Penarth Dock, South Wales - the heritage and legacy

Volume Ten - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Even more aspects - The Lloyd's Register at Penarth Dock . . .

Loss of the s.s. Vulture - To The Editor - Sir, Will you kindly publish the following in your valuable paper :—

We, the undersigned members of the crew of the the s.s. Vulture, of London, which was wrecked in St. Ives Bay. Cornwall, in the gale of November 18th, beg to tender to the inhabitants of St. Ives and the neighbourhood around our heartfelt gratitude for their assistance, kindness and sympathy generally to us and our other brother shipmates in our hour of distress, also to our friends of the Hendras Hotel, Carbis Bay, Lelant, where the whole of our crew were carried, with the crew of another steamer in the same position, being supplied with food, clothed, and housed with every kindness till other arrangements were made, as we had been landed by the rocket apparatus, drenched cold, and barely clothed.

Were it not for the willing bands on shore — coastguards, lifeboatmen, fishermen, and inhabitants in general — doing their utmost to save us, we should not be here to pen this letter. In conclusion, we return our thanks to the shipwrecked Mariners' Society for its prompt valuable assistance, and trust our experience may be the means of increasing its members.

(Signed),

John Hole, Master,
S. Warne, Chief Engineer,
R. Warne, Second Engineer,
and other members of the crew.

South Wales Daily News [325] [361] 27th November 1893

The gale of the 17th - 18th November 1893 became known amongst mariners as the 'Cintra Gale'. A total of five vessels were lost on the beaches and rocky coast nearby St. Ives, Cornwall. The 'Cintra' lost seven of her crew and in the loss of the s.s. 'Hampshire' twenty-one souls perished. [810]

The 'Cintra' Gale - A photograph featured within the fine book 'Cornish Shipwrecks' : Volume 2 : The North Coast, by Clive Carter, of (left to right) the colliers 'Cintra,' 'Bessie' and 'Vulture' wrecked at Carbis Bay on 17th November 1893.

1893 - The 'Cintra' Gale - A photograph featured within the fine book 'Cornish Shipwrecks' : Volume 2 : The North Coast, by Clive Carter, of (left to right) the colliers 'Cintra,' 'Bessie' and 'Vulture' wrecked at Carbis Bay on 17th November 1893. [810] [20200729]

'The 345 ton iron screw three masted schooner 'Vulture' (United Kingdom) took a route inside the Runnelstone while carrying coal from Cardiff to Rouen. With the aim of keeping to quiet water to quicken her journey she scraped against the Leows (or Lee Oar) stone near the Runnelstone and with six feet of water inside her made it to Penzance harbour.' [858]

A view of the colliers 'Cintra,' 'Bessie' and 'Vulture' distant, wrecked at Carbis Bay during November 1893.

A view of the colliers 'Cintra,' 'Bessie' and 'Vulture' distant, ashore at Carbis Bay during the Cintra gale of November 1893. [002]

1893 - The wreck of the collier Bessie - with all that remains of the wrecked Vulture in the surf beyond - Carbis Bay, Lelant, Cornwall. [1333]

The Lloyd's Casualty Returns for 1893 informs us under 'Wrecked' that the UK registered vessel 'Vulture' of 282 tons Net and 517 tons Gross, on a voyage from Penarth to Portland with a cargo of coal, was wrecked in Carbis Bay on the 15th? November 1893. [856]