I learned something this week about my great-grandfather James Shepheard (1865-1940). I do not think my family has ever heard the story about him being involved in a shipwreck. I certainly never heard about it from anyone.
For a
number of years after his wife's death in 1891, James Shepheard worked as a
steward and cook on several merchant ships. Recently I have been tracing these
activities through crew lists obtained from the Glamorgan Archives in Cardiff, Wales. They keep crew lists for ships
registered in Cardiff or that sailed from that port as well as thousands of
other documents and images for Glamorgan parishes, cemeteries, electors,
courts, poor relief, police, etc.
I was
alerted to the crew lists, particularly, by a friend, Alick Lavers, and his
contact at the Ships Nostalgia website, Roger Griffiths. The site has a forum on which one
can ask questions about various maritime activities and research. I am very
appreciative that they advised me of the available records.
With their
advice, and through the auspices of the archive, I have so far obtained crew
lists that show James on three different ships between 1910 and 1912. We are
continuing to look for more information.
One of the ships he served on was the Wimborne, a screw steamer built in 1898. James was on its final and fateful voyage from Rotterdam, Holland. It wrecked along the southwest coast of Cornwall, England on 7 November 1910 after only three days at sea. Following is a newspaper account of the wreck published in the Cornishman on 10 November 1910, which succinctly tells the story and the harrowing experiences of the crew:
STEAMER WRECKED NEAR LAND’S END
EXCITING SCENES
CREW RESCUED BY ROCKET APPARATUS
PENZANCE Monday
A disastrous wreck marked with thrilling scenes, but
almost miraculously unattended by loss of life, occurred at Carn Barrow Point,
near Tol-Pedn-Penwith on Monday, the Cardiff steamer Wimborne being driven on
the rocks in a strong gale. The crew, however, were rescued by the life-saving
apparatus as the steamer was going to pieces.
THE WRECKED STEAMER
The unfortunate vessel is the two-masted steamer
Wimborne of Cardiff, she of 2,220 tons net register, and 3,266 gross. Her
owners are Messrs. Thomas, Ratcliffe and Co., of Cardiff. She was on a voyage
from Rotterdam to Barry in ballast, and was in charge of Captian Thomas, of
Abersoch, South Carnarvon shire. The Wimnborne had taken a cargo of wheat from
the Black Sea to Rotterdam and discharged it at that port. Here the majority of
her crew were paid off, and fresh hands were shipped, so that the majority of
them had been on board only a few days.
The Wimborne left Rotterdam on Friday, and apparently
everything went well until Sunday night. The Lizard lights were sighted about 8
p.m., and the wind was then blowing strongly from the W.N.W.
In her light condition the Wimborne found progress a
very difficult matter, but her captain kept on his course. About 4 o’clock on
Monday morning he found himself in the vicinity of the Land’s End, but the wind
having increased, and there being a heavy sea running, he found the steamer
unmanageable, and she was driven ashore on Carn Barrow Point. This point is
about half a mile from Tol-pedn-Penwith, and the Longships is about two miles
to the westward.
At the time the vessel struck, about 4.30 a.m., there
was a tremendous sea dashing in against the cliffs, accompanied with heavy rain
showers. Immediately the shock came, the Wimborne’s anchors were thrown out,
and these steadied her a little, but the seas broke over her stern and swept
her whole length. Almost immediately her stern was submerged, and the seas
broke clean on board. The crew took refuge on the forecastle deck, where they
were somewhat beyond the reach of the waves. The bridge acting as a
break-water. Their position, however, was one of the gravest peril, as in
addition to the imminent prospect of the vessel going to pieces, the tide was
flowing, rendering their position more untenable as it rose.
It was impossible to get at the rockets, as they were
in the submerged part of the vessel, but flares were burnt, and greatly to the
relief of those on board their signal was answered. This, it appears, was from
the Admiralty look-out at Tol-Pedn, and the officer in charge immediately rang
up Sennen Cove and Penzance on the telephone and asked for assistance.
SS Wimborne half buried in the wall of waters, as featured in the Illustrated London News 12 November 1910
Although the steamer had struck the rocks only a few yards from the headland there was no possibility of the crew getting ashore by their own efforts, as between them and the shore there was a raging gulf. Had they lowered a boat it would have immediately been dashed to pieces and its occupants battered to death against the rocks. Their only hope, therefore, lay in deliverance from the land.When the news reached Sennen, the lifeboat was
immediately got out of her house, but on learning that the vessel had struck
the rocks close to the cliffs, Coxswain Nicholas recognized the impossibility
of rendering any assistance with the boat, and she was not launched. The Newlyn
lifeboat, however, was got afloat, and proceeded towards the spot, the rocket
summoning the crew awakening the inhabitants of Penzance about 6 o’clock this
morning.
The rocket apparatus at Sennen was got out and made
for the wreck without any delay, and Lieut. Chambers, divisional officer of
coastguards, Penzance proceeded to the scene on a motor cycle.
Meantime, C.P.O. (Cg.) Lamerton, the office in charge
of the Admiralty station at Tol-pdn, with others of the staff, and a number of
people from Porthgwarra, also made for the wreck, the coastguardsmen taking
with them cliff ladders and hand lines. The vessel was not sufficiently close
for the cliff ladder to be of any service and so great was the force of the
gale that they were unable to throw the hand lines on board from the cliffs.
