Southport shipwrecks
Encyclopedia
Over the years, a number of ships have foundered off Southport
. For the purposes of this article, the Southport area shall be considered as Southwards from Lytham St Annes
to Freshfield
.
barque
Star of Hope was on a voyage from Wilmington, North Carolina
to Liverpool
, carrying a cargo of cotton
. It was caught in a Force 10 gale in the Mersey
approaches. The ship was reported to be in distress and it was later reported that her nine crew were safe on the Crosby lightship.
ran aground on Horse Bank off Southport
on 9 December 1886. The crew of twelve were saved by the Lytham lifeboat
Charles Biggs, but the Southport and St. Annes lifeboats both capsized, with 27 of the 29 crew being killed. The Mexico came ashore off Birkdale
, opposite the Birkdale Palace Hotel
.
sail-steamer of 2,372 GRT, was on a voyage from New York
to Liverpool with a cargo of mug
s, sheep and treacle
when she ran aground on the Horsebank on 2 April 1917.
to Liverpool
with a cargo of copper
ore
. During attempts to refloat her using two tugs
, her back was broken and she became a total loss. A gale sprang up, resulting in her 38 crew and a further four salvors being rescued by the Southport lifeboat.
to Preston when she broke free of her tow and grounded on the Horsebank on 31 July 1933. Salvage attempts failed and she was used for target practice during the Second World War.
and Santos
with a cargo of cotton, fruit and meat. On 16 October 1939, she ran aground on Mad Wharf, about a mile west of Formby Point. Although her cargo was salvaged, the ship was declared a total loss. A contract was let for her salvage, but the position of the ship made this too difficult to achieve and she was later used for target practice during the Second World War.
, leading to lifeboats from Hoylake
, New Brighton and Rhyl
being launched. Two silver and two bronze medals were awarded by the RNLI
for this rescue.
lifeboat rescued her 103 passengers but it proved impossible to refloat Pegu.
. She had grounded on Taylor's Bank and her crew were rescued by lifeboat. Happy Harry was refloated and sailed to Southport where she was anchored, but she later dragged her anchor and crashed into the pier. Southport Corporation wanted the ship removed, and she was dragged away from the pier and burnt.
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
. For the purposes of this article, the Southport area shall be considered as Southwards from Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes is a conurbation in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England. The neighbouring towns of Lytham and St-Anne's-on-the-Sea have grown together and now form a seaside resort...
to Freshfield
Freshfield
Freshfield is an area of Formby, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, situated at the northern end of the town. It has no local political distinction or representation and is included as part of the two council wards which make up Formby , nor is it separated in any physical...
.
Star of Hope - 1883
The GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
Star of Hope was on a voyage from Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, carrying a cargo of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
. It was caught in a Force 10 gale in the Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
approaches. The ship was reported to be in distress and it was later reported that her nine crew were safe on the Crosby lightship.
Mexico - 1886
The German barque MexicoMexico (barque)
Mexico was a barque that was wrecked off Southport on 9 December 1886. She was repaired only to be lost in Scottish waters in 1890.-Shipwreck:...
ran aground on Horse Bank off Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
on 9 December 1886. The crew of twelve were saved by the Lytham lifeboat
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
Charles Biggs, but the Southport and St. Annes lifeboats both capsized, with 27 of the 29 crew being killed. The Mexico came ashore off Birkdale
Birkdale
Birkdale is a village and district in the southern part of the conurbation of the town of Southport, within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, though historically in Lancashire, in the north-west of England. The village is located on the Irish Sea coast, approximately a mile away from...
, opposite the Birkdale Palace Hotel
Birkdale Palace Hotel
The Birkdale Palace Hotel was a luxury hotel located in the coastal resort of Birkdale, Southport, on the north-west coast of England. It was opened in 1866 and demolished in 1969. During the Second World War it was a rehabilitation centre for US airmen, and in the last two years of its existence...
.
