By Ian Cooper, from his excellent series, ‘Records of a Bygone Age’, first published in the Stronsay Limpet, and republished here with kind permission.
Last month’s article ended in December 1962 with the Stronsay Lifeboat and her crew called to the assistance of the Belgian trawler Prince D Liege, aground and later wrecked on the Corn Holm at Copinsay. When the lifeboat arrived all 13 of the trawler’s crew had reached the safety of Copinsay and, in what was little more than a taxi run, the John Gellatly Hyndman ferried the crew from Copinsay to Kirkwall to assist them on their homeward journey to Belgium.
A much more dangerous rescue was to be carried out by the John Gellatly Hyndman on 16th September 1963, when the 264 ton trawler Aberdeen City with her crew of 13 went aground on Start Point in Sanday, about 14 miles from the lifeboat’s Stronsay station. The lifeboat was able to rescue all 13 of the crew before the trawler became a complete wreck and below is a transcript of an article recording the event published in The Orcadian on Thursday 19th September, 1963:
Stronsay Lifeboat saves Thirteen Men
Aberdeen Trawler on Start Point
In one of their best services so far, Stronsay Lifeboat (Coxswain J. Stout) rescued all thirteen members of the crew of the trawler “Aberdeen City” which grounded on Start Point, Sanday in a westerly gale early on Monday.
Only one man was slightly injured- a deck hand who wrenched his knee when jumping into the lifeboat.
A Hull trawler the “St. Giles”, which was in the vicinity, got a rope aboard the ship, hoping to tow her off, but it snapped as the boats pitched and rolled in the swell.
The rescue of the 13 was carried out in two phases by Stronsay Lifeboat, launched just before 2am on Monday, after the “Aberdeen City” had radioed for help and for the crew to be taken off. She was aground just below Start Point Lighthouse, which is now automatic.
Kirkwall Coastguards arranged for Sanday Lifesaving Company to go to the scene. The shore rescuers’ did a grand job, managing to get a line across the “Aberdeen City”.
The lifeboat took off nine men and conveyed them to Kettletoft, Sanday. The skipper, Mr William Henderson(51) and three others decided to remain on board until daylight to see what shape their ship was in. With the skipper was A. Walker, the mate, the Chief Engineer Stephen Knox, and Harry McElhatton, deckhand.
But later, with all compartments of the ship flooded and a 60° list to port, there seemed little hope of towing the “Aberdeen City” off. It would have been dangerous for the four men to remain and so after daylight the lifeboat took them off and brought them also to Kettletoft.
Second Fisherman John Watson, 9, Seaton Drive, Aberdeen who was slightly injured when he leapt onto the lifeboat, said “All but three of us were below when there was great bump. But there was no panic. Everything was very orderly and we waited for about an hour until the lifeboat arrived”.
Skipper Henderson said :- “It was a dirty, dirty night. My main concern was for the safety of my crew. The “Aberdeen City” is a strong, well built ship. I see no reason why with good salvage work, she might not be saved still.”
Going to Faroe
Second Coxswain John Dennison of the Stronsay Lifeboat said: “The trawler was on her way to Faroe and was dodging about in the westerly gale. She cut too close in and grounded on the Point about 01:30. We managed to get alongside her without any difficulty and took nine of the men off. One hurt his knee coming across. When we returned the second time we found the trawler had lost 20 Tons of her fuel and had developed a 60° list to port. There was a great danger of the ship rolling over.”
Thirty eight-year old Harry McElhatton told “The Orcadian”, “All the lights of the ship went out. The four of us who remained behind stayed on the bridge. She was listing well half over. When the lifeboat came back the second time, the engineer and I came off on the floating raft. Then the skipper and the mate came across the fifteen feet which separated us from the lifeboat. During the time we waited on board, we just laughed and grinned.
Said Alex Walker the mate “ It was good seamanship by the lifeboat Coxswain that took us off” The second engineer, sixty one year old Alan Fraser said: “The lifeboat did a good job.”
Lifeboat Out 12 Hours
Capt. E.H. Clements, Hon. Secretary of the Stronsay Lifeboat reported the lifeboat back at her base at 2pm on Monday, having been out for 12 hours.
On their way to Aberdeen, nine of the survivors arrived in Kirkwall from Sanday on board the “Our Queen” on Monday evening. They were looked after by Mr William Jolly, the local agent of the Ship Wrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Association. They were issued with new clothing and fed, before they set sail on board the “St. Magnus” later that night.
The skipper, mate and chief engineer, however stayed on in Sanday, in the hope that it might be possible to make an effort to save the trawler. Captain Clements was delighted with the Stronsay Lifeboat’s performance.
“ They did a very fine job in rescuing the 13 men – this is the best service we’ve had since the station was re-opened in 1952. It will encourage the crew a lot, especially after so many wild goose chases after Red Flares in the past.”
On Tuesday the “Aberdeen City” was on her side and awash. A salvage expert from Liverpool travelled to Orkney to inspect the ship.
This salvage expert deemed that the trawler could still be saveable but, during an operation to try to refloat her, she turned fully over on her side and was abandoned as a total loss.
The red flares mentioned in the above article had been a particular problem, as the lifeboat had been called out following the sighting of flares on numerous occasions and had found nothing.
Captain Clements, Stronsay Lifeboat Station’s Hon Secretary, commented to
the press
“We have been called out many a time to search for ‘red flares’ – so many of them that I do feel the authorities should do something to put a stop to the frivolous firing of rockets or red flares in coastal areas. The lifeboatmen cannot take it for granted that a ‘red flare’ has been set off by an irresponsible reveller. They must go out and search because someone may be in distress.”
This was brought to a head on 24th January 1964 when the lifeboat was called out on another fruitless search after red flares had been spotted, the third Friday night in a row that flares had been spotted and the lifeboat called into service.
Various theories were put forward, one such being that the flares may have been fired from a trawler looking for lost gear. This idea was discounted, as was a suggestion that they may have been fired to alert fishing boats that a fishery cruiser was in the vicinity.
The most likely explanation was thought to be that these flares were being set off as malicious hoaxes by persons unknown. A joint investigation into these incidents by coastguard and police found no evidence of any wrongdoing but may still have had the desired effect as red flare sightings leading to fruitless searches, while still being reported and acted upon very occasionally, were no longer the persistent problem they once been.
The John Gellatly Hyndman was called into service again on 9th December 1964, this time to the aid of the Aberdeen steam trawler Avondow after she had run aground on the Holm of Boray just south of Gairsay. When the lifeboat arrived a force 6 southwesterly was blowing but, despite strong tides in the area, the vessel and her crew were thought to be in no immediate danger.
The crew were taken off by a local fishing boat and brought to Kirkwall to wait for the next high tide, when it was hoped the Avondow would float clear. A few hours later, the thirteen‑man crew were taken aboard the lifeboat and returned to the scene, where the trawler did indeed refloat herself. Once she was safely afloat, the crew were put back aboard their vessel to continue on their way while the Stronsay Lifeboat returned to her moorings, arriving home at 0603 on the morning of the 10th after 15 hours at sea.
Part 6 next month.