The Bahama Bank is a

sand bank In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...

across

Ramsey Bay Ramsey Bay ( gv, Baie Rhumsaa) is a large bay and Marine Nature Reserve covering some 94 square kilometres off the northeastern coast of the Isle of Man. It runs for 18 kilometres from the Point of Ayre at the island's northern tip to Maughold He ...

, about off the east coast of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

northeast of

Maughold Head Maughold Head is the easternmost point of the Isle of Man and the closest point in the Isle of Man to England, being from St. Bees Head in Cumbria. Maughold Head lies in the northeast of the island, some from Ramsey, at the southern end o ...

Description

The bank extends from

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

, is 10 miles long and 1 mile broad. In the late 1840s the

Bahama Bank Lightship The Bahama Bank Lightship was a Lightvessel stationed on the Bahama Bank east of Ramsey Bay, Isle of Man. Service life The original Lightvessel was stationed on the bank in 1848, its position being 1.25 nautical miles southeast of the southeast ...

was stationed on its

end, in 11 fathoms, its light visible at the distance of 10 miles. Following the construction of the

Lighthouse the

was decommissioned in 1914 and replaced by a

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of ya ...

. The Bahama Bank was formerly a popular area for fishing within region of the Isle of Man. During the course of the day a strong current setting in from the south, probably from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

, flows across the bank into the

North Channel North Channel may refer to: *North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland) *North Channel (Ontario), body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, Canada *North Channel, Hong Kong *Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the N ...

and thence back into the Atlantic.''The Manx Sun.'' Saturday 16 April 1870 A water sample taken on the bank by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Temple of the

in January 1870 found its

specific gravity Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water (molecule), wa ...

when compared to distilled water, free from air and displaying the same temperature to be: *At 0 degrees Celsius = 1.02721 *At 15 degrees Celsius = 1.02484

Incidents

Brig: ''Scipio''

On Tuesday 23 January 1872 the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

''Scipio'' foundered upon the Bahama Bank whilst on passage from

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle, Cumbria, C ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

with a cargo of coal.''The Mona's Herald.'' Wednesday 24 January 1872 Having departed Whitehaven at 10:00 hrs she struck upon the bank at 18:00 hrs and drove across into deeper water. Whilst running the vessel's pumps, her

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

, being unaware of the seriousness of the situation, continued towards the

Point of Ayre The Point of Ayre ( gv, Kione ny Hayrey)''Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Three. Sheading of Ayre: (Kirk Andreas, Kirk Bride and Kirk Christ Lezayre)'' page 258 ''Kirk Bride'' by George Broderick – Turbingen ...

. Upon further inspection of the hold it was found to be flooded to a depth of approximately and at the same time the ''Scipios steering became un-responsive. The

ordered the

lifeboats Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

to be lowered and the crew, having got into them, landed safely 2 miles west of the

Barque: ''Neophyte''

A similar fate to that of the ''Scipio'' befell the

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, b ...

''Neophyte'' on the evening of Tuesday 3 March 1885.''The Isle of Man Examiner.'' Saturday 7 March 1885 The ''Neophyte'' was a

of . She was built in Nova Scotia in 1882 and was sailing under the command of her

, Capt. Leander Porter with a crew of 14. She had left Mobile, Newfoundland, on 1 September, bound for

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

with a cargo of 3,532 bales cotton. During the course of the passage the ''Neophyte'' encountered severe weather in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

which led to her losing some of her sails, part of her cargo and resulting in one of her

being damaged to the point where it was unseaworthy. The ''Neophyte'' arrived off the

Tuskar Rock, Ireland Tuskar Rock () is a group of rocks topped by a lighthouse off the southeast coast of County Wexford, Ireland. The rocks have probably destroyed more ships than any other Irish coastal feature. One hundred and seventy-six wrecks are listed fo ...

