The

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 ...

, SS ''Thames'', was built in 1827 by Fletcher's in Limehouse, London, and belonged to the

City of Dublin Steam Packet Company The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company was a shipping line established in 1823. It served cross-channel routes between Britain and Ireland for over a century. For 70 of those years it transported the mail. It was 'wound-up' by a select commit ...

. She was commanded by Captain James Grey and wrecked on the

Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly The Western Rocks () are a group of uninhabited skerries and rocks in the south–western part of the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom, and are renowned for the numerous shipwrecks in the area and the nearby Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly, Bishop ...

early on the morning of 4 January 1841 on her way from Dublin to London.

Wreck

According to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' (1841), the weather was "exceedingly boisterous, with showers of

hail Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...

and

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

." She "shipped a heavy sea, which extinguished her fires." Then, mistaking St Agnes Lighthouse for

Longships Lighthouse Longships Lighthouse is an active 19th-century lighthouse about off the coast of Land's End in Cornwall, England. It is the second lighthouse to be built on Carn Bras, the highest of the Longships, Cornwall, Longships islets which rises above ...

, they ran onto Jacky's Rock, between Rosevear and Crebawethan, at around 5 am. Of the sixty-five passengers and crew, there were only four survivors: a "young lady passenger" named Morris, two female attendants and a seaman. A boat crew from St Agnes set off as soon as the wreck was discovered by locals and rescued the three women. A fourth woman who survived the initial sinking refused to leave with rescuers because she could not find her child. Local

pilots 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 are ...

were unable to offer any further assistance because it was low tide and the pilot boats were aground. By 11 am, ''Thames'' was lost to the sea. The only other survivor was the seaman who had made his way to Rosevear on a piece of

driftwood Driftwood is a wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. It is part of beach wrack. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides ...

. He survived on the exposed island for 24 hours before being discovered by boatmen. A

porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., a locom ...

cask had found its way to the rock from the wreck. The seaman took a drink before emptying it to use as an overnight shelter. Ten bodies were found, including that of the woman who refused to leave her child. The casualties were buried on the island of St Mary's. The figurehead from the ship was salvaged and is now on display at

Tresco Abbey Gardens Tresco Abbey Gardens are located on the island of Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom. The gardens were established by the nineteenth-century proprietor of the islands, Augustus Smith (politician), Augustus S ...

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thames Shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Maritime incidents in January 1841 1827 ships Ships built in Limehouse

Wreck

See also

Citations

References