SS Meriones
Encyclopedia
SS Meriones was a Merchant vessel
Merchant vessel
A merchant vessel is a ship that transports cargo or passengers. The closely related term commercial vessel is defined by the United States Coast Guard as any vessel engaged in commercial trade or that carries passengers for hire...
from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
which became stranded and then Wrecked on Haisbro Sands
Haisborough Sands
Haisborough Sands is a sandbank off the coast of Norfolk, England at Happisburgh. The shoal is long and wide and lies parallel to the North east coast of Norfolk. The shoal is marked to the north-west by north by the Haisbro Light Buoy, North cardinal...
of the Norfolk coast between the 25th and 26 January 1941 during the Second World War.
History
The Meriones was a steam merchant ship which was built in 1922 at the Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Company Ltd., Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She was and 455 feet (138.7 m) long.
Final voyage
The SS Meriones was part of a Convoy of ships heading for the port of HullKingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
to complete her manifesto of cargo before setting sail for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. She had already been part loaded with 1933 tons of general cargo which included cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
, Sodium Nitrate
Sodium nitrate
Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula NaNO3. This salt, also known as Chile saltpeter or Peru saltpeter to distinguish it from ordinary saltpeter, potassium nitrate, is a white solid which is very soluble in water...
, Manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, Tinplate and a large quantity of cable and machinery. There was also two racehorses owned by the Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....
who had recently been appointed the 11th Governor of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. The crew of the SS Meriones numbered 101 for this voyage, many of them being Chinese. In the early hours of the 22 January 1941 the ship became stranded on top of a previously wrecked cargo ship, the on Haisbro Sands
Haisborough Sands
Haisborough Sands is a sandbank off the coast of Norfolk, England at Happisburgh. The shoal is long and wide and lies parallel to the North east coast of Norfolk. The shoal is marked to the north-west by north by the Haisbro Light Buoy, North cardinal...
.
Salvage operation
On the 24 January a request was made to the Coxswain of the CromerCromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
Lifeboat
Cromer lifeboat station
Cromer Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. The station operates two lifeboats - one for inshore work and the other for offshore work....
, Henry Blogg
Henry Blogg
Henry George Blogg GC BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England.Henry Blogg of Cromer is referred to as "the greatest of the lifeboatmen"...
to go to Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
to meet with the Chief Salvage officer to discuses the possibility of savaging the marooned SS Meriones of Haisbro Sands
Haisborough Sands
Haisborough Sands is a sandbank off the coast of Norfolk, England at Happisburgh. The shoal is long and wide and lies parallel to the North east coast of Norfolk. The shoal is marked to the north-west by north by the Haisbro Light Buoy, North cardinal...
. Henry Blogg knew Haisbro Sands better than anyone living and he knew every moment lost went against getting the Meriones off the sands. With this in mind Blogg accompanied the Salvage Officer
Marine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
out to the ship on the salvage tug
Salvage tug
A salvage tug is a specialized type of tugboat which is used to rescue or marine salvage ships which are in distress or in danger of sinking, or which have already sunk or run aground....
Richard Lee Barber to assess the situation. The two men were also joined by the marine superintendent, Captain Glazier, of the China Mutual Steam Navigation Company
Blue Funnel Line
Alfred Holt and Company, marketed as the Blue Funnel Line, was founded by Alfred Holt on 16 January 1866.The main operating subsidiary was the Ocean Steam Ship Company, which owned and operated the majority of the company's vessels....
, who were the owners of the SS Meriones. There was a moderate east-north-east wind blowing with a moderate sea. The sky was overcast and misty and it was very cold. The Richard Lee Barber had salvage pumps aboard as it was reported that the ships number six hold was full of water.
Aircraft attack
As the Richard Lee Barber was approaching Haisbro sands the Meriones came under attack from passing German aircraft. The attacks were eventually driven away by firepower of close-by ships. This had been the latest of several attacks made on the ship by aircraft. At 2:15pm one attack resulted in the injury of one of the steamers gunners. At 4:00pm another attack saw bombs dropped which had fallen very close to the Meriones. In total the German aircraft dropped 23 bombs in three attacks made on the ship.Lifeboat called
At 3:16pm, with the safety of the crew now of deep concern the message for help was sent to the Cromer lifeboat. The Lifeboat H F Bailey was launched at 3:34pm with the second coxswain Lewis Harrison in command. The lifeboat reached the Meriones at around 6:30 pm and went alongside the Richard Lee Barber and her coxswain Henry Blogg rejoined his boat. Blogg then took the marine superintendent aboard the Meriones. The H F Bailey then stood-by.
