Wooler - wreck report 1899

"WOOLER" (S.S.) 

The Merchant Shipping Act, 1894. 
IN the matter of a formal investigation held at the Guildhall, Westminster, on the 6th day of March, 1899. before G. G. KENNEDY, Esq., assisted by Captain PARFITT, and Captain CABORNE, C.B., into the circumstances attending the foundering of the British s.s. "WOOLER," on the 2nd January, 1899, about 100 miles north-west of Ushant, whereby loss of life ensued. 

Report of Court. 
The Court having carefully inquired into the circumstances attending the above-mentioned shipping casualty, finds for the reasons stated in the Annex hereto, that the cause of the foundering of the vessel, and the consequent loss of life, was that the deck in the well forward was broken in by an abnormally heavy sea, thus admitting large quantities of water into the hold which put the vessel so much by the head that it was impossible to steer her, and a succession of seas continuing to break over her, she suddenly foundered about 5.15 p.m. on the 2nd January, 1899. 

Dated this seventh day of March, 1899. 

GILBERT G. KENNEDY, Judge. We concur in the above Report. WM. PARFITT, W. F. CABORNE, Assessors. 

Annex to the Report. 
This inquiry was held at the Guildhall, Westminster, on the 6th March, 1899, when the Hon. Arthur Russell appeared on behalf of the Board of Trade, whilst Mr. W. J. Crump represented the owners of the "Wooler." 

The "Wooler," official number 98,969, was a British screw steamship, built of steel at West Hartlepool by Messrs. Withy and Company, in 1891. She was schooner-rigged and was fitted with triple-expansion surface condensing engines of 200 N.H.P. Her dimensions were, length, 290 ft.; breadth, 38.15 ft.; depth from top of deck at side amidships to bottom of keel 23.12 ft. Her under deck tonnage was 1,830.39 tons, and her gross tonnage was 2,403.09 tons, and her register tonnage 1,548.29 tons. She was registered at the port of London, and was owned by Mr. William James Young, of 46, Leadenhall Street, London, and others, he having been designated managing owner on the 1st September, 1891. She was a well decked type of ship with a top-gallant forecastle about 30 ft. in length, abaft which was the well 24 ft. long, in which was the hatchway 18 ft. long by 13 ft. wide, with iron coamings 3 ft. 4 ins. in height. Abaft the well was a bridge deck 6 ft. 9 ins. high, extending to the after part of the engine room. This portion of the main deck was of iron and steel, and abaft the engine room there was a raised quarter-deck 4 ft. 6 ins. in height, extending to the cabin accommodation which was at the after end of the vessel and raised a few feet above the quarter-deck. 

The "Wooler" loaded a cargo of 2,792 tons of coal in the docks at Barry, and some bunker coal, which, together with what remained in her bunkers, amounted to 595 tons; this, added to the cargo, gave a total of 3,387 tons on board when her loading was completed. 

She left Barry Docks on Friday, 30th December, 1898, bound for Las Palmas, manned by a crew of 23 hands all told, Mr. Arthur S. Cole (certificate No. 02,431) being the master. Her draft of water on leaving was 20 ft. 9 ins forward, and 20 ft. 11 ins. aft. Almost from the time of leaving she appears to have had strong foul winds and a head sea. She steamed down the Bristol Channel and got some way to the southward on her voyage. On the morning of the 1st January it was blowing a hard S.W. gale with a heavy sea, the ship going head to wind but falling off a point or two both to port and starboard. At 9.30 a.m. of that day a heavy sea broke over the bows, washing one of the seamen off the top-gallant forecastle on to the well-deck which was flooded with water. The chart room was smashed in, the contents being washed out, among which were several lifebelts that were swept on to the well-deck, some being picked up by members of the crew. 

Seas continued to break over the vessel from time to time until 11.30 p.m. of that day, when a very heavy sea broke over the port bow, and fell on to the well deck, which it burst in on the port side of the hatchway carrying with it the port coaming, and washing away some of the hatches. A large quantity of water went down into the hold. The carpenter with some of the crew got planks and tarpaulins with the object of repairing the damage, but it was found impossible to do so. The master turned the vessel round with the intention of running for Falmouth, but it was found that she would not steer, and that she had gone down considerably by the head. The ship came round to the wind again. The next day the boats were ready, and the crew standing by them. The weather continued as bad as ever, the vessel getting deeper and deeper in the water. At 5 p.m., the master ordered all hands on deck, they assembled on the bridge, watching the seas breaking over the well-deck which it was impossible to stand upon; and at 5.30 p.m., another tremendous sea falling on board, the vessel foundered. 

Albert Schatzler, the boatswain, went down with the ship, and on coming to the surface saw one of the lifeboats. floating bottom up, to which he swam, and found there were four others of the crew there, one of whom, the steward, was underneath the boat, and subsequently got out, and with the other four clung to the keel of the boat. Shortly afterwards the steward was washed away and drowned. The other four remained in this state until the following day, when they succeeded in righting the boat, which was stove in and remained full of water. They got into her and found a mast, oars, and a compass. The mast they threw into the sea, and attempted to use the oars. 

The following day, after spending practically two days in this wretched and terrible position, they were rescued by the s.s. "Loch Etive" and taken to Gibraltar, the master of that vessel shewing them every kindness. 

Attached is a schedule shewing the names of the crew who were drowned, and of the four men who were saved, three of whom appeared as witnesses before the Court, but being foreigners with a very imperfect knowledge of English, the Court had great difficulty in obtaining from them a clear description of what took place during the gale, and of the effect it had upon the ship. 

