Judy Middleton 2003 (revised 2019)
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| copyright © J.Middleton The German schooner Ludwig Reidermann came ashore near Portslade Gas Works in January 1914 |
Background
The 13th
century was a troubled time what with Simon de Montfort’s victory
over Henry III at the Battle of Lewes, and the reversal of fortunes
at Evesham and Kenilworth. Some local magnates took advantage of the
situation by claiming rights and privileges that did not belong to
them. For example, Hugh Bucy claimed the right to all ships wrecked
on his land in the Half-Hundred of Fishersgate. But in 1274 the claim
was found to be false by commissioners appointed especially to
investigate such abuses. The commissioners’ judgement was that all
wrecks of the sea throughout the whole of the Rape belonged to de
Braose.
In 1288, in a similar manner, John de Warenne,
Earl of Surrey, laid claim to all the wrecks of the sea discovered in
the Hundred of Whalesbone. But Preston, and the east part of Hove,
belonged to the Bishop of Chichester, who also pressed his right to
shipwrecks on his land.
The dispute about wrecks was no small matter
because shipwrecks were quite frequent, and on occasions valuable
cargoes were at stake. It is interesting to note that when a
Portuguese merchant vessel foundered off Hove in 1319, and was
therefore technically a wreck of the sea, the inhabitants of Hove did
not bother their heads about rightful ownership, but lost no time in
clambering aboard and making off with the cargo.
By the early
16th
century the situation had changed, and theoretically all wrecks of
the sea belonged to the Lord High Admiral. Obviously he could not be
expected to be aware of every shipwreck around the coasts, and thus
sometimes local gentlemen were appointed to keep an eye open for news
of such wrecks. Then it had to be declared officially.
The first time this was recorded was at Preston in
1565. However, it seemed that ordinary folk did not know to whom a
cargo should rightfully belong. It was noted that ‘two pockets of
feathers forthcoming of wreck of the sea remain in the hands of
Thomas Bishoppe and John Blaker because it does not yet appear to
whom the said pockets should be adjudged’.
By the 1570s the
Crown took a proportion of the value of shipwrecked goods. For
example, in 1572 a piece of wax weighing 3lbs was cast upon Hove
beach and was worth fifteen shillings. Some idea of the value of such
a find can be gauged from the fact that at the time a cottage in Hove
could be rented for two pennies a year. Queen Elizabeth I received
3/9d for
the value of the wax, while the remainder went to John Palmer, the
farmer and landowner nearest to where the find was made.
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| copyright © D. Sharp The ruins of Portslade's Norman Manor House |
By the 1590s rights to a share in a shipwreck’s
cargo had passed to the Lords of the Manor in some places. For
example, in 1590 when Richard Snelling, gentleman, purchased the
Manor of Atlingworth from John Caryll and his wife Mary, he also
acquired the rights to a free fishery plus all the wrecks found at
Brighton, Portslade, East Aldrington, and Seaford. John Rowe, steward
of the manors belonging to Lord Bergavenny from 1597 to 1632,
asserted that all wrecks of the sea from the west hedge of Aldrington
to the ditch of Hove were the property of the Lord of Portslade Manor.
Some Hove men were obliged to appear before a
Vice-Admiralty Court sometime between 1638 and 1640 because they were
charged with ‘taking up the apparel and stripping of certaine men,
which were found by the seaside’. Such courts were held annually
either at Chichester or Brighton.
John Cheynell’s Views
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| copyright © J.Middleton This photograph of St Andrew’s Old Church was taken in 2009. |
Revd Francis Cheynell married Grace Seaman at St Andrew’s Old Church, Hove, in 1644. Their son John Cheynell became
steward of Preston Manor, and he had some interesting views on the
rights to wrecks. It was his opinion that the rights of the Lord of
the Manor to goods from wrecks extended as a far as a man on
horseback could ride in at low tide and reach with a pole.
But Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Pelham, disagreed, and
his officers asserted that Lords of the Manor were only entitled to
goods left high and dry on the beach. However, the same officers had
to admit that if this were law, the Lord of the Manor would receive
nothing because folk would remove the goods long before they became
high and dry.
Meanwhile, Customs officers stated that under the
Rules of Oleron, goods retrieved from wrecks should be kept safe for
a year and a day before they were disposed of.
The debate was caused when a number of hogsheads
containing good new French wine washed up on the beach, allegedly
originating from a Dutch vessel. Cheynell managed to obtain four
hogsheads that fetched up on Lady Shirley’s land, without question.
It was also the case that Cheynell was a relative of the Shirleys as
well. But customs officers placed the remaining barrels under lock
and key. John Cheynell died in 1715.
(The Rules of Oleron were based on ancient laws of
the sea handed down orally, and set in writing c.1266. Article III
stated that in the event of shipwreck, mariners were ‘obliged to
use their best endeavours’ to save as much of the vessel and cargo
as possible. If they did this, the master of the vessel was given the
authority to allow the mariners to take part of the cargo, or its
value, home with them. However, if the mariners made no efforts, then
the master was not obliged to provide for them, but must keep the
goods safe ‘until he knows the owners’ pleasure’.)
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Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove The coastline between Shoreham and Brighthelmstone (Brighton) in 1600 |
Items Found on Hove Beach
1574 - George Colbroke found the mast of a ship worth five shillings. He received half of the value, with the other half being divided between the Queen and the farmer to whom the nearby land belonged.
1576 - Thomas Scrase found a cable from a wreck worth 6/d.
The
Queen received a fourth part of the value.
In
the same year Richard Adames found a piece of timber worth 16d.
1577 - Two ‘pypes’ of wire worth 23/4d
were
recovered, and the Queen’s share came to 5/10d;
there
was also a 12-ft length of timber worth 2/-, and the Queen’s share
was 6d. The
report also identified part of a net but the value of it was not
known; lastly, the chamber of a gun was retrieved – it was worth
12d, and
the Queen’s share was 3d.
1588 - Richard Andres and John Palmer found two barrels of malt worth
5/4d. The
Queen’s share was 16d.
1590 - It was reported that a cannon was washed ashore, but the value of
it was unknown. The men were ordered to clean it up, have it weighed,
and report back. Apparently, they did not bother, and John Palmer
sold the cannon to John Harman of Lewes for a price unknown. But the
men were not let off the hook so easily. The following year it was
stated that the cannon was sold for 40/-, and therefore the Queen’s
share was 10/-.
Also
in 1590 a hogshead of ‘trayne oyle’ was washed ashore, and the
value was put at 20/- or 30/-; the Queen’s share being set at 7/6d.
In
the same years, and possibly at the same time, a 5-ft piece of
‘brassell’ came ashore. It was worth 2/-, and the Queen’s share
was 2d.
1591 - In
this year three barrels were washed up on the beach; they were worth
£3-6-8d,
and the Queen’s share was 16/8d.
There
was also a hull, but it was only worth 4/- and so the Queen received
just twelve pennies.
1595 - A
wreck provided a hogshead of wine worth 40/- and the Queen’s share
was 10/-. There was also a cable and one empty cask worth 22d,
and
even with this small amount of value, the Queen still received her
due, which was five pennies and a half-penny.
1629 - A Mr Payne found a mast on the beach and its value
was put at 10/-. However, there was no mention of the monarch
receiving a share because it was stated that half the value belonged
to the finder and half belonged to the Lord of the Manor.
1630 - William
Pocknell and William Exceter found one mast plus part of another mast
worth 10/8d. The
money was divided in the same way as happened in 1629.
1638 - Three vessels of oil were found, and some other
goods not specified. However, it seems the finders did not benefit
because it was stated that it all belonged to the Lord of the Manor,
by custom.
