The SS ''Mohegan'' was a steamer which sank off the coast of the
Lizard Peninsula
The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...
, Cornwall, on her second voyage. She hit
The Manacles
The Manacles ( kw, Meyn Eglos, meaning ''church stones'') () are a set of treacherous rocks off The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. The rocks are rich in marine wildlife and they are a popular spot for diving due to the many shipwrecks. Tradition ...
on 14 October 1898 with the loss of 106 out of 197 on board.
Design and construction
The ship started life as the ''Cleopatra'', a mixed passenger liner and animal carrier. She was built alongside four others at Earle's Shipbuilding and Engine Company,
Hull, for the Wilson & Furness-Leyland Line. She was rated
A1 at
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gov ...
. She was built for 'safety at sea' and was equipped with eight watertight
bulkheads, failsafe lighting and pumping systems, eight lifeboats capable of carrying 59 passengers each and three
compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
es. She could carry 120 first class passengers, with stalls for 700 cattle.
She did not serve with the Wilson & Furness-Leyland Line, but instead was purchased by the
Atlantic Transport Line
The Atlantic Transport Line was an American passenger shipping line based in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1901 the company was folded into the International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM).
History
The line developed with railroad support as an offsh ...
, which was seeking to replace ships that had been requisitioned as
troop transport
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
s by the
United States government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
for use in the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
. The other four ships acquired in this period were the ''Alexandria'',
''Boadicea'', ''Victoria'' and ''Winifreda'', at a cost of around £140,000 per ship.
As the ''Cleopatra''
She sailed on her maiden voyage from London to New York on 31 July 1898, arriving on 12 August 1898. A number of defects were quickly revealed, including the malfunctioning of the water system that fed the boilers, and a number of serious leaks. The blame was placed on a rushed construction, and the crew struggled to keep the ship operational. The passengers protested to the company about the poor condition of the ship, but also reported "the splendid conduct of the officers and crew." The ''Cleopatra'' returned to London, limited to half-speed the crossing took 21 days. Once she had docked an extensive programme of repairs was undertaken, which took 41 days. She then underwent trials, and was inspected by the
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
. She was pronounced fit to sail, and was duly renamed ''Mohegan''.
As the ''Mohegan''
Bound for New York, ''Mohegan'' sailed from
Tilbury Docks
The Port of Tilbury is a port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for contai ...
at 2:30pm on 13 October 1898, under the command of the 42-year-old Captain Richard Griffith. She carried 57 passengers, 97 crew, seven cattlemen, and 1,286 tons of spirits, beer, and
antimony
Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient time ...
. She arrived off
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
at 7:30 that evening, dropping her
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
. A report on the progress so far from the Assistant Engineer was probably landed at this time. A few minor leaks and electrical failures were reported but otherwise no major problems had been encountered.
''Mohegan'' then reached her maximum speed as she sailed down the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. She kept close to the coast as she passed
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, but took the wrong bearing. This was noticed by some of the officers and crew. They had noticed that the
Eddystone Lighthouse
The Eddystone Lighthouse is a lighthouse that is located on the dangerous Eddystone Rocks, south of Rame Head in Cornwall, England. The rocks are submerged below the surface of the sea and are composed of Precambrian gneiss. View at 1:50000 ...
was too far away and the coast too close. She neared the entrance of
Falmouth Harbour and turned towards the entrance of the
Helford River
The Helford River ( kw, Dowr Mahonyer) is a ria (flooded river valley) in Cornwall, England, fed by small streams into its many creeks. There are seven creeks on the Helford; from west to east these are Ponsontuel Creek, Mawgan Creek, Polpenwit ...
and on down
The Lizard
The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...
coast without slowing from 13 knots. This was noticed by the
Coverack
Coverack ( kw, Porthkovrek, meaning ''cove of the stream'') is a coastal village and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It lies in the parish of St Keverne, on the east side of the Lizard peninsula about south of Falmouth.
Coverack has seve ...
coastguard, which attempted to signal to her with warning rockets. The ''Mohegan'' either was unaware or took no notice, and maintained her course. James Hill, coxswain of the
Porthoustock
Porthoustock ( kw, Porthewstek) is a hamlet near St Keverne in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the east coast of The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula. Aggregates are quarried nearby and Porthoustock beach is dominated by a large concrete stone ...
lifeboat, saw the ship, lights ablaze, heading at full speed towards the Manacle Rocks. With a cry of 'She's coming right in!' he called his crew.