SPLENDID L.S.A. WORK
The message was received by the Sennen coastguards
shortly before 5 a.m. and without the least delay they were galloping with
rocker apparatus to the scene, arriving there about 6 a.m. The brigade in
charge of chief officer Rees, of the Sennen coastguards, took up a somewhat
sheltered position slightly to the westward of Carn Barrow point, and with
their first shot they landed a line on the Wimborne. This was made fast to the
steamer’s bow, but the work of rescue was by no means easy as the Wimborne’s
bow was swaying to and fro in the breakers, and the utmost care had to be
exercised lest the lines from the Life Saving Brigade on shore should be
snapped. Soon, however, the first man was landed, and as there was no lack of
willing helpers, others followed in quick succession, being pulled up the cliff
in safety.
Lieut. Chambers got on the spot about 7 o’clock, and
by that time 9 of the crew had been saved.
A RACE FOR LIFE
The position of the men on the doomed ship was,
however, one of the utmost peril. Everything on deck was being washed away
including the life-boats. Then the mainmast snapped, and went overboard, and
the vessel broke n two amidships. At any moment she might have gone to pieces
engulfing with her debris her living freight. It was then decided to accelerate
the landing of the men, and they were brought ashore two at a time.
There were four apprentices on board and these were
sent ashore first, the officers coming last, the captain and the chief officer
being the last to leave.
One of the men immediately he was hauled ashore ran to
the lifeline and lent a hand in saving his companions, and when the captain and
the mate were safe on shore, the men clapped their hands in glee.
THE OFFICERS
The officers of the Wimborner are:
Captain THOMAS, Abersock, South-Carnarvonshire.
Mr. JONES, 1st officer, Aberraron,
Cardigan.
Mr. L. T. LEWIS, 2nd officer, Aberdovery.
Mr. J. PUGH, chief engineer, Cardiff.
Mr. D. J. REES, 2nd engineer, Goodwich,
Pembrokeshire.
Mr. H. HEATHCOTE, 3rd engineer, Bristol.
Mr. C. MORRISON, 4th engineer, Aberdeen.
A number of the crew are foreigners, and some of them coloured
men.
CORNISH HOSPITALITY
The shipwrecked mariners were immediately taken to the
houses in the vicinity. Nine of them were put up at Mr. James Hocking’s, Sawah
farm, three at Mr. G. Williams’ at Roskestal, six at Mr. R. H. Waters’,
Trevean, two at Porthgwarra, and two as Sawah Cottage.
When our representative arrived at Sawah he found the
men in front of a big fire in the open chimney, and all of them appeared most
comfortable. They had been provided with refreshments, their clothes dried, and
some kind friend had supplied them with cigarettes.
All of the crew speak in the highest terms of the
kindness which had been extended to them and also had nothing but unbounded
praise for the manner in which the life-saving apparatus was worked. It seemed
quite fitting that chief office Rees, himself a Welshman should have been
mainly responsible for saving a crew of which the principal officers were
Welshmen.
THE WIMBORNE A TOTAL WRECK
When our representative visited Carn Barrow this
morning, the Wimborne was a total wreck. Only one of her two masts was
standing, her funnel had disappeared, and nothing was visible of her abaft of
the bridge. The tide had receded considerably, but the seas were dashing over
her continuously. The wind had also lessened, but the gale was blowing so
strongly that one could scarcely make headway against it, and speech was
altogether inaudible. Away to the right was the Longships lighthouse, against
which the waves were dashing almost enveloping it in snow-white spray. Just to
the right of where the Wimborne struck, is the little cove and beach where the
solitary Spaniard swam ashore from the wrecked Febrero. To the left, some few
hundred yards distant, is the spot where the Kyber struck and carried with her
to destruction 23 of her crew, five years ago last March. Tol-pedn is well
within sight, and but for the fact that this lookout has now been established
and furnished with telephonic communication, a disaster equaling in magnitude
that of the Kyber might well have been the fate of the Wimborne and her crew.
THE OFFICERS THANKS
Capt. Thomas and other officers of the steamer
Wimborne, called at the office of this paper on Tuesday morning and asked us to
tender their sincere thanks to the people of St. Levan and district for the
great kindness shown them, and also to the members of the Sennen life-saving
brigade for the splendid and prompt assistance rendered.
A Board of
Trade inquiry was held concerning the wreck, on 13-16 December 1910 before
Thomas William Lewis, Esq., Stipendiary Magistrate, at the Law Courts in
Cardiff. Following evidence given by crew members and others, it was held that
Captain Thomas’s “error of judgement was the primary cause of the casualty.
The master’s initial error, however, might have been corrected if he had given
heed to the warning conveyed by the red sector of the Longships Light, which
clearly indicated that the vessel was off her course and much nearer the shore
than assumed by him. The master’s neglect to take warning from the light, and
continuing to navigate the vessel too close to the shore, in conjunction with
the necessity of porting the helm to avoid collision with a crossing vessel and
so placing the vessel still nearer the shore, were the proximate causes of her
stranding and loss. Hence, she was not navigated with proper and seamanlike
care, and the neglect of the master, as above mentioned, was a contributory
cause of the loss. For such neglect the master is censured.”
It was
fortunate for our family that all 27 members of the crew were rescued from an
apparent hopeless situation, again according to the Board of Trade report, “by
means of the promptitude, skill, courage, and resource of the coastguardsmen of
Sennen and their neighbours who assisted them.”
James was
discharged on 7 November 1910, with a final payment of 1 pound, 11 shillings. Between
May 1911 and November 1912, he served as a steward and a cook on two other
ships, the Manchester and the Usk. He immigrated to Canada to
join his son, my grandfather, and his family in 1913, working as a farmer until
his death in Irricana, Alberta, on 30 October 1940.