1639 - Probably,
the precise place where shipwrecked goods were found had some bearing
on who received the value. For example, whereas in 1638 the finder
did not appear to benefit, when John Godward and others found a
capstan valued at 3/4d
they
did receive half the value with the other half going to the Lord of
the Manor.
1706 - It was recorded that casks of French wine were
washed ashore
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Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove Throughout history there have probably been many hundreds of unrecorded shipwrecks off the Hove & Portslade coast, this portion of a Roman amphora was dredged up 4 miles S.S.W. of Shoreham in 1893 and probably came from a sunken Roman galley |
Items Found on Portslade Beach
1679 - On 25 October of this year a barque was cast upon
the shore. The best chain and anchor were seized on behalf of the
Lord of the Manor, and sold. Presumably, the finders shared in the
rest of the booty.
1681 - The mast of a ship, some walnut planks, and some
deal boards were seized on behalf of the Lord of the Manor. No
mention was made of what else was found, nor the names of the
finders.
1686 - The year must have been a stormy one because no
less than three vessels ended up on Portslade beach. One vessel was
an oyster boat, and the best anchor and chain were seized on behalf
of the Lord of the Manor.
A merchant vessel containing 80 casks was also
wrecked in the storm. All the casks were seized on behalf of the Lord
of the Manor. However, the London-based owner of the vessel heard
about the shipwreck, and laid claim to all of them. It was then
stated that by custom, one-third should belong to the Lord of the
Manor who graciously consented to return nearly all the casks, but he
did keep hold of two. The Lord of the Manor also hung onto the anchor
and chain.
In December 1686 there was another shipwreck,
which provided seven hogshead of wine, a half-hogshead of vinegar,
and a half-hogshead of brandy – all of them seized on behalf of the
Lord of the Manor. (A hogshead was a large cask and contained the
equivalent of 52½ imperial gallons, or 63 old wine gallons.)
1690 - Mary,
widow of George, 11th
Lord Abergavenny, and William Westbrook, owners of the Manor of Portslade and Atlingworth, alleged that on 1 March 1690 a wreck laden
with brandy and wine was cast up on the shores of their manor, but
William Blaker took the goods. For his part, Blaker stated that the
wreck had washed up just over the border in Hove, and that he had
purchased parts of the cargo from the Lord of the Manor there.
1702 - A cable was found on the beach.
1706 - Thomas Hannington and Walter Sawyer, both of Southwick, fraudulently took into their custody a hogshead of wine found on Portslade beach, which by rights should have gone to the Lady of the Manor.
1718 - The following items were defined as a wreck of the
sea – one anchor, one cable, 2½ hogshead of brandy.
In the same year another wreck yielded ten beaver
skins.
1724 - A small yawl was wrecked on the beach. (The
definition of a yawl varied; it could be a small boat with four or
six oars belonging to a larger vessel, or a small fishing boat, or a
small sailing boat.)
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Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove The coastline between Shoreham Harbour and Brighthelmstone (Brighton) in 1800 |
Other Shipwrecks
1802 - The
merchant ship Adventure
foundered
off Hove and sank. However, it was by no means a casualty of a storm,
or other mishap, as was discovered after the cutter Swallow
took
charge of the situation, and had the vessel towed ashore. The sinking
was, in fact, an insurance scam. Once the vessel was on the beach, it
was obvious that the ship had been deliberately scuttled, and there
was even an auger still lying next to the largest hole. The ship had
been filled with a bogus cargo, which had then been insured for
£9,000. It appeared that a seaman by the name of Codlin had ordered
the mate to bore three holes in the vessel. In those days
perpetrators of fraud did not escape lightly – Codlin was hanged,
and the owners of the Adventure
were
transported.
1828 - As
a result of a gale in late May, at least four boats were stranded on
local beaches. The Shepherd
went
aground at Hove, and the Malta
was
stuck on Brighton beach. The famous artist John Constable (1776-1837)
hastened to make some sketches. In fact, Constable made several
sketches and paintings of Brighton and Hove beaches with the one at
Hove being of particular interest because it shows a long, shelving
beach, so different from its appearance today.