Wrecked on the Manacles
The crew were finally alerted now to the danger, whether by the signals from shore or by the 'old Manacle bell' from the buoy, and the engines were stopped at 6:50 PM, but too late. The ''Mohegan'' ran onto
The Manacles
The Manacles ( kw, Meyn Eglos, meaning ''church stones'') () are a set of treacherous rocks off The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. The rocks are rich in marine wildlife and they are a popular spot for diving due to the many shipwrecks. Tradition ...
, embedding the rudder in the rock and tearing the hull open. The ship first struck Vase Rock and then drifted onto the Maen Varses reef. Dinner was being served at the time, and many of the passengers were initially unaware of the severity of the accident. The engine room was almost immediately flooded to a depth of three feet. The steam gauges broke and the crew rushed to the deck. The ship was plunged into darkness soon afterwards. With the loss of power, the passengers made their way onto the deck, where attempts were made to launch the lifeboats.
Captain Griffith had ordered the fitting of a high second rail inboard of the lifeboats to prevent their being rushed in the event of an emergency, but this now hampered the launching of the boats. Further problems were encountered when the ship listed to
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 Ham ...
then heavily to
starboard
Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front).
Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...
. Only two lifeboats were launched, of which one was virtually swamped and the other capsized. The ship rolled and sank 12 minutes after hitting the rocks, with the loss of 106 lives. Captain Griffith, Assistant Engineer William Kinley and all of the officers went down with the ship. Only her funnel and four masts remained above water. The Porthoustock lifeboat ''Charlotte'' was launched in 30 minutes and rescued most of the survivors from the wreck and the water; 44 people were saved.
Aftermath
Most of the recovered bodies of the drowned were buried in a mass grave in
St Keverne
St Keverne ( kw, Pluw Aghevran (parish), Lannaghevran (village)) is a civil parish and village on The Lizard in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
In addition to the parish, an electoral ward exists called ''St Keverne and Meneage''. This stre ...
churchyard, which was given a memorial stained glass window by the Atlantic Transport Line. Some bodies were sent to London for burial, whilst eight were shipped to New York on the ''Mohegans sister ship ''Menominee''. The Scottish poet
William McGonagall
William Topaz McGonagall (March 1825 – 29 September 1902) was a Scottish poet of Irish descent. He gained notoriety as an extremely bad poet who exhibited no recognition of, or concern for, his peers' opinions of his work.
He wrote about 2 ...
immortalised the tragedy in his poem ''The Wreck of the Steamer "Mohegan"''
Most of the cargo was salvaged, though a diver lost his life in the process. The wreck gradually disintegrated in the following years. The third officer, 30-year-old William Logan Hindmarsh, is buried in the graveyard in Coverack, with an inscription indicating that the boat company paid for his gravestone and interment.
The wreck of the ''Mohegan'', and in the next year the stranding of the
ocean liner
An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships).
Ca ...
SS ''Paris'' on Lowland point, led to the introduction of the
Coverack lifeboat. The remains of the wreck are popular with divers, and artefacts such as crockery and brass portholes are occasionally recovered. A magnificent staircase salvaged from the wreck stands in Coverack youth hostel, at Parc Behan, School Hill, Coverack.
The ship's bell resides at the Bell Inn in Thetford, Norfolk.
Controversy
The sinking was the greatest disaster in the history of the Atlantic Transport Line to date, and occurred in mysterious circumstances, as the ship had steered some distance off course. The Board of Trade enquiry recorded
"that a wrong course – W. by N. – was steered after passing the Eddystone, at 4.17 pm."
The loss of all of the officers in the wreck meant that no explanation could be found for the course, and it was ascribed to human error.
References
External links
Report on the career and sinkingA diver's report on the ''Mohegan''''New York Times'' report of the sinking
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohegan
1898 ships
Ships built on the Humber
Steamships of the United Kingdom
Merchant ships of the United States
Maritime incidents in 1898
Shipwrecks in the English Channel
Cornish shipwrecks
History of Cornwall
Wreck diving sites in the United Kingdom