Tales of Shipwrecks and Other Disasters at Sea

by Thomas Bingley

Perilous as is the life of a sailor, boys, during the raging of the storm, or when far at sea in the middle of the trackless ocean, he is still exposed to danger even when his ship rides at anchor in the fancied security of some friendly port. I dare say you have all heard of the loss of the Royal George, one of the first-rate ships in the British navy, which sank off Spithead, fifty-six years ago. The sudden and unexpected event, and the vast number of persons who fell victims, caused the greatest excitement at the time.

I have often heard of the loss of the Royal George, Uncle Thomas, but I never could get any information about it. Will you have the goodness to tell us about it?

With pleasure, boys. The vessel had just returned from a cruise, in which it was found that she leaked more than usual, and as the leakage continued even after she came into harbor, an order was issued by the Admiralty that she should go into dock to repair. After a strict survey, however, by the carpenter and others, it was found that the leak was not more than two feet below the watermark, and supposing it to be occasioned by the rubbing off of the copper sheathing, it was resolved, in order to save time, to lay her down at Spithead, by what is called a parliament heel; that is, by means of ropes attached to the masts, to pull her over so much to one side as to expose the other above water. In the meantime it was discovered that the pipe, which occasionally admitted the water to cleanse and sweeten the ship, was out of order, and that it was necessary to replace it with a new one. As the vessel required to be heeled very much for this purpose, the greater part of the guns were removed from one side to the other; but as she was not expected to heel so much as she did, they neglected to stop the scuppers of the lower decks, so that the water coming in on deck, gradually gained upon them, and the vessel thus for some time stole down imperceptibly.

During this time the greater part of the crew were at dinner; but the carpenters and caulkers continued at their work, and had almost finished it, when a sudden squall took the ship on the raised side, and the lower deck ports to leeward being open, the water rushed in. As soon as the dangerous situation of the vessel was discovered, they beat to arms to right the ship, but in vain: in less than eight minutes she fell flat on one side, filled with water, and the guns, shot, &c., falling from the other side, accelerated her descent. She sunk to the bottom so rapidly that no signal of distress could be made; nor indeed could any assistance have availed if there had, for after her lower ports were fairly in the water, no power on earth could have prevented her from going to the bottom.

At this fatal moment there were nearly twelve hundred persons on board, including about two hundred and fifty women and several children, chiefly belonging to the seamen, who had been permitted to remain on board until the order for sailing arrived. The people who formed the watch upon deck, including their friends, amounting in all to about two hundred and thirty, were mostly saved by the boats, which the ships lying near the Royal George manned and sent to their assistance, with the utmost expedition, when they observed the vessel was sinking. Their assistance was, however, for some time necessarily delayed, as the swell occasioned by the sinking of such a large body produced a temporary whirlpool, which rendered approach impossible; a victualling sloop indeed, which lay alongside the Royal George, was drawn into the vortex, and seven of her crew were drowned. The boats also picked up about seventy more, who rose to the surface after the ship had disappeared, among whom were four lieutenants, eleven women, and the remainder seamen.

Among the officers thus snatched from the brink of eternity, was Lieutenant Durham, who, being officer of the watch, was upon deck at the time when he observed the vessel going down. He had just time to throw off his coat and scramble on the beam, from which he was washed as the ship sunk, and left floating about among men and hammocks. A drowning marine caught him by the waistcoat, and held him so fast, that several times he was drawn under water. It was in vain to reason with a man struggling for life; and conscious of the certainty of neither being saved, if he did not disentangle himself from his burden, he clung with his legs round a hammock, and with one hand unbuttoning his waistcoat and sloping his shoulder, committed it, with the unfortunate marine, to the remorseless deep. He then got to some of the top rigging, where a boat soon afterwards came to him, but he nobly declined the assistance offered, and pointing out to them where Captain Waghorne was in great danger, he desired them to go to his relief: the gallant youth was at length taken up and conveyed in safety to the shore.

The preservation of another young man, named Henry Bishop, was effected in a very extraordinary manner. He was on the lower deck at the time of the fatal accident, and as the vessel filled, the force of the water hurried him, almost insensibly, up the hatchway, when, at the instant, he was met by one of the guns which fell from the middle deck, which striking him on his left hand, broke three of his fingers; in a few seconds, however, he found himself floating on the surface of the water, and was providentially picked up by one of the boats.

Every effort was made by the boats of the fleet to save the crew; but they were able to pick up only Captain Waghorne, a few officers, and about three hundred people. By this dreadful and unlooked-for accident, nearly nine hundred persons lost their lives; among whom was Admiral Kempenfelt, whose flag was then flying on board the Royal George, and whose loss was universally lamented. Besides the Admiral, who was in his cabin writing when the sudden disaster happened, every one who was between the decks perished with her. Captain Waghorne, the Admiral's first captain, was, fortunately, on deck; but his son, who was a lieutenant on board, was drowned.

The water must have been very deep, Uncle Thomas, to cover such a large vessel. But I suppose she lay on her side.

No, Harry, she did not: a great number of persons were saved by climbing on the topsail yards, which remained above water after the vessel reached the bottom. She very soon righted herself, and the tops of her masts were visible so late as 1799; part of her hull even might then be seen at low water.