SS Ava (1855)
Encyclopedia
The SS Ava was a 1,613 GRT
British steamship, constructed in 1855 by the Tod & McGregor shipyard in Glasgow
. Described as "an iron screw barque
with one funnel", she was operated by the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company on the China mail service and was named after Ava
, the ancient capital of Burma. She ran aground and was wrecked off the coast of Ceylon in February 1858.
on 29 August. On this voyage, she broke a screw blade and was towed to Malta by the paddle packet HMS Medusa; the mail and passengers were forwarded on to Alexandria on board the Valetta.
In September 1856, she collided with the Teignmouth
brig Blanche and lost a quarter boat. On 1 October 1856, she departed, via Tristan da Cunha
and Galle
, for Calcutta where she arrived on 16 December. On 3 September 1857, she left Calcutta carrying Lord Elgin
on his mission to China. She returned to Calcutta on 7 December and was apparently unemployed until February 1858.
; her passengers included women and children refugees from the Indian rebellion
, including Lady Julia Inglis, daughter of Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford
and the wife of Major-General Sir John Eardley Inglis
, who commanded the British troops at the Siege of Lucknow
, together with her three sons, John
, Charles and Alfred
. The cargo included 500 boxes containing £275,000 in gold.
After calling at Madras on 13 February, she departed for Suez; her captain, Captain Kirton, had been instructed to land at Trincomalee
with about £5,000 of Government treasure. Mrs. Inglis had kept a diary of the events during the siege of Lucknow to which she added her account of the wreck:
The passengers were put into the seven ship's boats:
The following morning, after spending the nights in the open boats, the passengers were rescued and taken to Trincomalee. All the passengers and crew were saved although most lost all their possessions. Mrs. Inglis managed to save her diary but her husband's personal journal was destroyed in the water. Most of the cargo of specie and a replacement shaft for the SS Alma, disabled at Aden, were recovered by divers from the frigate HMS Chesapeake
.
The ship’s surgeon was Dr. James Little
, who also kept a diary recording his time with P & O. He recorded his experience during the shipwreck, describing spending a night in an open boat before landing on shore the next morning. He then spent some time in a tent on the beach while the crew attempted to recover what they could from the wreck. Dr. Little was later to become the chief physician at the Adelaide Hospital
in Dublin and Regius Professor of Physic
at the University of Dublin
.
The ship had run aground on Pigeon Island
, about 12 miles from Trinconmalee. The subsequent Board of Trade
enquiry found that
The Board of Trade in consequence directed that his certificate of competency was to be suspended for six months.
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
British steamship, constructed in 1855 by the Tod & McGregor shipyard in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Described as "an iron screw barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
with one funnel", she was operated by the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company on the China mail service and was named after Ava
Ava
Innwa is a city in the Mandalay Division of Burma , situated just to the south of Amarapura on the Ayeyarwady River. Its formal title is Ratanapura , which means City of Gems in Pali. The name Innwa means mouth of the lake, which comes from in , meaning lake, and wa , which means mouth...
, the ancient capital of Burma. She ran aground and was wrecked off the coast of Ceylon in February 1858.
Sailing history
Delivered on 21 July 1855, she departed for her maiden voyage to AlexandriaAlexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
on 29 August. On this voyage, she broke a screw blade and was towed to Malta by the paddle packet HMS Medusa; the mail and passengers were forwarded on to Alexandria on board the Valetta.
In September 1856, she collided with the Teignmouth
Teignmouth
Teignmouth is a town and civil parish in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon, situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign about 14 miles south of Exeter. It has a population of 14,413. In 1690, it was the last place in England to be invaded by a foreign power...
brig Blanche and lost a quarter boat. On 1 October 1856, she departed, via Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
and Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
, for Calcutta where she arrived on 16 December. On 3 September 1857, she left Calcutta carrying Lord Elgin
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
Sir James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, KT, GCB, PC , was a British colonial administrator and diplomat...
on his mission to China. She returned to Calcutta on 7 December and was apparently unemployed until February 1858.
Final voyage
On 10 February 1858, the Ava left Calcutta en route for SuezSuez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
; her passengers included women and children refugees from the Indian rebellion
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, including Lady Julia Inglis, daughter of Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford PC KC FRS was a British jurist and Conservative politician. He was twice Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.-Early life:...
and the wife of Major-General Sir John Eardley Inglis
John Eardley Inglis
Major-General Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis , was a British Army officer.He was born in Nova Scotia, the son of John Inglis, the third bishop of that colony. In 1833 he joined the 32nd Foot, in which all his regimental service was passed...
