THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE - The Barque Britannia

Taken from the Worthing Gazette 11th October 1883

THE LOSS OF THE BARQUE BRITANNIA

The following account of the loss of the Britannia from Shoreham is taken from the Halifax Chronicle of 18th September 1883 :-

Captain Gasston sailed from Morant Bay, Jamaica on the evening of 10th August bound for Montreal with a cargo of 550 tons of sugar and 25 puncheons of rum. The captain was accompanied by his wife and 4 small children. The vessel carried a crew of 11 men.

Pleasant weather was experienced until the 18th of the month when a storm, beginning to blow from the east and working round to south west and then to north prevailed for 3 days.

On the 21st the storm subsided and nothing unusual is reported until the 29th. The Britannia weathered it, however with little injury, the only loss being one boat, a portion of the bulwark and two lower topsails. During the evening one of the seamen, Lewis Smith fell from the mainyard and broke his arm, incapacitating him from further help.

In both storms the ship had been pitched about and strained badly but fortunately did not spring a leak.

After an abatement of the weather the Britannia continued on her course without mishap until the dangerous vicinity of Sable Island was reached on the afternoon of Sunday September 2nd. Captain Gasston had had good sights and thought that during the night his vessel would pass between 30 and 40 miles eastward of the island.

At one o`clock the following morning chief officer George Foye was in charge on deck with three men. A thick fog prevailing. Suddenly the man at the wheel called his officers attention to a white line on the starboard side, but Foye replied that it was only an iceberg and they had cleared it. An instant later the ship struck on Sable north east bar. The chief officer at once gave the order to have the helm put hard a`port but the barque was hard and fast in the sands and refused to start.

Captain Gasston who on feeling the shock had leaped from his berth, was told by Foye of what had occurred and hurrying on deck he gave the order a second time to put the helm to port, but with no satisfactory result. The efforts to free the ship were useless.

By this time the entire crew were on deck, the Captain`s family remaining below. The pumps were sounded and it was found no water was in the hold. The men were set to work getting ready the single boat left over the side. The pumps were again tried but still there was no water below and it was decided to stay on board until daybreak. In the meantime the Captain`s instruments and the clothing of the crew were put in the boat ready to be launched if necessary.

About daylight the pumps were sounded a third time when three feet of water was discovered in the hold and it was rising rapidly. Preparations were then made to abandon the barque. Lewis Smith, the man who had broken his arm was carried to the boat in which a bed had been prepared and three of the Captain`s children were put in and she was lowered into the water. Immediately a heavy wave struck her breaking out the stern and she began to fill quickly with water, so that those on board had to return to the barque.

Shortly after the boat sank leaving the wrecked seamen helpless on their vessel. Smith the injured man and Captain Gasston and family were placed in the after-house for protection, a heavy westerly tide commencing to make in, and causing the ship to roll considerably.

About one o`clock in the afternoon a sail boat was observed bearing down on them from the island, but as the stranded vessel was on the south side of the sand bar and the boat on the other, the latter could render no assistance.

The water kept steadily and rapidly rising in the hold and by noon it reached within two feet of the deck. About eleven o`clock those in the sail boat from the land, finding it impossible to approach the vessel returned to shore.

Half an hour afterwards a westward bound barque hove in sight. So near that those on board must have seen the wreck but no reply was given to the latters signals and soon those in distress lost all hope.

The Britannia was now straining ominously, warning the crew that she would soon begin to break up and consequently the main and fore masts were cut away. Night was coming on so with planks and tarpaulin a place was constructed on deck for the shelter of the crew and the Captain`s wife and children.

About midnight the wind began to blow strongly from the north west causing a rough confused sea and this continued until daylight when the vessel was getting a heavy list to the starboard and she was beginning to break up amidships. The water by this time had forced up the greater part of the deck planking and was rising still higher so a weak platform on which to stand had to be built from the knight heads to the windlass.

On this the people remained til noon on Tuesday. It was thought the vessel would break forward first so they removed the top of the after-house, the woman and her four children having to be carried there by the crew across two planks – all that was left of the deck. Smith was about to be removed from the platform when a large wave swept over the ship carrying him away and he was not afterwards seen.

The crew now began to make a small raft of planks and spars. The mizen mast was cut down and half an hour later the after part of the ship broke completely away.

Along side the barque was a raft that had formed itself of floating wreckage and on the situation becoming so very serious, all took to this and tried to make it more compact and as secure as possible. Darkness had fallen and those on the slight raft were in terrible danger. Captain Gasston at one side was endeavouring to secure the mizen mast when a sea swept over them and carried every soul into the water. The Captain and eight of his men were all that succeeded in regaining the raft.

Two of the little children, a baby girl of six months and a boy of three years, were struggling in the water alongside and were quickly pulled out but a few minutes afterwards both expired in their father`s arms from fright and the effects of the exposure.

The Captain got a line and again tried to tie some of the wreckage together but was prevented by the rough sea. The steward was lashed to the planks for safety but he died thereon, the water continually pouring over him.

Ten minutes later another sea carried off three others and they too failed to reach the raft.

Again an effort had been made during the night to keep the raft alongside the Britannia. About nine o`clock it was torn away.

When daylight broke on Wednesday morning Captain Gasston and the four others that had survived found themselves about three miles from Sable Island.

At nine o`clock a young man, Ernest Molten, was washed off and another named William Eade leaped into the rough waters to attempt to save him but failed in his noble effort and regained the raft only with great difficulty.

About ten o`clock a boat was seen putting off towards them from the island and soon after the four worn out survivors found themselves safe on shore. They were taken good care of until Sunday when the Newfield arrived and at once returned with them to Halifax.