, still experiencing stormy weather and proceeded onwards to Point Lynas on the northern coast of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a Local government in Wales, principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strai ...

in order to embark a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

. When the ''Neophyte'' reached the pilot station no pilot boats were observed, and this led to Capt. Porter deciding to continue inbound to

. As he calculated his course a significant navigational error resulted, and this in turn caused the ''Neophyte'' to take a course to the northwest, away from

and towards the

. The visibility was reported by Capt. Porter as being poor and combined with a heavy sea led him to subsequently state that at no time did he observe the light on the

, with the result being that at approximately 18:15 hrs the ''Neophyte'' struck the Bahama Bank.

Porter backed the top sails in order to try to get the ''Neophyte'' off the bank, but was unsuccessful. Following this he ordered an inspection of the lower part of the vessel which confirmed that the hold was flooding and this, combined with the repeated strikes upon the bank, led Capt. Porter to make the decision to abandon ship for he feared the ''Neophyte'' could be broken in two. Three men, Capt. Porter the Second Officer and a deck hand embarked in the

Captain's gig A gig is a type of boat optimised for speed under oar, but usually also fitted with a sailing rig for appropriate conditions. The type was in use by Deal boatmen in the 18th century. It first occurred as a naval ship's boat after Deal boatbuild ...

, with the other crew members embarking into the remaining longboat. However the gig soon began to take on water and the three men transferred to the longboat in order to make for the shore. During the early hours of the following morning the ''Neophyte'' drifted off the Bahama Bank and was subsequently driven ashore south east of the

. The resulting damage caused her back to be broken and the ship became a wreck. A formal Investigation was held at St. George's Hall,

, on 26 and 27 March 1885, before Thomas Stamford-Raffles, Stipendiary Magistrate, assisted by Captains Parish and Murdoch, Nautical Assessors, into the circumstances attending the stranding of the ''Neophyte''. The Court found the

in default for the loss of this vessel, stating he had utterly failed to make good his course up the channel, and how he failed to notice the numerous and well-known Lighthouses, and their associated signals which were there to guide him, the Court could not comprehend. The Court contented themselves with suspending Captain Porter’s Master’s Certificate for three calendar months. No other members of the crew were found to be culpable. *

Porter would later explain his navigational error as resulting from an error regarding the tides around

Liverpool Bay Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence. Liverpool Bay has historically suffered from redu ...

and the North Wales Coast. He stated that his charts showed a tidal speed of three knots, whereas in practice he'd judged the tidal speed to be approximately 6 knots.

Steam Ship: ''Jumbo''

On 28 July 1888, the colonial ship ''Jumbo'' stranded on the Bahama Bank sustaining material damage. The vessel had recently departed

, Cumberland, bound for

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central Argentine province of Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous city in the country, and is also the most po ...

with a cargo of rails.

Trawler: ''Albatross''

In the early hours of Tuesday 6 November 1894, whilst making passage from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...

, the ''Duke of Clarence'' ran down and sank the steam trawler ''Albatross,'' whilst the ''Albatross'' was engaged trawling on the Bahama Bank resulting in the loss of the lives of five members of the crew of the ''Albatross''.''Mona's Herald.'' Wednesday, 7 November 1894 ''Manx Sun.'' Saturday, 10 November 1894 The ''Albatross,'' under the command of

Edward Shimmin was owned by Robert Knox of

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

. The ''Albatross'' was operating in unison with the ''Lady Loch'', commanded by

William Shimmin ''(Edward Shimmin's brother)'' with the two vessels separated by approximately half a mile, forming part of a fleet of 30 other trawlers fishing in the area of the Bahama Lightship. The ''Albatross'' was reported to have been lit as per the regulations with two lights on her masthead indicating a steam trawler with her nets down - a red, green and white light combined and a white globe light. SS Duke of Clarence

At approximately 01:10 hrs the ''Duke of Clarence'' passed the ''Lady Loch'' and shortly after collided with the ''Albatross'', ramming the ''Albatross''

amidships This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th ...