The rescue
Over the next half an hour the wind increased in severity and there were rough broken seas on the sands where the SS Meriones now lay. After some time the Meriones called the H F Bailey and requested that the crew should abandon ship. By now the crews quarters were awash and the two horse boxes had broken loose. It was now becoming dark and the lifeboat carefully manoeuvred until it was under the leeWindward and leeward
Windward is the direction upwind from the point of reference. Leeward is the direction downwind from the point of reference. The side of a ship that is towards the leeward is its lee side. If the vessel is heeling under the pressure of the wind, this will be the "lower side"...
of the steamer. After several attempts to make fast to the Meriones, the lifeboat was secured to the ship with large ropes. The work of the rescue then began. Half the crew were taken off and placed aboard the naval tug
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
Saint Mullion which was at anchor near-by. The H F Bailey then returned to take off the remaining crewmen. The lifeboat had got a further forty of the crew of the ship when the nine inch and six inch ropes which had been used to secure the lifeboat to the Meriones broke away. The H F Bailey took the rescued men to the tug Richard Lee Barber which had now anchored inside the sands. The lifeboat once again made fast alongside the Meriones. There were now only eight men of the 101 crew left aboard, all officers of the ship. Before leaving the men had one last job to attend to. The Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....
’s race horses which were aboard had to be shot. This was done and the remaining officers boarded the lifeboat. It was now 1:00 am and the H F Bailey was ready to leave the wreck of the Meriones. On board, apart from the crew there were the eight officers, the ship’s doctor, and on stretchers, the injured crewman from the aircraft attack of the previous day. Coxswain Henry Blogg set a course for the deeper waters of Cockle Gat south of Haisbro Sands. The weather was bad with heavy rain mixed with sleet. In the darkness the coxswain was not certain of his position. Heavy seas were running both on shore and on the surrounding sandbanks and Blogg took the decision to anchor until daylight. H F Bailey waited for five and a half hours until daybreak when Blogg was able to fix his position as two miles north of Winterton
Winterton-on-Sea
Winterton-on-Sea is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. As its name suggests, it is situated on the coast some north of the town of Great Yarmouth and east of the city of Norwich.Ordnance Survey . OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East...
Steeple. The lifeboat arrived in Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
at 10:15 am on the 26 January and landed the last 10 rescued men. During the next day the Meriones was bombed by German aircraft and set on fire. Totally gutted she was beyond salvage by the 27th January 1941. The H F Bailey was back home in her shed at 4:15pm on the 30 January.
Position of the wreck of the Meriones today
at a depth of 19 m (62.3 ft). on Haisborough Sands next to the wreck of the SS Monte NevosoSS Monte Nevoso
SS Monte Nevoso was a Merchant vessel which became stranded before becoming a total wreck off the coast of Norfolk, England at Haisbro Sands in between the 14 and 16 October 1932.-History:...
.
19.1 kilometres (11.9 mi) NxNE of Hemsby
Hemsby
Hemsby is a village, civil parish and seaside resort in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some north of the town of Great Yarmouth....
22.3 kilometres (13.9 mi) N of Caister-on-Sea
Caister-on-Sea
Caister-on-Sea, also known colloquially as Caister, is a settlement in Norfolk in the United Kingdom, close to the large town of Great Yarmouth. It is a seaside resort and busy holiday destination on the "Golden Mile", with its main attraction being its sandy "Georgian Beach". It is home to Great...
24.1 kilometres (15 mi) N of Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
Cromer Lifeboat Crew
| The Rescue of the SS MerionesThe Cromer Lifeboats, by Bob Malster & Peter Stibbons,:Poppyland Publishing, ISBN 0 946 148 21 X | ||
|---|---|---|
| H. F. Bailey Cromer Lifeboat H F Bailey ON 694 H F Bailey was the second lifeboat at Cromer in the county of Norfolk to bear the name of H F Bailey. She replaced H F Bailey which had been stationed at Cromer until 1924. In 1936 she became the station's reserve lifeboat and was renamed J B Proudfoot.-Description:The lifeboat was built by J.... |
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| Name | Rank | |
| Henry G Blogg Henry Blogg Henry George Blogg GC BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England.Henry Blogg of Cromer is referred to as "the greatest of the lifeboatmen"... |
Coxswain | .jpg) |
| Lewis Harrison | Second Coxswain | |
| W T Davis | Bowman | |
| H W Davis | Mechanic | |
| W Davis | Assistant Mechanic | |
| Henry “shrimp” Davies Henry Thomas Davies Henry "Shrimp" Thomas Davies BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England. “Shrimp” Davies, as he was affectionately known was one of Cromer Lifeboat's longest serving coxswain. He retired as coxswain in February 1976. He had joined the crew of the Cromer... |
Signaller | .jpg) |
| Edward W ("Boy Primo") Allen | Signaller | |
| J J Davis Jnr | crew | |
| R C Davis | crew | |
| J R Davis | crew | |
| L B Harrison | crew | |
| S Harrison | crew | |
| R Cox | crew | |
| G cox | crew | |
| J J Davis Snr | Stand-by Coxswain | |