The Kingstown lifeboat disaster occurred on
Christmas Eve 1895 off Kingstown (now
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.
The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...
),
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, when the Kingstown
lifeboat
Lifeboat may refer to:
Rescue vessels
* Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape
* Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues
* Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen
...
was
capsize
Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...
d while attempting to rescue the crew of the stricken SS ''Palme''. The crew of fifteen were lost. The event is commemorated annually at Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
The ''Palme''
The ''Palme'', a 1,114 ton
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, b ...
, was owned by the Eriksson family of
Mariehamn,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, then part of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. She sailed under the
Russian flag
The national flag of Russia (russian: Флаг России, Flag Rossii), also known as the ''State Flag of the Russian Federation'' (russian: Государственный флаг Российской Федерации, Gosudarstvenny fla ...
of horizontal white, blue, and red. On 18 December she set sail from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
bound for
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
to import
hardwood. She was commanded by Captain Wiren. He was accompanied by his wife and child. There was a crew of seventeen, three of whom spoke English.
Weather
A storm described as "the most severe of the century" developed. The ''Palme'' tried to seek shelter in
Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay ( ga, Cuan Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north–south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dub ...
, but was driven southeast. It was mid-winter and extremely cold. The sea was so heavy that waves were crashing over the lighthouse at the end of the East Pier of Dún Laoghaire.
On Tuesday 24 December the ''Palme'' was seen dragging her anchor off
Merrion strand. The ''Palme'' was in danger of being smashed on the rocks. She fired
distress rockets
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
.
The disaster
A new lifeboat, ''Civil Service Number One'' had recently been delivered to Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire). Under Coxswain Alexander Williams it went to assist the ''Palme''. As she approached the Palme, the crew lowered the sails and rowed. Then, in full public view, the lifeboat was raised by a mighty wave and then capsized. Some of the lifeboat crew managed to climb onto the upturned hull. The crew of the ''Palme'' then tried to launch their
longboat
A longboat is a type of ship's boat that was in use from ''circa'' 1500 or before. Though the Royal Navy replaced longboats with launches from 1780, examples can be found in merchant ships after that date. The longboat was usually the largest boa ...
, in the hope of rescuing their rescuers. This longboat was smashed by the waves. The older lifeboat ''Hannah Pickard'', under Coxswain Horner, then went to sea. She was also capsized but righted herself and her crew all got back on board. She was driven ashore at Vance's Harbour,
Blackrock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with trill ...
. The
Poolbeg
Poolbeg () is an artificial peninsula extending from Ringsend, Dublin, into Dublin Bay.
History
The Poolbeg peninsula was built between the mid 18th century and the present day, starting with the Ballast Office Wall, the first section of the ...
lifeboat, under Coxswain Captain Dalton, was also launched. She found conditions 'impossible' and had to turn back. Two tugs, ''Flying Sprite'' and ''Flying Swallow'' also tried and failed. All hope of rescuing the ''Palme'' was now abandoned. On
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
, 25 December, crowds watched and prayed as the ''Palme'' was being broken by the gales. There was widespread public and press interest.
Rescue
On
St. Stephen's Day 26 December, the
Irish Lights
The Commissioners of Irish Lights ( ga, Coimisinéirí Soilse na hÉireann), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacen ...
steamer ''Tearaght'' under Captain McCombie managed to reach the ''Palme'' and rescue all twenty on board. In addition, they rescued the ship's
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
. By then eight bodies of the lifeboatmen had been recovered. In time, all fifteen bodies were found.
Aftermath
The
funeral was the largest seen in Dún Laoghaire.
Flags were
lowered in all
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
an
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
s. All fifteen were
buried together in
Deans Grange Cemetery
Deans Grange Cemetery (; also spelled ''Deansgrange'') is situated in the suburban area of Deansgrange in the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown part of the former County Dublin, Ireland. Since it first opened in 1865, over 150,000 people have been burie ...
. A fund was raised to support their dependents. There were
donation
A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as ...
s from the ship's owners in Finland and from 'the people of Russia'. There is a
plaque
Plaque may refer to:
Commemorations or awards
* Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc.
* Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I
* Pl ...
on the old lifeboat station wall and a granite
memorial. Every year the event is remembered. At noon every Christmas Eve there is a procession along the East Pier, led by a
piper
Piper may refer to:
People
* Piper (given name)
* Piper (surname)
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics
* Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe
* Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe
Television
* Piper Chapman, lea ...
. A short service is then held.
Crew
*Coxswain Alexander Williams, age 35, married with 6 children
*Henry Williams (his father and ex-coxswain), age 60, married with 3 sons (including Alexander)
*John Baker, age 33 married with 3 children.
*John Bartley, aged 45, married with two children.
*Edward Crowe, age 30, married no children.
*Thomas Dunphy, age 31, married 3 children.
*William Dunphy (his brother), age 40 married with 6 children.
*Francis McDonald, his son was born to his widow early in 1896.
*Edward Murphy, age 30, married with 3 children.
*Patrick Power, age 22, single.
*James Ryan, age 24, single.
*George Saunders, age 30, married 1 posthumous son born 8 months after his death.
*Francis Saunders (his brother), age 27, married with 5 children.
*Edward Shannon, age 28, married with 4 children.
*Henry Underhill, age 32 years, married, no children.
References
*
*
*
{{coord, 53.303218, N, 6.121581, W, type:event_region:IE, display=title
Shipwrecks in the Irish Sea
Maritime incidents in Ireland
Maritime incidents in 1895
1895 in Ireland
Dún Laoghaire
Shipwrecks of Ireland
1895 disasters in Ireland