Otra - Coxswain Wreck Reports

Otra—Lifeboat Number 2 Charles Ingleby

1912 5 June—At about a ¼ to seven last night, Wednesday, during a dense fog with a rough NE sea running & a moderate NE breeze blowing, the Honorary Secretaries, Mr Alfred Belk & Mr JD Howkins, happened to be walking together on the Town Moor when they saw through the fog a fully rigged vessel which had just then while being towed by the deep sea tug Eddystone of South Shields got ashore on the rocks opposite the end of the Headland sea wall. They at once hurried back to the town, Mr Howkins to telephone from the lighthouse to the Dock Head for tugs to be sent & Mr Belk to arrange for sending a lifeboat. In consultation with the Coxswain & Assistant Coxswain of No. 1 boat & the Assistant Coxswain of No. 2, (the Coxswain being away in the River Tees salmon fishing) it was decided that the quickest was of rendering assistance, as the weather permitted, & if a tug could be secured, would be to launch one of the Middleton boats & have her towed round to the wreck. The Assistant Coxswain of No. 2 boat assembled his crew & at 7.20 had launched his boat. Fortunately one of the North Eastern Railway tugs going to the wreck was just passing the boat-house as the lifeboat was being launched & took her to the wreck which took about half an hour.  When they arrived there they found that eight of the crew had left the vessel in one of her own boats & had been picked up by the deep sea tug Eddystone. The remaining seven men on the vessel shouted for the lifeboat which went alongside. There was some little difficulty about doing this as the seas were breaking along the vessel which was head to land. In getting alongside the gunwale of the starboard bow of the lifeboat was damaged. The men on the vessel, with their cork lifejackets on, were all ready to leave. They threw a rope to the lifeboat & when the lifeboat got alongside the men on the vessel got aboard her by means of a rope ladder which they had let down. The Captain was the last to leave the vessel. The lifeboat was then towed by the NER tug back into the harbour with the seven men they had rescued aboard. The Brigade fired 4 rockets in attempts to reach the vessel but the vessel was beyond their range.

1. Rig, name & port of vessel?—Three masted fully rigged iron ship, Otra, Christiansand

2. Names of Master & Owner?—Master Endre Hefnes

3. Number of persons on board?—15

4. Tonnage & whether vessel loaded, in ballast, how occupied, whither bound?—1199 tons reg. Loaded with pit-props from Libau to West Hartlepool

5. Exact position where casualty occurred?—Rocks at the end of the Headland sea wall

6. Nature of casualty, collision or stranding. Did vessel become total wreck? If not, state what became of her.—Stranding in dense fog. Total wreck.

7. Direction & force of wind?—NE moderate breeze

8. Direction & force of sea?—Rough

9. Condition of weather?—Thick

10. Time when signal was first seen or warning received?—Vessel first seen at 6.45pm

11. Was information received by telephone or telegraph?—No

12. Were the adjacent stations informed of the action being taken by the lifeboat?—No

13. Time of launching lifeboat? State of tide?—7.20pm, high tide

14. Time of reaching wreck?—7.50pm

15. Time of returning ashore?—8.25pm

16. Time of returning lifeboat to boat-house?—8.45pm

17. Number of lives saved by the lifeboat?—Seven

18. Number of lives lost?—None

19. Was service done under sail or oars?—Oars

20. How did the boat behave?—Very well

21. By whose authority was she ordered out?—Honorary Secretary’s after consultation with Coxswains

22. Was any damage done to the boat? Extent of repairs required? Are they in hand?—Gunwale of starboard bow damaged. About 3 feet of new gunwale required at the cost of about £1. Awaiting instructions.

23. Amount, if any, of reward received locally or from elsewhere?—None

24. Will salvage be claimed? State amount if settled.—No

State here the names of the crew of the lifeboat on this occasion & the number of times they have been off in the lifeboat to a wreck.—

Thomas Pounder; Cuthbert Metcalfe; Joseph Tuck; Ben Hood; Richard Coulson; John Hood; John Snowdon; Robert Winspear; Robert Bennison; John Donkin; Shepherd Sotheran; Thomas McDonald & Joseph Hastings.

