S/S Knebworth is a steam freighter, collier, official number 142.856, built by Dunlop Bremner & Co, Port Glasgow and launched on November 21st 1919 for R.S. Dalgliesh. The Knebworth left Blyth for Bayonne on January 18th, 1930, with a load of 3,600 tons of coal, her draft was 19 feet 6 inches forward and 19 feet 7 inches aft. he is under the orders of Mr. Joseph Schofield, a man who has twenty years experience at sea and who has been in command of the Knebworth for more than three years. She has a crew of 24 including Mr. Robert Tait, of Newcastle-Tyne, who unfortunately was probably thrown overboard and drowned at the time of the accident.
Nothing to report during the trip to Bayonne, the ship arrived at the bar of the Adour river, around midnight on January 22nd. After the harbor master's visit, he dropped anchor in a safe position at Pointe Saint-Martin in Biarritz to await a pilot. The captain has on board the Admiralty Navigation Directions for the west coast of France, Spain and Portugal. He is aware of the dangerous nature of the coast.
On January 23, the pilot boarded and moved the ship to an anchorage point that he deemed safer, because the tide left little water. On the night of the 24th, a strong breeze shook the ship, which resisted anchoring well. On the 25th the weather improved and the pilot returned on board at 4 p.m. and again moved the Knebworth about 1 ¼ miles N.N.W of the lighthouse. He gives the order to put on steam for his return scheduled for the next day at 1 p.m. On the 26th, the weather was perfect, the pilot had not returned as promised, and no movement towards port could be made until the following afternoon. At 6 p.m. the chief engineer informed the captain that a valve was leaking in the boiler and had to be repaired. The captain asks to wait, but finally consents to the repair under pressure from his chief engineer. The work is undertaken in a careless manner, for the fires have been allowed to be reduced. The joint, however, has not been examined.
On the afternoon of January 27, at 4:00 p.m., the captain asked the chief engineer to keep a good head of steam on the port boiler, adding that he might want steam also on the starboard boiler. , but nothing is done in connection with the leak. The bad weather progressed during the afternoon and, at 7:00 p.m., the captain decided to take his ship out to sea. Steam is rising on the port boiler but the lights on the starboard boiler have not been put on. The winches receiving too little steam are unable to raise the mooring.
The Knebworth is drifting towards land. Life belts are distributed because it is impossible to launch the two canoes as the sea breaks on the rocks. An SOS is sent and at 9 am the next day a lifeline is received on the ship. Eight men are saved in this way. On January 29, the sea calms down a bit and a fishing vessel manages to approach to save the rest of the crew.
No comments:
Post a Comment