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Hove Beach by John Constable (Photo Credit: The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge) |
1860 - On 2 June there was a great storm and the shoreline was strewn with wreckage.
The
schooner Mary Ann
ran
ashore on the west side of Shoreham Harbour.
The
Brighton fishing smack William
and Eliza ran
ashore at Southwick.
The
lugger Eliza split
into pieces.
The
coal brig Transit
ran
ashore on the east side of the Chain Pier, and was knocked to pieces
within a few minutes, littering the shore with coal and timber.
The
French brig Atlantique
was
driven ashore opposite the Albion
Hotel, Brighton.
Two other luggers were driven ashore.
Two Brighton fishing boats were damaged.
It is astonishing that there was so little loss of life in such a storm, and in fact the only man to perish was the mate from the Atlantique. The crews of all the other vessels survived.
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Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove "Shipping Off Shoreham" by William J Leathem, showing several rigged ships on a stormy sea. c1850. |
1864 - On 27th September 1864 a burial took place in St Leonard’s churchyard, something which had not occurred for 250 years. The day before, a verdict of accidental death had been recorded on an unnamed sailor who drowned in ‘the canal which runs into Aldrington’. From Whitby, he had been serving on a ship called ‘The Light of The Harem’. The funeral procession went from the Adur Inn (in 2005 renamed The Gather Inn), along the coast road, up Wish Meadow, past Wish Cottage to the church, where over 250 people attended the funeral, taken by Revd F. G. Holbrooke the Vicar of St Nicolas Church Portslade
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| copyright © D. Sharp This anchor, chain and capstan which has suffered badly from erosion is thought to mark the sailor's graves, little of the inscription remains except:- '(unknown ?) in Tribulation' and 'Rejoicing in Hope' (in St Leonard's churchyard, Aldrington) |
1891 - On
11 November there was an exceptionally violent gale. Around noon it
was noised abroad that a schooner had come ashore by Portslade Gas
Works. The Ville
de Napoleon was
stranded around 50 yards off the beach, and the sailors were
frantically signalling for help from the rigging. Fortunately, the
vessel was carrying a light cargo and was thus riding high.
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| copyright © J.Middleton This photograph was taken from an unusual angle. It shows Hove Battery on the left, with the roof of the Coastguard Station visible between it and the hut. |
Messages
were sent to the Coastguard Stations at both Hove and Southwick, and
soon men arrived with rockets and life-saving apparatus. The wind was
so strong that it took a while to gauge the allowance for the rocket
reaching the ship, but at length ‘a line was dropped over the
vessel, and amid the cheers of the crowd the seaman were one by one
landed’. The seaman were chilled to the marrow, and their hands
remained claw-shaped from having to cling to ropes for such a long
time. The men were taken at once to the Adur
Hotel (now
known as the Gather Inn) where
they were made as comfortable as possible. The five-man crew were
French and only knew a few words of English. Their ship was laden
with barley and they were en route from Ponte Labbe near Brest to
Dunkirk when they were blown off course.
Within a couple of hours another vessel was seen
bearing down onto the same place. It was supposed that the men in the
two vessels had spotted the masts of ships anchored in Aldrington
Basin, believing the mouth of the harbour must be adjacent.
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| copyright © J. Middleton The two vessels caught in the storm could probably see the masts of ships moored in Aldrington Basin, and did not realise the entrance to Shoreham Harbour was further away to the west. |
Messages were again sent to the coastguards who
had already hung out their rocket apparatus to dry off, and so there
was a delay in hastening back to aid the second vessel. Upon
arrival, figures were spotted clinging to the rigging while hundreds
of anxious people watched from the beach. A line reached the vessel
safely but unhappily the seamen were by then too weak to save
themselves. The lifeboat was sent for but was too late in arriving
owing to the difficulty of procuring horses to pull it along the
road.
