Windsor - wreck inquiry

Masters: 1890-94 J Raeburn: 1896 J Williams: 1897-1902 T Vernon: 1903-05 JB Booth: 1907-08 James H Walters.

Windsor left Fremantle, West Australia on 1 February 1908 on a voyage for Hong Kong with a cargo of sandalwood & a total crew of 37 of whom 26 were Chinese. She struck the Half Moon Reef off Pelsart Island, Abrolhos group, in the Indian Ocean of Western Australia breaking her back & was wrecked on 2 February 1908. The chief engineer drowned while trying to swim ashore, while the master & mate were lost when the ship broke in two. Salvage was deemed to be impracticable. Wreckage including her boiler, windlass, propeller & some iron plating remains on the western side of Pelsart Island in about 10 metres of water. Because of Australia’s ‘White Australia Policy’ the Chinese crew were held on the Fremantle steamer Penguin which was anchored outside Geraldton Harbour until they could be taken to Singapore. 3 lives lost. 2 men who were involved in the rescue were also drowned.

The 3^rd officer, John Gallop, related the events:

‘The Windsor struck on the reef on Sunday night, there being at the time a strong SW wind & rough sea. The boats were immediately lowered & everything possible done for the safety of the crew. 11 hands then stood by for daylight, rockets being sent up during the night. The perilous position of the vessel was quickly realised & at 1 o'clock on the following morning the captain sent away the 3rd mate & three of the crew to the shore, the tide & sea being most favorable at the time. We returned at 3pm, a boat load of the Chinese crew having landed in the meantime. Subsequently I semaphored to the first mate, with the result that several futile efforts were made on the part of the crew to get the lifeboat ashore. Eventually the 2nd mate with three of the crew succeeded. We then all proceeded to the island & brought back all available boats; it having been previously arranged that the remainder of the crew should come off 4 at a time. This arrangement was not, however, carried out & after the boats had waited until sundown we deemed it advisable to make for shore again & return in the morning. On Tuesday a strong SW wind was blowing. During the morning the funnel went by the board & in the afternoon the mainmast followed. At 5am on Wednesday the crew on shore put off & returned to the reef but found it impossible to launch a boat s the sea had risen considerably. The steamer’s only remaining life- boat was wrecked on the reef during tho night, the other boats having been broken up by the sea on Sunday night. All communication then being cut off from the ship's side, the chief engineer made an attempt to swim ashore with a line, but although a strong swimmer he failed to gain the reef & was drowned in sight of all on shore. At 11am the Venus arrived from Geraldton with a lifeboat in tow & a crew of fishermen. Throughout that day & the next repeated attempts were made to get a line to the ship. At daylight on Thursday the foremast had gone. The crew returned at sunset to the Venus reporting that the men on the wreck were still alive. A consultation was held & Pilot Gilmour & Captain Davies decided to return to Geraldton for a rocket apparatus. They were met on the way by the Wunda, which reported that the Penguin was then coming. Two of the rescue party employed on the isl& while putting out towards the reef on Thursday night were blown away before the heavy southerly gale & have not since been heard of. Their names are unknown at present & the Venus left at 5pm today to search the islands.’

The chief harbour master held a preliminary enquiry into the casualty:

