Ludovicus - Wrecks at Aldeburgh 1898

Evening Star, Friday, March 25^th, 1898:
ALDEBURGH. A DREADFUL NIGHT. Thursday night will long be remembered at Aldeburgh, both by those on land as well at sea. A heavy sea got up with the gale, and great havoc was wrought along the coast… soon after daylight the news arrived that help was wanted, a vessel being in distress off East Lane, south of Orford Haven.
Rockets were at once discharged over the town to call a crew for the lifeboat Aldeburgh. These having arrived, no time was lost in getting into oilskins and cork belts. Coxswain Cable was in charge, supported by second coxswain Mann, and the crew was composed as follows:—Latchtway, W. Fuller, K. Thorpe, H. Gooding, E. Burrell, H. Pearce, A. Easter, A. Wilson, J. Peade, J. Chatten, J. Green, D. Mann, J. Fisher, and another. Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting the boat off, owing to the on shore wind, and the low state of the tide. One hundred men were dragging on to the hauling-off line, and Cable set his mizzen and foresail. Their efforts were at last rewarded, the gallant boat bounding off into the tremendous sea, with the crew clinging on to the man-ropes. Eager eyes from the shore watched the boat's progress until ahe was lost to vit'w round Orfordness.

Our Harwich correspondent writes: “At nine o’clock this morning, in the face of a blinding snowstorm, the Aldeburgh lifeboat landed at Harwich three men, the crew the ketch Ludovicus, of West Hartlepool, which they had taken from that vessel at eight o’clock. The men’s names are Captain Bement, Frederick Brown (mate), and Charles Grylls (A.B.).
In interviewing Captain Bement, he stated his vessel was on a voyage from West Hartlepool to Orford with coal, and left Hartlepool on Saturday last. He had a fair passage, until he arrived at Orford Haven at one o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, when he encountered the full force the gale. He put out one anchor, but his vessel was driven by the force of the wind to East Lane, Woodbridge Haven, where he hoisted signals of distress, fearing that his vessel would go to pieces. The signals were promptly answered by the Aldeburgh lifeboat, as before stated. On interviewing Coxswain Cable, he stated that on the way to the ketch he had passed through some very bad weather.
The crew of the ketch received every attention at the hands of Mr. W. B. McLearon, agent for the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Society. 

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