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| copyright ©
Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove "Southwick Harbour View" by J.S. Kinnear in1879. The canal links the Aldrington Basin, Portslade and Southwick to the Shoreham Harbour entrance |
At length one of the seamen let go of the jib-boom, and was washed ashore where he was seized by the people, revived and carried off to the Adur Hotel. The next figure rolled ashore by the waves was a 14-year old boy and desperate attempts were made to revive him too, but without success. The schooner was the John Roberts laden with slates from Porthmadog, Wales, bound for London. Unhappily, the only member of the crew – three men and a boy – to survive the ordeal was the mate, Thomas Hills. The captain, who was also the mate’s uncle, was William Williams, aged 45, from Carnarvon; he left a widow and eleven children – the twelfth child, also called William, drowned with his father. The other seaman who died was John Griffith Thomas aged 17 from Llanwada. All three were buried in the churchyard of St Leonard’s, Aldrington.
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| copyright © D. Sharp The inscription ‘Died by shipwreck off this shore’. Capt William Williams of Carnavon aged 45, his son William Williams aged 14, and John Griffith Thomas of Llanwnda. (sadly the Cross has broken away from the plinth, Thanks to Mr M.Hill for locating this gravestone) |
1901 - A
ship beached off Worthing led to an unexpected bonus for the children
of Hove. The Hove
Echo
(9 March 1901) reported ‘Hove has shared in the general feast of
oranges and lemons, which the sea has been providing in such a lavish
way since the wreck of the ill-starred Indiana
beached
off Worthing on Friday.’ Men and boys waded into the sea up to
their waists to retrieve the fruit. The Log Book of the Portland Road
Schools recorded that attendance was very low because parents were
directing their children to go to the beach and collect the fruit.
In 2000 fishermen off Worthing discovered an anchor, which was believed to have belonged to the Indiana, and it was put on display at Goring beach.
1913 - On 30 January 1013 the lugger Blue-eyed Minnie was all set to go fishing when the wind got up and the captain decided to return to Shoreham Harbour. Daniel Rolf was the owner and he was also the captain. The vessel was manned by six men; she crossed the sand bar safely but ‘shipped a very heavy sea’ from astern that swept three men overboard. The captain’s brother was one of those men, and he managed to climb back into the boat. The other two were James Marchant and Alfred Mitchell, and they clung to the boat. Daniel Rolf rushed to hang onto them, but they were clad in their heavy oil-skins and large sea-boots, and were unable to save themselves. Blue-eyed Minnie then collided with the west pier, and the four survivors clambered out, while the ship foundered.
At the inquest held at Hove Town Hall James Rolf stated ‘I could have saved the boat, but I did not trouble about the boat, and looked after the life.’ He was commended for doing all he could to save the lives of his two ship-mates. On 31 January 1913, the body of James Marchant washed up upon Aldrington beach, around 200 yards west of Langdale Gardens, which is why the inquest was held at Hove Town Hall. James Marchant was aged 45, lived in William Street, Brighton, and his body was identified by his widow.
As well as being a tragedy for the families concerned, the deaths of the breadwinners left the two widows practically destitute. Mrs Marchant’s only source of income was the tiny amount earned by her two sons who worked as errand boys. It is pleasant to record that the public responded generously and £133 was collected to help them. At a meeting at Brighton Town Hall it was decided to pay the widows 10/- a week, and if that course were to be followed, the money would last for two years.
The tragedy also led to the formation of the
Sussex Fishermen’s and Boat-owners’ Protection Society. Alderman
C. Thomas-Stanford, Mayor of Brighton, and Alderman Barnett Marks,
Mayor of Hove, agreed to become the first presidents of the society.
Meanwhile, the situation was grim for the unfortunate Daniel Rolf. The trustees of Shoreham Harbour wanted to charge him a fee for removing the wreck, which was not worth salvaging because the bows were stoved in. Rolf replied that he had no money left with which to pay them. The Blue-eyed Minnie had cost him £200 and now all that she was good for was being broken up to provide fire wood for which he received £2-10s. In fact his situation was so difficult that he wanted a new life in Australia. The authorities decided to award him £10.
