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Andelana | Official Number
96375 |
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Andelana | Official Number
96375 |
The Andelana was built at Workington in October 1889 by R.Williamson & Son. She was a steel four-masted ship, the first of six Workington four-masted vessels known as the "Six Sisters" (the others were Eusemere, Vortigern, Pendragon Castle, Caradoc and Conishead). She was initially owned by E.F.& W.Roberts, of Liverpool, and was given to the command of Capt.J.Gillis. For her maiden voyage she carried a coal cargo from Barry, South Wales, to Table Bay, South Africa, in 51 days. Her subsequent career took her to the US, Japan and India.
In November 1898 the Andelana sailed from Shanghai after being repaired there following a dismasting on the previous voyage from New York. She arrived in ballast at Port Angeles, Washington, USA, on the 6th January 1899, and anchored at Tacoma, Puget Sound. On the night of the 14th January a sudden squall caused the ballast to shift, and the Andelana capsized and sank with the loss of all nineteen crew.
The New York Times, 15th January 1899, page 1;
" 17 MEN DROWNED IN PORT. British Bark Andelina (sic) sinks at Tacoma, Washington. Little Warning to the Crew. Ship careens and goes down, giving the sailors on board no chance
to escape.
TACOMA, Washington, Jan.14.-The British bark Andelina, 2,345
tons, of Nova Scotia, Capt.G.W.Stailing, sank in 22 fathoms of water in
front of the St.Paul Mill wharf, and the Captain, the mate, and fifteen
of the crew were drowned. The accident occurred during the night.
The vessel came four days ago in ballast from Shanghai. The ballast
had been discharged, and the ship was lying at anchor waiting to be towed
into the dock. Last night a terrific gale raged out in the bay, the wind
blowing thirty-six miles an hour. Two great boom logs were placed beside
the Andelina, one on each side. During the gale between 2 and 4
this morning one of the logs went adrift, causing the ship to careen and
to capsize with very little warning to the crew. The vessel was entirely
without ballast and the hatches were open. All on board were caught like
rats in a trap and had no chance of escape. The ship simply careened over,
the water flowed in the open hatches, and she sank.
At daylight this morning the ship was missed. Where she had been riding,
apparently securely at dusk the night before, there showed but a blank
stretch of water. The wreckage which was strewn about the bay told the
vessel's fate. A large number of the crew were discharged yesterday, or
the loss of life would have been far more appalling. The ship was to commence
taking on a cargo of wheat for Queenstown to-day, and was to receive further
orders. Capt.Stailing lived in Anapolis, N.S., and leaves a widow and three
children. He is well known in this port.
The Andelina left New York May 9 last for Shanghai, carrying
case oil, and arrived there Oct.19. She reached this port less than a week
ago, to load wheat for Eppinger & Co., San Francisco, for export to
England. She was built at Workington, North England, in 1889, and was owned
by E.F.& W.Roberts of Liverpool, and was rated A1 by Lloyd's. Her dimensions
were : Length, 330 feet; beam, 42 feet; depth of hold 24 feet 6 inches;
tonnage, 2,395 net. "
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