Aberfeldy (1875) - a general history

Completed March 1875;  Official No. 72642: Code Letters NRVSE.

Owners: 1875 James Groves, McLean & Co, West Hartlepool.

Masters: 1875-76 G Barnes: 1876 Howells: 1877 John Payne: 1878-79 Sandwell.

Bound from Philadelphia for Ipswich with a cargo of 6,000 bushels of Indian corn & a total crew of 21 the Aberfeldy foundered during a hurricane in the North Atlantic in 38.24N/67.00W on 24 February 1879.

New York Times 2 March 1879:

‘THE ABANDONMENT OF THE ABERFELDY-VAINLY FIGHTING A STORM FOR FIVE DAYS. Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1 March, Captain Sandwell & the crew of the S.S. Aberfeldy, of Hartlepool, Great Britain, previously reported abandoned at sea, reached here late last night from Port Medway, Queen’s County. The vessel was on a voyage from Philadelphia for Ipswich, England. The Captain reports that a gale encountered on 20 February increased, the next day, to a hurricane, causing the steam, ship to labour severely. Three boats were washed away with everything movable on the deck. The starboard bunker, hatch tarpaulin was partly washed off & an attempt to cover the hatch for a time was unsuccessful the men being washed away from their work. The master & a 2nd mate were washed overboard, but were washed back again on deck. The latter & one of the crew were disabled. They finally succeeded in getting a spare sail covered over the hatch, but by a great quantity of water coming down through it, & also through the engine-room skylight & stoke, hole gratings, the water began to rise in the engine- room very rapidly, the floor, plates were washed out of place, & at last, about 6am, the fires were extinguished & the engines stopped. ‘We then got the best hawser out from the fore, hold’ the Captain’s story continues, & by binding the accommodation ladder to it & paying it out we made a sea anchor. We also got the next best hawser, with kedge attached, to assist the after, sails in keeping our head to the wind. At 8am the port pump got out of order. We immediately rigged gear in both stoke, holes to bail out with, & continued working in this manner. There were two feet of water in the hold. At 3pm we found the ship would not lay head to sea, & the sea was breaking right over her. She was straining very much & the deck seams opened, which caused leakage. The port lifeboat was stove & work was now rendered very dangerous. We cut away the foremast, at which time the mate was disabled & had to leave the deck. The crew then commenced to jettison cargo & continued to do so until dark. At 6am on 22 February the coal washed out of the bunkers, choking the starboard pump. At midnight there was four feet of water in the hold. The weather was moderating. Sunday 23^rd cut a hole in the bulkhead of the water, tight compartment to get the water through the shaft, tunnel into the ballast, tanks & thus relieve the engine-room. About 4pm succeeded in cutting a hole into the tank, we working all the time in four feet of water. This rendered the master unfit for duty & he was taken from the lazaret almost insensible. At midnight the sea again became stronger. All day we had signals of distress flying for passing ships, but, although two passed they took no notice. The water at midnight was six feet deep in the hold. At 10am on Monday we began to repair the lifeboat & get ready to leave the ship in the evening, all on board being now quite exhausted. About 1.30pm the schooner, OA Memac, was sighted, & it being thought that the steam-ship could not float until midnight she was abandoned.’

The Court of Inquiry found that the vessel met with heavy weather & sprang a leak. The fires were quenched, &, although she was lightened by jettisoning a part of the cargo it was found necessary to abandon her. No lives lost.

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