1914
Ludwig Reidermann
Ludwig Reidermann
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| copyright © G. Osborne Ludwig Reidermann With thanks to Mr G. Osborne for granting permission for the reproduction of the above photograph from his private collection. |
In early January 1914 the three-masted German schooner Ludwig Reidermann came ashore opposite Portslade Gas Works. The Ludwig Reidermann was from Geestermunde, Prussia, bound for Teignmouth, Devon; she weighed between 500 to 600 tons. However, this was not the first mishap suffered by the vessel in local waters. Apparently, she had been moored in Shoreham Harbour, and in attempting to gain the open seas, she became stuck on a bank instead. The tugboat Stella came to her rescue and towed her out of the harbour and to around a mile offshore where the commander decided to drop anchor for the night.
The
Stella was
a steam / paddle vessel built at South Shields with an iron framework
in 1879, and registered at Shoreham in the same year. The Stella
was
one of the many vessels owned by local ship-owner Robert Horne Penney.
During
the night a strong wind from the south west arose, causing the
Ludwig Reidermann
to
drag her moorings and to drift shore-wards. The second anchor was
dropped to no avail. It was at 5 a.m. that Hove Coastguards observed
flares and rockets sent up by the schooner as a sign of distress. In
a remarkably short space of time – just 20 minutes in fact – Hove
Coastguards, under the command of Chief Officer Rewall, had taken up
their position opposite the Ludwig
Reidermann. The
men had arrived with their rocket apparatus, by which means two men
were rescued by breeches buoy.
The coastguards were more than willing to rescue more men but the rest of the crew refused to abandon ship. The two men brought ashore safely were thought to have suffered slight injuries – one man having hurt his arm when he released the second anchor. They were taken to Portslade Gasworks, where first aid was administered by Police Constables Richardson and Hartley. Indeed, there was certainly no shortage of men anxious to do their bit in aiding shipwrecked mariners because by this time more Hove policemen had arrived, not to mention a contingent of Southwick Coastguards.
An attempt to float off the vessel was made at high tide on Monday with the assistance of Stella, and another tug from Newhaven. Unfortunately, the rope parted and the vessel, which had previously been marooned around 6-ft from the shore, was now driven further up the beach.
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Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove A demonstration exercise of the use of a breeches buoy off Brighton's West Pier in February 1916 |
The coastguards were more than willing to rescue more men but the rest of the crew refused to abandon ship. The two men brought ashore safely were thought to have suffered slight injuries – one man having hurt his arm when he released the second anchor. They were taken to Portslade Gasworks, where first aid was administered by Police Constables Richardson and Hartley. Indeed, there was certainly no shortage of men anxious to do their bit in aiding shipwrecked mariners because by this time more Hove policemen had arrived, not to mention a contingent of Southwick Coastguards.
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| copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove |
An attempt to float off the vessel was made at high tide on Monday with the assistance of Stella, and another tug from Newhaven. Unfortunately, the rope parted and the vessel, which had previously been marooned around 6-ft from the shore, was now driven further up the beach.
The sight of the German schooner stranded on the
seashore soon attracted a crowd of interested spectators.
Photographers also hurried to the scene armed with their cameras, and
at least six postcard views taken from different angles were produced
for the public to buy as souvenirs. In some shots it was possible to
see the small propeller at the stern because although she was a
sailing ship, the propeller driven by a motor engine acted as an
auxiliary source of power.
Further
attempts were made on successive high tides but the vessel remained
resolutely ashore. At last on Friday 9 January the tug Alert
arrived
from Newhaven – she was a powerful screw-driven boat – and at 9.
50 a.m. Alert
managed
to pull the Ludwig
Reindermann off
the beach and tow her safely to Newhaven Harbour.
