Narratives of Shipwrecks of the Royal Navy; between 1793 and 1849Gilly, William O. S.
History
Narratives of Shipwrecks of the Royal Navy; between 1793 and 1849
Gilly, William O. S.
Great Britain. Royal Navy -- History -- 18th century; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- History -- 19th century; Shipwrecks
At the moment the ship struck, every man was on deck, and there was
such a universal feeling of confidence in the commander, that
notwithstanding their extreme peril, not the slightest confusion
ensued. Captain Baker's first order was to cut away the masts, so as
to lighten the vessel, and perhaps afford means of saving some of the
crew. The order was promptly executed, but unhappily without producing
the desired result, for in a few moments the ship bilged, and the
destruction of the whole crew appeared to be inevitable.
Captain Baker then ordered the cutter to be launched, but they had
scarcely got her over the gangway before she sank. It was a time of
terrible anxiety for both officers and men; for, from the denseness of
the fog, they could not form a conjecture as to their actual
position, whilst the crashing of the masts, the strain of the vessel
upon the rocks, and the roar of the waters, as they swept over the
decks, added to the horrors of the scene.
Captain Baker was as calm and self-possessed as if nothing unusual had
occurred, whilst the eyes of the men were fixed upon him, and they
were ready to obey every command with the same promptitude as when
performing the usual routine of ship's duty.
Fortunately a small rock was discerned through the mist, and as it
seemed to be at no great distance, it presented a means of escape from
the most pressing danger. Without a moment's hesitation, a man of the
name of Lennard sprang forward, and seizing a lead-line, jumped into
the sea; but the current setting directly against him to the
northward, his efforts were unavailing, and with difficulty he was
dragged on board again.
It might be supposed that Lennard's failure would have damped the
spirits of the men, and deterred them from a second attempt. But it
seems to have had a contrary effect, and to have stirred them up to
renewed exertion. A consultation was held as to the next steps to be
taken. The only hope that remained was in the gig, (the jolly-boat
having been washed away,) when Turner, the boatswain, as brave a
fellow as ever breathed, volunteered to make the attempt. He secured a
rope round his body, and was then lowered into the boat. The tackling
was let go, the men gave a cheer, and the boat, with its occupant, was
borne away by the current.
With intense anxiety the men on the wreck watched the progress of
Turner, who had been carried in the boat to within a few feet of the
rock; then the watchers saw it balanced upon the crest of a huge wave,
and the next moment it was dashed to pieces upon the rock; the
boatswain, however, retained his presence of mind; he kept hold of
the rope when dashed out of the boat, and succeeded in scrambling up
the cliff.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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