| Summary: | HMS Montagu was a steel British Duncan class battleship built 1901 at Devonport with a crew of 750 (Captain Adder) and armed with 4 x 12in guns, 12 x 6in guns, 6 x 3 pounders, 12 x 12 pounders, 2 x maxim machine guns, and 4 x 18in submerged torpedo tubes. Propelled by 2 x 4 cyl vert inverted trip expansion steam engines, 18,000 horepower, 24 boilers. She was patrolling the entrance of the Bristol Channel on the open side of Lundy and carrying out wireless trials with the Scilly Isles. Visibility was poor and the dense fog and a strong prevailing current drove her off course. Soundings were taken at frequent intervals but she grounded by her bows before any evasive action could be taken. The ship had struck rocks off Shutter Point on the flood and the swell had carried the stern onto the rocks with both propellers being carried away. She lay across the rocks' edge 15' from the cliffs and parallel to the island with a large hole in her starboard bottom, listing to starboard with water above her torpedo nets, in her engine room, boiler room and stokehold. Distress flares and the minute gun were fired, 2 officers rowed ashore and scaled the cliffs to the North Light. An exchange occurred between the keeper and themselves with the officers eventually believing they were on Lundy Island rather than at Hartland Point as at first thought. When news reached the mainland tugs and salvage vessels were sent to the scene along with the battleships Exmouth, Duncan, Dido and Alblemarle. The paymaster, sick men, ledgers and money were taken ashore to Millcombe House. The next day the crew of the Montagu were employed salving ships stores and transferring them to the Duncan and Dido with lifesaving equipment being rigged to the cliffs. It was hoped to flat her in July using a floating crane from Bermuda on the highest tides of the year but it soon became obvious this would not happen. |
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