SS ''Dragonfly'' was a British cargo

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

. She was built by

William Gray & Company William Gray & Company Ltd. was a British shipbuilding company located in West Hartlepool, County Durham, in North East England. Founded in 1863 by John Denton and William Gray as a partnership, it became a private and then a public limited compa ...

West Hartlepool West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland. The former town was originally formed ...

and launched on 23 April 1883. The ship was owned by Galbraith, Pembroke & Co. in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The ship stranded and wrecked in the Netherlands in December 1889. The crew was rescued.

Building

SS ''Dragonfly'' was built by

in 1883. She was made of steel and was assessed at . She was long and had a beam of .

History and fate

The ship was launched on 23 April 1883 and was owned by Galbraith, Pembroke & Co.. In December 1889 she was on a voyage with a cargo of

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

from

Taganrog Taganrog (, ) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don (river), Don River. It is in the Black Sea region. Population: Located at the site of a ...

, Russia to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

, Netherlands under command of captain J. Howling. While approaching her final destination, it was not possible to get a pilot on board. Because of that the ship returned back to the sea. Through dense mist, she was driven ashore at “Pannekoek” in the Nieuwediep, the Netherlands. They let off flares as a distress signal. It was seen by

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

“Hercules” that was in the neighborhood near stranded ship “Karoon”. “Hercules” sailed to the harbor and returned after two hours together with a lifeboat. The rescue operation was difficult due to the weather and darkness, but all 22 crew members were rescued during by two voyages of the lifeboat. The crew was brought at around 3AM (local time) into the “Hercules” and brought ashore. On 9 December the ship floated to

Noorderhaaks Noorderhaaks (), also called ''Razende Bol'' (''Raging sandbank'' in Dutch; in modern Dutch ''Bol'' means sphere, but in this context the old Dutch meaning of sandbank is meant), is an uninhabited Dutch isletZandplaat De Razende Bol voortaan eil ...

during high tide, which was very unfavorable for the ship. During the morning of 10 December at least five boats started unloading cargo of

. The ships stopped during high tide. A Belgian tug and two ships were able to refloat the ship. However, because they sailed in the wrong direction, the ship stranded again. The tugs “Hercules” and “Simson” were not able during the evening to refloat her. The ship sank into the sand with only the chimney still visible. Research revealed that the ship broke and was considered lost. The ship broke into two pieces and sank further into the sand. At low tide the bow and stern surfaced a little. On 11 December a small black painted boat marked “SS Dragonfy” washes ashore on

Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...

. A mast and shutters also washed ashore. On 20 December a public sale took place of the savaged inventory and the wreck with the remaining cargo. The inventory had a revenue of f 1000 and the wreck was bought by L.W.F. Oudenhoven for f 444. In January 1890 “TX 25”, that spent several days investigating the ship, salvaged three

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s and a chain. As the ship was too far under water (12 foot), nothing of the cargo could be salvaged.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dragonfly, SS 1883 ships Ships built in the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in December 1889 Shipwrecks of the Netherlands Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Steamships of the United Kingdom Ships sunk with no fatalities 1889 in the Netherlands