The Halsewell

Yes. That's correct!

The Halsewell was a merchant ship of the East India Line, sailing from Gravesend to Bengal. On board were 242 passengers and crew. Seven of the passengers (including the Captain's relatives) were young women who were to be married to wealthy overseas gentlemen.

On Monday 2nd January, 1786, the ship lay at anchor during a heavy snowstorm off the Isle of Wight, but in the early hours of Tuesday morning a violent storm and mountainous waves forced the crew to cut the cables and the ship was driven down the Channel. Water leaked through the hawse holes where the anchor sits and then into the gun deck and the hold. There were over two metres of water in the bilges and the ship was rolling dangerously.

Off the Devon coast a desperate attempt was made to turn the ship and head for the safety of Portsmouth harbour, but snow and ice weighed heavily on the rigging. The mizzen mast was cut away, then the main mast. The coxswain and four seamen became tangled up in the rigging as it fell overboard and nothing could be done to save them.

During a lull in the storm they managed to turn the ship round, but as they approached the Dorset coast a violent south westerly gale drove the Halsewell close to the shore.

The anchors were lowered to prevent the ship from being driven on to the rocks, but the force of the gale was too powerful for them to grip the seabed.

The cannons were fired as a signal to alert people on land that the ship was about to come ashore, but even their deafening roar was lost in the violence of the storm and the noise of the wind and the waves.

At 2.00 am on Friday 6th January the ship struck broadside on to the cliffs at Seacombe with such force that people sheltering in the cabin were hurled against each other, lanterns were knocked over and the floor was strewn with broken furniture, boxes, musical instruments and papers. One of the officers managed to light some wax candles and persuaded some of the young women to eat oranges to ease their parched throats.

Next >>