SS Thames
Encyclopedia
The Irish steamer
, SS Thames, commanded by Captain Gray, was shipwrecked on the Cribewidden Rock in the Isles of Scilly
in the early morning of 4 January 1841, on her way from Dublin to London
.
(1841), the weather was "exceedingly boisterous, with showers of hail
and snow
." She "shipped a heavy sea, which extinguished her fires." Then, mistaking St Agnes Lighthouse for Longships Lighthouse, they ran on to the Cribewidden Rock at around 5 am.
Of the sixty-five passengers, there were only four survivors: a "young lady passenger" named Morris, two female attendants and a seaman who was rescued the following day. A boat crew from St Agnes set off as soon as the wreck was discovered by locals and rescued the three women. A fourth woman who survived the initial sinking refused to leave with rescuers because she could not find her child. Local pilots were unable to offer any further assistance because it was low tide and the pilot boats were aground. By 11 am, the SS Thames was lost to the sea.
The only other survivor was the seaman who had made his way to Rosevear
on a piece of driftwood
. He survived on the exposed island for 24 hours before being discovered by boatmen. Fortunately, a porter
cask had found its way to the rock from the wreck. The seaman took a drink before emptying it to use as an overnight shelter.
Ten bodies were found, including that of the woman who refused to leave her child. The casualties were buried on the island of St Mary's.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
, SS Thames, commanded by Captain Gray, was shipwrecked on the Cribewidden Rock in the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
in the early morning of 4 January 1841, on her way from Dublin to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Night-time Storm
According to The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(1841), the weather was "exceedingly boisterous, with showers of hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
and snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
." She "shipped a heavy sea, which extinguished her fires." Then, mistaking St Agnes Lighthouse for Longships Lighthouse, they ran on to the Cribewidden Rock at around 5 am.
Of the sixty-five passengers, there were only four survivors: a "young lady passenger" named Morris, two female attendants and a seaman who was rescued the following day. A boat crew from St Agnes set off as soon as the wreck was discovered by locals and rescued the three women. A fourth woman who survived the initial sinking refused to leave with rescuers because she could not find her child. Local pilots were unable to offer any further assistance because it was low tide and the pilot boats were aground. By 11 am, the SS Thames was lost to the sea.
The only other survivor was the seaman who had made his way to Rosevear
Rosevear
Rosevear is a small uninhabited island in the Isles of Scilly, and part of the group of Western Rocks.The island became infamous because of the number of shipwrecks in the area. The ghost of opera singer Ann Cargill, who died when The Nancy was shipwrecked on Rosevear in 1784, is said to haunt the...
on a piece of driftwood
Driftwood
Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds, tides, waves or man. It is a form of marine debris or tidewrack....
. He survived on the exposed island for 24 hours before being discovered by boatmen. Fortunately, a porter
Porter (beer)
Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts...
cask had found its way to the rock from the wreck. The seaman took a drink before emptying it to use as an overnight shelter.
Ten bodies were found, including that of the woman who refused to leave her child. The casualties were buried on the island of St Mary's.