Maritime record MWX1799 - Caermano De Camarinas

`On Sunday am, with a terrific wind from the east, Portland breakwater was at times completely buried in heavy seas and spray. At 4.30am a fine brig brought up off the cove known as Balaclava, in the angle formed by Portland and the short breakwater. The coastguard took their rocket apparatus to the shore, but the brig was too far off, and the surf too high, to help in any way. She dragged her anchors, but at 7.30am rocket lines still fell short. At 8.30am she slipped her anchors and drove ashore. Her crew launched a boat, but it was immediately stove in and they remained aboard. Seven rocket lines were fired and finally one landed between the masts and set part of the rigging on fire. The crew failed to understand the use of the apparatus; one seaman tied the rope around his waist and jumped into the sea and was pulled ashore. Another rocket made communication and the crew were all brought ashore, including a pig [sic]. She broke her back and bilged [paraphrased from (2)]. Departure given as Centenfugas, possibly Cienfuegos in Cuba. Sources (1) and (4) give the vessels name as CAAMANO. Master: Ambrosio Pose Crew: 11.

Additional sources cited in United Kingdom Shipwreck Index: DCE 11 11 1873®

Shipwreck index gives 7/11/1873 as date of loss

The building date for this vessel is an estimate based on an average age at wrecking of twenty years. This average is derived from those vessels wrecked on the Dorset coast whose age at wrecking is known.

<1> Larn, Richard, 1992, United Kingdom shipwreck index, Extracted 23 November 1992 (Index). SWX5030.

<2> Various, Dorset County Chronicle, 13-NOV-1873 (Serial). SWX6464.

<3> Various, Dorset County Chronicle, 20-NOV-1873 (Serial). SWX6464.

<4> Larn, R, and Larn, B, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 1 : Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Section 6, Dorset (AJ) Vol 1 (Monograph). SWX4541.

<5> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, 724 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<6> Cumming, E, The Dorset shipwreck and maritime incident directory, 18 (Monograph). SDO16406.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 901125 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 2 2024 4:02PM