Maritime record MWX2257 - Glencora

Propulsion: Aux engine Crew: 2 Date of Loss Qualifier: A Ran ashore on the training bank outside the entrance to Poole Harbour in the dark and fog. She holed herself on a boulder, heeled over and sank. Her crew climbed the mast to get above the waves and lit a signal flare. Local pilots, thinking the signal was for their services and not the lifeboat went out in a motor boat and tried to get alongside, but were nearly swamped by the heavy surf breaking on the bank. Returning to the harbour they informed the lifeboat secretary who also contacted the Harbour Master. His motor launch was made available to tow the lifeboat to the scene, hence saving much time, and on reaching the wreck the hull was now found completely submerged, the two survivors being taken from the rigging with great difficulty. (1)(2) The crew of 2 of the small yacht GLENCORA had a narrow escape. Powered by an auxiliary motor they were coming from Southampton when they ran on to the training bank outside the harbour entrance. The weather was thick and very dark. The boat was holed on a boulder, keeled over and sank. They lit a signal flare and climbed the mast to get out of reach of the waves. Local pilots, thinking the signal was for their services went out in a motor boat and seeing the situation, tried to get alongside to take off the men but after being nearly swamped, were frustrated by the heavy surf breaking over the bank. They returned to the harbour and informed the lifeboat authorities. They also made contact with the Harbour Master (Commander Euman R.N.) and his motor launch was made available to tow the lifeboat to the scene, so saving considerable time. By then the hull of the yacht was submerged and the two men taken off with difficulty.

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> 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.

<3> Farr, Grahame, 1971, Wreck and rescue on the Dorset coast, p125 (Monograph). SWX1056.

<4> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, Shipwreck 986 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 900894 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 15 2023 2:48PM