SS Miown
The SS Miown was bound for Bristol from London carrying a cargo of cement under the command of Captain Walter Jones with a seven-man crew, when she ran into trouble off Shoreham on 14 February 1914. A storm and heavy seas had damaged the ship’s hatches, and she was trying to seek shelter in Shoreham Harbour. Events moved so swiftly that there was no time to send up distress flares. The ship’s lights – green and white – had been observed between 2 a. m. and 3 a. m. by the men on duty at Southwick Coastguard Station. When the green light disappeared, but the white light remained, it was assumed the ship had dropped anchor, since there were no distress signals.
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Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove The Brighton Lifeboat in 1916, Shoreham's Lifeboat would have been identical in its design and crew's equipment in the above photograph. |
It
was a heroic action, and souvenir postcards of the three men with the
Florence
were
soon on sale to an admiring public. The RNLI presented John Short
with a magnificent certificate of appreciation headed by the title
‘Preservation of Life from Shipwreck’ in swirling Gothic script.
Money was raised for the families of the men lost in the shipwreck by
holding two benefit concerts.
A
sad postscript to the tragedy occurred when a body was washed up on
the beach near Portslade Gas Works, and it was thought it probably
came from the Miown.
1929 - The
Sussex Daily News
(7
September 1929) carried a report that it was now a fortnight ago that
the yacht Sea Duck
bound from Le Havre to the Solent came ashore on the beach opposite
Portslade Gas Works. The yacht was keeled over at an angle of 45
degrees, and there was a hole in the seaward side. Mr Muller, the
American skipper, was camped out on the beach with his son,
sheltering under a dingy, and living on stores from the yacht. Mr
Muller wanted to sell the ship’s gear and machinery.
1944 - In late December the Polish ship Chorzow ran aground on the lea shore at the west side of the entrance to Shoreham Harbour. She was a steel-built ship 290-ft in length with 31-ft beam. She was loaded with 1,000 tons of coal from Port Talbot bound for the Power Station. The Admiralty made several attempts to haul her off before finally writing her off as a total loss. The vessel was handed over to Tate’s of Portslade on 3 January 1945 for salvage purposes. But Tate’s had other ideas, and within two weeks they had safely berthed at Shoreham Harbour, and in September 1945 the vessel was certified as sea-worthy.
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Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove The entrance to Shoreham Harbour in 1930 |
1944 - In late December the Polish ship Chorzow ran aground on the lea shore at the west side of the entrance to Shoreham Harbour. She was a steel-built ship 290-ft in length with 31-ft beam. She was loaded with 1,000 tons of coal from Port Talbot bound for the Power Station. The Admiralty made several attempts to haul her off before finally writing her off as a total loss. The vessel was handed over to Tate’s of Portslade on 3 January 1945 for salvage purposes. But Tate’s had other ideas, and within two weeks they had safely berthed at Shoreham Harbour, and in September 1945 the vessel was certified as sea-worthy.
Tate’s
also salvaged the Shell
Brit
bombed while she was berthed at Shell Wharf, as well as the French
minesweeper President
Briand wrecked
on Shoreham beach. (See also Portslade and the Second World War).
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| copyright © J.Middleton A hand coloured early1950s aerial postcard showing the Coastguard Station to the left of the King Alfred |
2001 - In
June it was reported that the trawler Southern
Star, while
fishing for skate and bass off Shoreham ‘caught’ an 18-ft long
anchor in their nets. It was far too heavy for them to lift and so
the salvage vessel Valkyrie
went
out and used two winches to haul the anchor aboard. The anchor was
said to weigh around two tons and was made of hammered steel. It was
believed to be around 200 years old.
Sources
Argus
Brighton
Herald (8
February 1913 / 15 February 1913 / 12 April 1913 / 24 May 1913 / 10
January 1914)
Contemporary Newspapers
Middleton J, Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade
Hove Echo (9
March 1901)
Sussex Archaeological Collections
Sussex Daily
News (7
September 1929)
Copyright © J.Middleton 2019
page layout by D. Sharp.
page layout by D. Sharp.