, resulting in the ''Albatross'' sinking in a matter of minutes. The ''Lady Loch'' hastened to the scene and upon arrival found the ''Duke of Clarence'' stationary with two of her

engaged searching for survivors.

Edward Shimmin had managed to save himself by climbing aboard the ''Duke of Clarence'', two further sailors, Robert Kelly (

second engineer A second engineer or first assistant engineer is a licensed member of the engineering department on a merchant vessel. This title is used for the person on a ship responsible for supervising the daily maintenance and operation of the engine depa ...

) and deck hand Thomas Turner, had managed to take hold of two empty fish boxes and were subsequently picked up by the lifeboats. However five crew members who were below at the time of collision were drowned. Two further vessels joined the search, the ''Manx Queen'' which was en route from

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 202 ...

was subsequently joined by the ''Duke of Clarence's'' sister, the ''Duke of York'', which was making passage from

. The search lasted for three hours following which all vessels went on their respective ways.

Shimmin, Kelly and Turner were landed at Fleetwood and subsequently made their way back to the

via

. As a consequence of the collision the ''Duke of Clarence'' sustained slight damage either side of her bows but was still able to resume her schedule the following night. Those drowned were listed as: Henry Hudson (49), Richard Gregg (52), William Daugherty (50), John Leadbeater (24) and Charles Shimmin (''

Edward Shimmin's son'') (18). A claim for damages in lieu of the loss of the ''Albatross'' was heard at the Admiralty Court in February 1895, the case being heard by

Mr Justice There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, so that judges of ...

Bruce and two Elder Brethren of

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

.''Manx Sun.'' Saturday 2 February 1895''The Mona's Herald.'' Wednesday 6 February 1895 The findings were that the

of the ''Duke of Clarence'' was to blame, citing the inadequate posting of

lookout A lookout or look-out is a person in charge of the observation of hazards. The term originally comes from a naval background, where lookouts would watch for other ships, land, and various dangers. The term has now passed into wider parlance. ...

s and a disregard for the numerous fishing vessels in the area of the fishing grounds. The damages was ascertained by the Registrar of Merchants and Knox received an undisclosed sum. The ''Albatross'' was valued at £2,000 but was insured for the sum of £12,000.''The Manx Sun.'' Saturday 14 June 1895 The following sums were awarded to the families of those crew members lost: The widows of William Daugherty, Henry Hudson and Richard Gregg (the three married crew members) received £300 each. The families of Hudson and Gregg also received £150 each. The (seven) children of Daugherty received £250. The father of John Leadbeater received £250.

Radio Caroline

Following the merger between

Radio Atlanta Radio Atlanta was an offshore commercial station that operated briefly from 12 May 1964 to 2 July 1964 from a ship anchored in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England. The radio broadcasting vessel was owned, at that ...

and

Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...

in July 1964, it was decided that the new venture would broadcast from the two ships which previously served the respective companies. In consequence the former Radio Atlanta ship, the MV ''Mi Amigo'', remained off

Frinton-on-Sea Frinton-on-Sea is a seaside town and (as just Frinton) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district of Essex, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 4,837. In 1931 the parish had a popul ...

whilst the ''Fredericia'', by now renamed MV ''Caroline'', sailed to take up a new position off the

. The MV ''Caroline'' arrived at her new anchorage on the southern tip of the Bahama Bank on 6 July 1964. The station then began to broadcast as

Radio Caroline North Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...

, remaining at the anchorage until 3 March 1968, when ''Caroline'' was boarded and seized before the day's broadcasting began. It was then towed to Amsterdam by a salvage company to secure unpaid bills for servicing by the Dutch tender company Wijsmuller Transport

References

External links

* http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-1748860&fid=2676&c=isle_of_man {{Authority control Shoals of the Isle of Man Landforms of the Irish Sea Fishing areas of the Atlantic Ocean Undersea banks of the Atlantic Ocean