13 men at 20 shillings each. Signalman 6/-. Telephone Messenger 6/-. Steamboat man (Master of tug) 5/-. £13.17.0

Alfred Belk, Honorary Secretary

Otra—Lifeboat Number 3 Horatio Brand

1912 15 June—On Friday afternoon a party of five salvors was put upon the fully rigged iron vessel Otra which was wrecked on the rocks north of Hartlepool on the 5^th instant. It was intended to attempt to get her off this afternoon, 15 June 1912. During the night the weather got much worse. A strong NE breeze rising & the sea becoming rough & heavy rain falling. At about 5 o’clock this morning, 15 June 1912, the men on the wreck, fearing some mishap, wished to leave but the sea was too high to enable the salvage tug Disperser & a pilot boat, which was in attendance, to approach the vessel. The salvage tug came round to the Harbour to arrange for a lifeboat being sent. Shortly after the salvage tug had left the vessel the vessel put up rocket signals of distress. At 3.25 the Coxswain of No. 3 lifeboat the Horatio Brand called the Honorary Secretary up & informed him of what had taken place. The Honorary Secretary & Coxswain then went together to see the wreck & on returning to the dock had an interview with the master of the salvage tug who informed them that he had been unable to reach the vessel & had come round into the Harbour to arrange for a lifeboat. He was a comparative stranger to the place & he said that he thought all the fishermen had gone to the Tees salmon fishing & he had therefore telegraphed to the Seaton Carew Coastguard Station to ask the Coastguard there to send the Seaton Carew lifeboat to the wreck. The Honorary Secretary, on hearing this, at once instructed the telephone man to telephone to the Seaton Carew Coastguard Station to tell them not to send their lifeboat as the Hartlepool lifeboat was being launched. By this time the wind had veered round to the NNW. The Horatio Brand was launched & towed by a tug boat to the wreck & took off the five men who were waiting ready & anxious to leave & was afterwards towed back into Harbour.

1. Rig, name & port of vessel?—Three masted fully rigged iron ship Otra, Christiansand

2. Names of Master & Owner?—See previous report dated 6 June 1912.

3. Number of persons on board?—Five

4. Tonnage & whether vessel loaded, in ballast, how occupied, whither bound?—See previous report

5. Exact position where casualty occurred?— See previous report

6. Nature of casualty, collision or stranding. Did vessel become total wreck? If not, state what became of her.—

7. Direction & force of wind?—NE & veered to WNW, strong to moderate breeze

8. Direction & force of sea?—Rough

9. Condition of weather?—From rain to fine

10. Time when signal was first seen or warning received?—3am

11. Was information received by telephone or telegraph?—No

12. Were the adjacent stations informed of the action being taken by the lifeboat?—Yes

13. Time of launching lifeboat? State of tide?—4.30am. 1 ½ hours ebb

14. Time of reaching wreck?—5am

15. Time of returning ashore?—5.25am

16. Time of returning lifeboat to boat-house?—5.30am

17. Number of lives saved by the lifeboat?—Five

18. Number of lives lost?—None

19. Was service done under sail or oars?—Oars

20. How did the boat behave?—Very well

21. By whose authority was she ordered out?—Honorary Secretary’s after consultation with Coxswain

22. Was any damage done to the boat? Extent of repairs required? Are they in hand?—Lost stern grapnel & cut away grapnel rope. No damage to boat

23. Amount, if any, of reward received locally or from elsewhere?—None

24. Will salvage be claimed? State amount if settled.—No

State here the names of the crew of the lifeboat on this occasion & the number of times they have been off in the lifeboat to a wreck.—

Thomas W Rowntree; Shepherd Sotheran senior; Robert Hood; James Webster; Ben Hood; William Horsley; Robert Moore; John M Metcalfe; Tom Metcalfe; John Hood; Shepherd Sotheran junior; Frank Horsley & Thomas Rowntree.

13 men at 20/- each. Signalman 6/-. Telephone Messenger 6/-. Steamboat man (Master of tug) 5/-. £13.17.0

Alfred Belk, Honorary Secretary

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