‘The SS Windsor loaded a full cargo of sandalwood at Fremantle for Hong Kong, &, prior to sailing, underwent a thorough survey by the underwriters' surveyor & the shipwright surveyor & inspector to the Department, & was in every respect seaworthy, being well found & provided with the necessary life-saving appliances, & was efficiently manned on deck & below, carrying Chinese crew & firemen, & sailed from the inner harbour at 3.30pm on Saturday, February 1, 1908. After taking the evidence of Messrs. Charles Matthews, 2nd mate; John Wellington Gallop, 3^rd mate; William Henry Swanson, 2nd engineer; Charles Arthur Robbins, 3rd engineer; Albert Edward Nicholson, apprentice, who was steering at the time the vessel struck; & Thomas Morley, apprentice, on watch at that time, I have to report that, although all records were lost with the ship, everything appears to have gone well until noon Sunday, the 2nd inst., when observations were taken, & the vessel was found to have made a good course, &, being 2 miles to the westward of that steered, proves that up to that time she had not experienced an inshore set. The vessel's position then was lat. 30deg. 5 ½ min S long. 114deg.13 ½ min E., or 73 miles south of the latitude of Wreck Point, on the course laid down, which was N.N.W magnetic; & the master remarked that it was his intention to give the islands (Abrolhos) a 121 miles berth, i.e., to pass that distance to the west of them. At 8pm the master, with the 3rd mate, who was then going on watch, read up the directory as to the Abrolhos reefs & currents, & found same to indicate a current setting to the eastward; & the course was altered half a point to the westward. Again, at 8.30pm, the course was altered a further quarter-point to the westward. The vessel had steered badly from time of leaving Fremantle, experiencing a strong SWerly wind, with a heavy following sea, which, taking her on the port quarter, caused her to gripe to windward (westward), & so requiring a deal of weather helm, the wheel at times being half over to port. At 9.50pm, when the master was on the bridge, alongside of the officer of the watch, something was seen ahead, & in a matter of seconds after the vessel struck, &, as she soon began to show signs of breaking up, the boats were got ready, but those on the port side were smashed soon after striking. On Monday morning no attempt was made to land till about 11 o'clock, after 2 men. from the island were seen on the reef, when the master decided to send a cable to his owners, & despatched the 3rd mate, with 3 hands, in the smaller boat, who succeeded in l&ing, &. with the assistance of 12 Chinese men, who followed in the lifeboat, hauled his boat safely over the reef into smooth water; & proceeded to the settlement on Pelsart Island. The life-boat was then hauled back to the ship, &, on the 3rd mate returning at about 3pm, & semaphoring 'All hands to land, 4 at a time,' to allow him to boat them to the settlement, 4 others landed, including the 2nd mate, &, on arriving at the settlement, the latter took charge of the ship's boat, & the third mate, a dinghy belonging to the island, & both returned to the reef; but, as no one had l&ed, & it was dark, they ceased operations & returned to the settlement. At daylight next morning (Tuesday) they returned to the reef, & found the lifeboat had broken adrift during the night, & was smashed up on the reef thus cutting off communication. Vain endeavours were then made through the day to establish communication by means of floats. At 9am the chief engineer, in a brave attempt to land with a lifeline attached to him, was drowned in the sight of all present. The line having parted, they were unable to haul him back to the ship. The steamer Venusarrived through the day, & at 4pm she was despatched to Geraldton for the rocket apparatus. At dark the rescue party returned to the settlement, &, at daylight next morning (Wednesday), again repaired to the reef, when.it was found that the vessel had parted, & the aft part from about the second forehead bulkhead had broken up; but 7 or 8 of the crew could be seen on the forecastle. The Venus returned to the scene of the wreck in the forenoon, & an unsuccessful attempt was made from the reef to establish communication by means of rockets. The Venus anchored close to the reef & remained all night with the rescue party on board. The next morning (Thursday, the 6th inst.), the Venuswas again dispatched to hurry up the rocket apparatus, leaving 7 of the rescue party on the reef to render assistance: but, on the way over, she was informed ?* by the W&a that the steamer Penguin, with the apparatus, would arrive that afternoon, & she remained outside to pilot her in. The rescue party remained on the reef during Thursday, & at about 5pm, the wind & sea increasing, the men on the vessel rang the bell, & made signs that they intended to jump for it. This they did, & were all (15 in number), with some difficulty & the assistance of the rescue party, safely landed on the reef, when they reported the sad loss of the master & the chief officer who had gone aft for shelter on Tuesday night, when that portion of the wreck broke away & was torn to pieces. 8 of the men rescued were transported to the settlement, & the remaining 8, with the rescue party of 7, remained on the reef all night, & left for the settlement on the Friday morning, from whence they were that afternoon, together with the others of the crew & the rescue party, transported to Geraldton by the Penguin, arriving there at 9.45 p.m. Another lamentable circumstance in connection with this wreck to record is the loss of the 2 men, S. Mann & R. Beyer, who at dusk on Thursday evening, while endeavouring to row a dinghy from the settlement to the reef, with a view to carrying some of the men from there back to the settlement, were (perhaps through the breaking of an oar or rowlock), blown to leeward, & though the boat was subsequently picked up, no trace could be found of the men. As previously reported, the Penguin was buoying in the harbour when the call for the rocket apparatus came to hand (noon the 5th inst.). but she was dispatched to the scene from Fremantle at 3.30 pm, & got away from Rottnest at 5.30pm with the apparatus, but, owing to the strong SW winds (quite a gale) experienced, & the consequent heavy following sea, which caused the engines to race, she was not able to make the island before dark, & the master rightly decided, as he was unable to approach the island till daylight, to proceed to Geraldton & obtain the services of a local man as pilot, & the latest news. This he did, &, after leaving Geraldton at 2am on Friday, picked up the Venus at daylight, who led him inside the reefs to the scene of the wreck, where she anchored at 8am The rocket apparatus was then transported to the reef, when it was found that the only part of the wreck standing was the forepart; &, as no person was visible in the vicinity, the Venus proceeded to the settlement, where the men who had camped on the reef the previous night had just landed, & these, with the rescued & rescuers, were taken by her back to the Penguin, who, as previously stated, transported them to Geraldton, where they were all handsomely treated by the residents. The officers & crew expressed their deep gratitude & appreciation of the treatment they received at the h&s of Mr. Fallowfield & his party, the rescue party, & all concerned. Owing to the sad death of the master, the chief officer & the chief engineer & the loss of the charts & records, material evidence is naturally wanting: but, from the evidence adduced, I find:

(a) That the Windsor left Fremantle on Saturday afternoon, February 1, 1908, for Hong Kong, with a full load of sandal wood, being in every respect sea worthy.

(b) That the vessel, owing to the strong SWerly wind & heavy following sea, which took her on the port quarter, steered very badly, & griped to windward (westward), & that in all probability the helmsman, in endeavouring to check same, gave her too much weather helm, & this, with the inshore current, took her to the eastward of the course set.

(c) That the course set, if made, was fine, & it would have been more prudent, considering the short distance to be saved on a long run, the nature of the islands, being low, with outlying reefs, the state of the weather, & the dark night, to have given this dangerous locality a much wider berth.

(d) That everything possible was done from on shore to save life, & that the actions of the rescue party are deserving of the highest commendation.

(e) That the brave effort of the late chief engineer to establish communication by means of a lifeline attached to him, by which he unfortunately lost his life, should be recognised.’

Rescuers lost February 1908: Beyer, R; Mann, S.

Lives lost February 1908: Jenkins, John W, chief engineer, Egremont; Jones, David William, chief officer, Cardiganshire; Walters, James H, master, Cardiff.

Survivors February 1908: Gallop, John Wellington, 3^rd mate; Matthews, Charles, 2^nd mate (1^st Mate No. 736 Adelaide); Morley, Thomas, apprentice; Nicholson, Albert Edward, apprentice, 15; Robbins, Charles Arthur, 3^rd engineer; Stratham, Robert S, able seaman; Swanson, William Henry, 2^nd engineer (Chief Engineer No. 38718 Newport); Warren, Eric, purser; 26 Chinese crew.

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