Zealandia - 1917
An AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sail-steamer of 2,372 GRT, was on a voyage from New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Liverpool with a cargo of mug
Mug
A mug is a sturdily built type of cup often used for drinking hot beverages, such as coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Mugs, by definition, have handles and often hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cup. Usually a mug holds approximately 12 fluid ounces of liquid; double a tea cup...
s, sheep and treacle
Treacle
Treacle is any syrup made during the refining of sugar and is defined as "uncrystallized syrup produced in refining sugar". Treacle is used chiefly in cooking as a form of sweetener or condiment....
when she ran aground on the Horsebank on 2 April 1917.
Chrysopolis - 1918
The ran aground on the Spencers Bank in fog on 14 February 1918. She was on a voyage from GenoaGenoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
with a cargo of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
. During attempts to refloat her using two tugs
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
, her back was broken and she became a total loss. A gale sprang up, resulting in her 38 crew and a further four salvors being rescued by the Southport lifeboat.
Endyminion - 1933
The steam trawler Endyminion was being towed from FleetwoodFleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
to Preston when she broke free of her tow and grounded on the Horsebank on 31 July 1933. Salvage attempts failed and she was used for target practice during the Second World War.
Ionic Star - 1939
The Blue Star Line's refrigerated cargo ship of 5,594 GRT, was inbound to Liverpool from Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and Santos
Port of Santos
The Port of Santos is located in the city of Santos, Brazil. As of 2006, it is the busiest container port in Latin America. It possesses a wide variety of cargo handling terminals - solid and liquid bulk, containers and general loads. It is Brazil's leading port in container traffic...
with a cargo of cotton, fruit and meat. On 16 October 1939, she ran aground on Mad Wharf, about a mile west of Formby Point. Although her cargo was salvaged, the ship was declared a total loss. A contract was let for her salvage, but the position of the ship made this too difficult to achieve and she was later used for target practice during the Second World War.
Charles Livingston - 1939
The 434 GRT Liverpool Pilot came ashore at Ainsdale on 25 November 1939 in a gale. Lifeboats from Lytham and Blackpool were launched, with the Blackpool lifeboat Sarah Ann Austin rescuing six crew., Four others reached the shore. A further 23 crew were killed. The vessel had misreported her position as between the Bar lightship and Great Orme HeadGreat Orme
The Great Orme is a prominent limestone headland on the north coast of Wales situated in Llandudno. It is referred to as Cyngreawdr Fynydd in a poem by the 12th century poet Gwalchmai ap Meilyr...
, leading to lifeboats from Hoylake
Hoylake
Hoylake is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, on Merseyside, England. It is located at the north western corner of the Wirral Peninsula, near to the town of West Kirby and where the River Dee estuary meets the Irish Sea...
, New Brighton and Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
being launched. Two silver and two bronze medals were awarded by the RNLI
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....
for this rescue.
Pegu - 1939
The 8,183 GRT Henderson Line liner ran aground in the Crosby Channel on 24 December 1939 due to buoy lights being extinguished as a wartime measure. The New BrightonNew Brighton
-Canada:* New Brighton, Calgary, Alberta, a neighborhood* New Brighton , a settlement in British Columbia-United Kingdom:* New Brighton, Merseyside, a seaside resort in Wallasey, England**New Brighton A.F.C., the current football club...
lifeboat rescued her 103 passengers but it proved impossible to refloat Pegu.
Happy Harry - 1950
The schooner Happy Harry was wrecked on 15 September 1950 against Southport PierSouthport Pier
Southport Pier is a Grade II listed structure in Southport, Merseyside, England. At 1,216 yards it is the second longest in Great Britain after Southend Pier...
. She had grounded on Taylor's Bank and her crew were rescued by lifeboat. Happy Harry was refloated and sailed to Southport where she was anchored, but she later dragged her anchor and crashed into the pier. Southport Corporation wanted the ship removed, and she was dragged away from the pier and burnt.