More information : SUCCESS 1853. Throughout the night of September 25/26th, 1853, a severe northerly gale blew and between 0300hrs and 0400hrs the sloop SUCCESS of Dunbar, en route from Newcastle to Pettycur with a cargo of coal, was struck by the gale north of St. Abbs. Unable to run, the master and owner, William Richardson, laid to for several hours and eventually drifted among the broken waters of East Harcar. The crew of three, fearful of being washed overboard, shut themselves in below, expecting to be drowned. As the vessel grounded the sea broke into the cabin. By some means the master and mate clambered upon the rock, leaving a young man drowned. They were seen by William Darling before sunrise but the gale-swept sea was too heavy to attempt a rescue. Nothing could be done until after high water between 0800 and 0900hrs. Then, with the assistance of Thomas Robinson and Thomas Johnson, master and mate of the sloop AID, William Darling's boat was launched over the rocks into Sunderland Hole. Mr Richardson and the ship's mate were brought safely to Longstone, after carrying the corpse of the third drowned member of crew to the highest part of the rock. SUCCESS quickly slid off the rocks into deeper water. (1)
Source (2) is based on source (1), quoting the place of loss as "on the Big Arquers" and the vessel type as a smack..
Big Harcar...on 26th Sept 1853 the sloop SUCCESS was wrecked and one person drowned. (3)
Master: William Richardson (1)(2)
Crew: 3 (1)(2)
Crew Lost: 1 (1)(2)(3)
Owner: William Richardson (1)(2)
Date of Loss Qualifier: A
Additional sources cited in United Kingdom Shipwreck Index:
ADM.Wk.Rtn.1853 p53(699); BOT.Wk.Rtn.1853 Table XIII p108(550) |