, who commanded the British troops at the Siege of Lucknow
Siege of Lucknow
The Siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defense of the Residency within the city of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After two successive relief attempts had reached the city, the defenders and civilians were evacuated from the Residency, which was abandoned.Lucknow was the capital of...
, together with her three sons, John
John Frederic Inglis
John Frederic Inglis was a Scottish amateur sportsman who became a Major in the Duke of Edinburgh's...
, Charles and Alfred
Alfred Inglis
Alfred Markham Inglis was an amateur cricketer who played for the M.C.C. and Kent in the 1870s. By profession, he was a banker.-Early life:...
. The cargo included 500 boxes containing £275,000 in gold.
After calling at Madras on 13 February, she departed for Suez; her captain, Captain Kirton, had been instructed to land at Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
with about £5,000 of Government treasure. Mrs. Inglis had kept a diary of the events during the siege of Lucknow to which she added her account of the wreck:
We made good progress all that day (Tuesday). It was eight o'clock, a beautiful night, and we were running along at a great pace. Finding it very hot in the saloon after tea, [we] had come on deck, and were sitting on the bulwarks behind the wheel. Suddenly we were startled by a loud grating sound something like the letting down of an anchor, and just then saw a large rock close to us. I said, 'We must have touched that.' Several men rushed to the wheel, and then again we heard the same sound, only louder, and a quivering of the whole ship. She then remained stationary, only heaving backwards and forwards.
The passengers were put into the seven ship's boats:
The steamer had struck nearly in the centre; her fore part was sunk very deep, and we watched her with the greatest anxiety to see if the water gained on her, fearing for the safety of those still on board, and also dreading that if she sank our boats would all be swamped. We rowed backwards and forwards between the rocks and the steamer all night, and a weary time it was. Guns were fired, and rockets sent up; but our signals of distress were not answered, though a light we saw at some distance on the shore made us hopeful that assistance was at hand. The masts were cut down to lighten the ship, and the crash as they fell into the water sounded very fearful.
The following morning, after spending the nights in the open boats, the passengers were rescued and taken to Trincomalee. All the passengers and crew were saved although most lost all their possessions. Mrs. Inglis managed to save her diary but her husband's personal journal was destroyed in the water. Most of the cargo of specie and a replacement shaft for the SS Alma, disabled at Aden, were recovered by divers from the frigate HMS Chesapeake
HMS Chesapeake (1855)
HMS Chesapeake was a Royal Navy screw-propelled 51-gun frigate launched in 1855, with a crew of 510 men. She saw action during the Second Opium War and there is a memorial to her losses at Southsea, near Portsmouth. She was the flagship of the British China Squadron in 1861.Admiral of the Fleet,...
.
The ship’s surgeon was Dr. James Little
James Little (physician)
Dr. James Little was an eminent Irish medical practitioner. After spending an early part of his career as a ship's surgeon, surviving a shipwreck, he became chief physician at the Adelaide Hospital in Dublin and Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Dublin.-Early life:Little was born in...
, who also kept a diary recording his time with P & O. He recorded his experience during the shipwreck, describing spending a night in an open boat before landing on shore the next morning. He then spent some time in a tent on the beach while the crew attempted to recover what they could from the wreck. Dr. Little was later to become the chief physician at the Adelaide Hospital
Adelaide Hospital
The Adelaide Hospital was a general and teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland until it became part of the new Tallaght Hospital in 1998.-History:...
in Dublin and Regius Professor of Physic
Regius Professor of Physic (Dublin)
The Regius Professorship of Physic is a Regius Professorship in Medicine at the University of Dublin, Trinity College. The seat dates from at least 1637, placing it amongst the oldest academic posts at the university...
at the University of Dublin
University of Dublin
The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...
.
The ship had run aground on Pigeon Island
Pigeon Island National Park
Pigeon Island National Park is one of the two marine national parks of Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli, a coastal town in Eastern Province. The island's name derives from the Rock Pigeon which has colonized it. The national park contains some of the best...
, about 12 miles from Trinconmalee. The subsequent Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
enquiry found that
Captain Kirton omitted to take proper precautions; instead of continuing the ship's course at full speed for two hours after the dark, he ought to have slackened speed, to have stopped the ship and hove the head. Had he adopted these proper and prudent measures the calamity which followed would have been averted.
The Board of Trade in consequence directed that his certificate of competency was to be suspended for six months.