At first the Court, judging from the documents before it, viz., Lloyd's certificate of Loadline dated August, 1891, and the transcript of the ship's register, together with the evidence as to the draft of water when leaving Barry, was disposed to find that the "Wooler" was loaded below the statutory loadline. Mr. Crump, however, remonstrated and asked to be allowed to recall Mr. Blake, the Board of Trade surveyor at Barry, who explained that the statutory deck line from which the freeboard is. measured was fixed by the surveyor not at the top of the deck at side amidships, but somewhat above it. He had also stated that the water in Barry Dock and in the Bristol Channel outside the dock was one-fifth fresh, for which he had allowed one inch more freeboard. 

Had it not been for the fortunate escape of four seamen the "Wooler" would have added one more to the long list of missing ships, the loss of which is not accounted for. 

These were the facts of the case, and on the conclusion of the evidence, Mr. Arthur Russell, on behalf of the Board of Trade, put to the Court the following questions:— 

1. Whether when the vessel left Barry, she was in good and seaworthy condition as regards her hull and equipments; was she provided with the boats and life-saving appliances required by the statute? 

2. Was the vessel then overladen? 

3. Was the hatchway in the well forward fitted with the necessary fore and afters and hatches, and were the hatches put on and properly secured? 

4. Were the other hatchways and all other deck openings properly covered, and were the coverings properly secured? 

5. What was the nature of the casualty the vessel sustained on the night of the 1st or early in the morning of the 2nd January, and was the deck on the port side of the hatchway in the well forward broken? 

6. Was every possible effort made to save the vessel? 

7. What was the cause of the foundering of the vessel, and loss of life? 

8. What was the value of the vessel and for what amount was she insured? 

Mr. W. J. Crump then addressed the Court, on behalf of the owners, and judgment was given as follows: 

1. When the vessel left Barry she was in good and seaworthy condition as regards her hull and equipments; she was provided with the boats and life-saving appliances required by the Statute. 

2. When the vessel left Barry Dock she was drawing 20 ft. 10 ins. mean draft, which, it was stated by the Board of Trade surveyor, would be decreased one inch on her getting into salt water. This would give her a freeboard of 2 ft. 5 1/2 ins., which would be in accordance with the certificate granted by Lloyd's in August, 1891. As her under-deck tonnage was 1,830 tons, and as she had on board a dead-weight cargo of 3,387, tons, the Court is of opinion that this vessel would not have sufficient spring to rise in a heavy sea so as to prevent heavy bodies of water falling on board, as happened in the present instance, seriously damaging the vessel. 

3. The hatchway in the well forward was fitted with the necessary fore and afters and hatches, and the hatches were put on and properly secured. 

4. The other hatchways, and all other deck openings, were properly covered, and the coverings properly secured. 

5. At 11.30 p.m. on the 1st January, whilst the "Wooler" was steaming head to wind and sea, a heavy sea struck her, and, falling on to the well-deck, broke down the iron deck on the port side, carrying with it the port coaming of the hatchway, and making a considerable gap, through which large volumes of water poured into the hold. It was stated that the only support to this hatchway was iron stanchions 22 ft. long by about 3 1/2 ins. diameter, the stanchions having no support throughout that length. 

The Court considers that most probably these stanchions bent under the pressure of the water, the deck yielding in consequence. 

6. Every possible effort was made to save the vessel, but no effort could, under the circumstances, have been effectual. 

7. The cause of the foundering of -the vessel and the consequent loss of life was that the deck in the well forward was broken in by an abnormally heavy sea, thus admitting large quantities f water into the hold, which put the vessel so much by the head that it was impossible to steer her, and a succession of seas continuing to break over her she suddenly foundered about 5.15 p.m. on the 2nd January. 

Four men were rescued by getting on one of the lifeboats that had capsized. They succeeded in' righting it the following day, and on the 4th were picked up by the s.s. "Loch Etive" and taken to Gibraltar. 

8. The vessel in 1891 cost £24,960; the managing owner valued her at the time of her loss at £19,000. She was valued for insurance purposes at £16,000. and was insured at Lloyd's and in the clubs for £14,000, the balance of £2,000 remaining at the owner's risk. 

The freight and stores were uninsured. 

GILBERT G. KENNEDY, Judge. We concur. WM. PARFITT, W. F. CABORNE, Assessors. 
(Issued in London by the Board of Trade on the 21st day of March, 1899.) 

LIST OF CREW. 

Name. Rating. 

Arthur S. Cole Master Drowned 
Frederick Storm First Mate do. 
Edwin J. Butcher Second Mate do. 
Charles Foster Carpenter Saved. 
Ernest Sampson Steward Drowned. 
A. Peterson Cook do. 
A. Schatzler Boatswain Saved. 
K. Peter A.B. Drowned. 
K. Schermer do. do. 
P. Titzke do. do. 
C. Kanig do. Saved. 
R. Oelsme do. Drowned. 
Marian Tomlyanovitch do. Saved. 
Joseph H. W. Fair-weather First Engineer Drowned. 
A. Black Second Engineer do. 
L. Dousd Third Engineer do. 
A. Schlick Donkeyman do. 
C. Randsen Fireman and trimmer do. 
E. Voether do. do. 
C. Wehnert do. do. 
Wm. Goltz do. do. 
Aug. Trasken do. do. 
A. W. Kellon 

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