Steamship – Captain W. Pearson. Cargo COAL. Shipped water and sunk in heavy seas. (LARN, 1924) – 14 miles SSE Anvil Point. Refs. Dictionary of Disaster at Sea: Vol. 1 p303; Lloyd’s Register: 1924-25 No. 89118(H)(supp) & Lloyd’s Casualty Returns: 1924(b) p5.
Hartley – Steamer
THE TIMES 28TH NOVEMBER 1924: WRECK OFF SWANAGE –
STEAMER HARTLEY
WEYMOUTH 27TH 1924
“THE STEAMER HARTLEY (2.147 TONS, A NEW VESSEL OWNED BY THE HARTLEY STEAMSHIP COMPANY, LIMITED AND REGISTERED IN NEWCASTLE) FOUNDERED IN THE GALE OFF ANVIL POINT, SWANAGE, TODAY AND IT IS FEARED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE CREW HAVE BEEN LOST. THE LIGHT CRUISER CALLIOPE, THE WEYMOUTH MOTOR LIFEBOAT, AND WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND TUGS RESPONDED TO THE S.O.S. CALL, BUT THE HARTLEY HAD TO BE ABANDONED BEFORE HELP ARRIVED. THE RESCUE CRAFT SEARCHED FOR SEVEN HOURS IN HEAVY SEAS AND THE LIFEBOAT HAD A SEVERE BUFFETING, WHILE THE ADMIRALTY TUG RESOLVE WAS DAMAGED AND ITS WIRELESS AERIAL WAS CARRIED AWAY. CAPTAIN E C SMITH, OF THE RESOLVE SAID TONIGHT THAT AN EMERGENCY AERIAL HAD ONLY JUST BEEN RIGGED WHEN A MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED FROM AN UNKNOWN VESSEL STATING THAT SHE HAD PICKED UP TWO MEN, BUT FEARED ALL THE OTHERS WERE LOST. THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY STEAMER ALBERTA, WHICH LEFT SOUTHAMPTON AT MIDNIGHT, HAD TO ANCHOR OFF THE NEEDLES UNTIL THIS MORNING WHEN SHE FELL IN WITH THE HARTLEY AND ANOTHER STEAMER, THE MACHAON. THE HARTLEY SANK.
ANOTHER REPORT STATES THAT NEWS WAS RECEIVED AT PORTLAND YESTERDAY AFTERNOON THAT OF THE CREW OF 18 OF THE HARTLEY ONLY TWO HAD BEEN SAVED. WHEN THE HARTLEY FOUNDERED IN MID-CHANNEL AT 1100AM THE CREW TOOK TO THEIR BOAT. THE ALBERTA AND THE MACHAON MANOEUVRED FOR SOME TIME, BUT THE HARTLEY’S LIFEBOAT CAPSIZED AND ONLY TWO OF THE OCCUPANTS COULD BE PICKED UP. THE MACHEON, WITH THE TWO RESCUED MEN ONBOARD PROCEEDED ON HER VOYAGE. AMONG THE DROWNED ARE CAPTAIN WILLIAM PEARSON, STEWARD C WATT, SECOND ENGINEER C CUTHBERT, ALL OF SOUTH SHIELDS, CHIEF ENGINEER C SCOTT, OF TYNEMOUTH, FIRST OFFICER FORSTER OF SUNDERLAND, SECOND OFFICER FOSTER OF JARROW, AND WIRELESS OPERATOR W MACLEOD OF NEWCASTLE.
THE DORSET COAST FELT THE FULL FORCE OF THE GALE, AND AT HIGH TIDE THIS MORNING THE SEAS DID MUCH DAMAGE. BEACH BUNGALOWS AT WEYMOUTH WERE SMASHED AND THE MAIN COAST ROAD WAS BLOCKED BY BEACH DEBRIS, WHICH SWEPT OVER THE SEA WALL. TRAFFIC HAD TO BE DIVERTED AT PORTLAND. SMALL BOATS WERE SMASHED AND A LAUNCH BROKE ADRIFT. A REFRESHMENT BOOTH AT WEYMOUTH WAS SWEPT OFF THE PARADE AND SMASHED TO SPLINTERS, WHILE BOATMAN’S LOCKERS WERE HURLED IN ALL DIRECTIONS. DURING THE NIGHT THERE WAS A TERRIFIC HAILSTORM.”
THE END
Day of Loss: 27
Month of Loss: 11
Year of Loss: 1924
Longitude:
Latitude:
Approximate Depth: