned by the officer to keep a look out for enemy submarines in the Channel, the “Andromeda” then proceeded. At 10.30 p.m. of the 12th

February the Lizard lights were abeam, at an estimated distance of about 5 miles. No measures appear to have been taken about this time to ascertain or to verify the position of the vessel, but the master’s estimate of it must have been approximately correct. The barometer was falling slowly, with the wind from S. to S.S.W., weather clear, but with occasional rain squalls, and with lightning to the South. Here the course was altered to N.E. by E.N.E. (magnetic); the ship then being under topgallantsails and courses. On nearing Black Head about 11.30 p.m., and subsequently at frequent intervals, blue lights were burnt for a pilot. Sail was here reduced to topsails, foresail, inner jib, and fore topmast staysail. Black Head was passed at a distance of about 2 miles; and off Black Head the master ascertained his position by bearings. The wind was then freshening fast, the sea rising, and the barometer falling slowly. At 1.30 a.m. the vessel, which had been steering various courses, was heading for Falmouth Harbour, with St. Anthony’s light slightly on the starboard bow, and had reached a position, as obtained by cross bearings, 4 miles from the Manacles light, which then bore W. by S. Here sail was still further reduced to upper topsails, inner jib, and fore topmast staysails; the lower topsails being taken in.

About 2 a.m., the vessel then being, according to the Master’s estimate, about 2½ miles South from St. Anthony’s Point, and the signal for a pilot being still unanswered, she was brought to the wind on the starboard tack, heading E.S.E. Soon afterwards a cast of the lead was obtained; but as the vessel was making so much leeway the result, 10 fathoms, was unreliable.

About 2.30 a.m. the vessel, breaking off to E. by N., and St. Anthony’s light being shut in, the master, afraid of being stranded later on the Bizzies, wore her round to the westward, and the fore sheet was hauled aft to assist in driving her, in order to weather St. Anthony’s Point. About 3 a.m. it was seen that this was impossible. Another cast of the lead gave 9 fathoms. The land was soon afterwards seen, close to leeward, and the master, as a last resort, decided to anchor. The topsails were lowered, the foresail was hauled up, and the master ordered the anchors to be let go, cables to be checked at 70 fathoms and then veered to 100.

Shortly after anchoring, and when 75 and 60 fathoms had been veered on the port and starboard cables respectively, the anchors dragged, and the vessel struck by the stern, about 3.35 a.m., falling off broadside on to the rocks, heading to the westward, under Porthmellin Head, about 1 mile to the eastward of St. Anthony’s Point.

After striking she started pounding heavily on the rocks, and took a list to seaward, heavy seas breaking over her. Life belts, which were kent, some in the half deck and some in the forward sail locker, in racks, were served out directly the vessel struck, the boats were ordered to be hoisted out, and rockets were sent up at intervals.

Attempts were made to hoist out the boats, and an apprentice named Reginald Hockridge was sent into the port boat to place compass and gear. When he was in her, the after end became detached from the davit and the boat hung by her fore end. This in turn broke loose, and she remained hanging alongside by the painter. Hockridge was thrown into the water, but though severely bruised between the boat and the ship, managed to cling to the boat’s gunwale, and later, as she was swept astern, was washed into her.

The boat was eventually thrown on the rocks close inshore, bottom up, with Hockridge beneath her;but another sea lolling her over, the apprentice was released. Scrambling along the rocks he reachedand scaled the cliffs, made his way to some cottages near, and tried to arouse the inhabitants. Failingin this, lie took shelter in a barn, where lie remained until daybreak, when a rocket party of soldiers,police, and boy scouts arrived upon the scene.

The starboard boat had been swung out and lowered to the rail; but being badly buffeted by the sea in this position, was again hoisted close up. The sea lifting her, the foremost fall then became detached, so that she hung by the after tackle, and was eventually smashed against the starboard side of the vessel.

The crew now took to the rigging; some five or six of them being in the fore rigging and the

remainder, including the master, the three stewardesses, and McDonald A.B., making for the jigger rigging.

Hearing a cry from the main deck, the master, McDonald and the cabin boy, Lindsey, made their way forward, with the intention of affording assistance.

They reached the break of the poop, when a heavy sea swept over the vessel, injuring the master; and McDonald, who had a life belt on, was not seen again. A few minutes later he was missed by those in the jigger rigging; but it was not till some time after daybreak, and after the rest of the crewhad got ashore, that it was definitely ascertained he was not amongst those who had been saved. Two days later the ship was boarded and examined by the master and others but no trace of McDonald was found, and it must be presumed that he was swept away and drowned in the circumstances above described.

The board of trade inquest stated:“Relying upon the promise of the officer of the patrol vessel to send in a wireless message as to his approach, the master unfortunately believed, and continued till too late to believe, that a pilot was coming out, though the fact that he had received no answer to his frequent signals for a pilot pointed to the conclusion that the pilot cutter was not on its station. Acting on this initial error of judgment, perhaps a natural one for a tired man who had been 30 hours continuously on duty on deck, he decided to continue his course and to clew up and make fast the lower topsails; a proper and seamanlike decision if he were running into harbour, but a dangerous one, when as happened, no pilot was obtainable and no attempt was made to run in without one. The prudent course under the circumstances obtaining at 1.30 a.m. would have been to have kept the sea under a press of sail;but his implicit reliance on the wireless message of the patrol officer, the warning as to submarines,his knowledge that pilotage was compulsory at Falmouth, his anticipation that the harbour was mined, and his confidence that a pilot would come aboard, combined to mislead the master and to induce him to take risks which, under normal conditions, in all probability he would have avoided.”

The Falmouth lifeboat was summoned about 5.30 a.m., but was unable to complete her crew. Two men were short, but one volunteer was forthcoming in the person of the Second Mate of the French barque Asniers, and he, curious to relate, thus served in the same lifeboat which effected his own rescue recently [1914] when his vessel went ashore in the harbour. The Falmouth lifeboat found it impossible to get alongside the barque.

The Andromeda went ashore at 3.35 a.m. and when Captain Deeks [the last on board] got ashore it was half past eight. He had been 23 years at sea, the last 12 years on the Andromeda, it was his home and it was the first wreck he had had.

The ship’s papers were in a grip bag, which the master entrusted to his wife, and which she in turn handed to the cabin boy. When on the poop, before getting into the rigging, the latter was knocked down by the sea and the grip bag and its contents were lost. The chart house was also washed away, and in it a kit bag containing the charts which had been in use. None of the ship’s papers were therefore available for the purpose of the Inquiry.

On the 15th February, it was found that “the cabin had been broken up, the hatches smashed in, and the chart house broken to pieces and gutted out.” As described by one witness, “Everything was smashed;” and the vessel was finally abandoned.

A research project by Mark Milburn, for the BSAC Wreck Award project.

References:

The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), Tuesday 6 April 1915, page 10Weekly Times (Vic. : 1914 – 1918), Saturday 20 February 1915, page 36The Bathurst Times (NSW : 1909 – 1925), Tuesday 16 February 1915, page 2The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), Tuesday 6 April 1915, page 8The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), Tuesday 30 March 1915, page 11Board of Trade EnquiryWreck and Rescue around the Cornish CoastShipwreck Index of the British Isles Vol.1 (SIBI)Wrecksite.eu