Wreck of the barque "Spanker"/Llongddrylliad y barc "Spanker"

I transcribed the following account from the "Cymru a'r Mor/Maritime Wales" Number 11, 1987 booklet . It was written by Captain W.E.Williams of Criccieth. I assume the copyright resides with the publishers - Gwynedd Archives and I hope they don't mind me reproducing it. I am sure Capt "Wasi" would not have objected.

The barque Spanker was built in Dumbarton in 1860, gross tonnage 477 tons nett, 452 tons. Port of registry Glasgow, owner and master R. Whitehall. She was on a voyage from Jamaica to Liverpool with a cargo of logwood. According to Lloyd's list the following report was received from Criccieth; - `Feb. 7th 1885, February 7th 1255 p.m. Barque  Spanker of Glasgow 476 tons register, from Jamaica for Liverpool (logwood) struck at Morfa Harlech  last night, and has become a total wreck; seven hands saved by Criccieth lifeboat, four lost including Captain R. Whitehall, steward, boatswain and Harris carpenter, lies in a precarious position.' In the Board of Trade inquiry to investigate the loss it was found that stranding of the Spanker was due to careless and improper navigation, explained by the master and the mate being in ignorance that the Bardsey Light had been changed from a fixed light to a revolving light. The mate Peter Wood was exonerated from blame.

My interest in the loss of the Spanker was aroused when I received a sketch, drawn by the late Mr. Owen Jones, monumental mason, known locally as Owen Jones Pwllheli, and his remarks written on the back of the sketch to the late Mr. Robt Williams, 5 Chapel Terrace, The remarks were written in Welsh of which the following is a translation:

 15 Stanley Road
 Criccieth
 Christmas 1929

Mr Robt Williams

Dear Friend, after being in your company last night and becoming aware that you are the only surviving member of the crew of the Cricciethi Lifeboat, about 43 or 44 years ago, I took it into my head to make a rough sketch of the incident, that is the wreck of the barque `Spanker' on Portmadoc Bar. I received the description from the late Mr David Evans, joiner, some years ago, who also happened to be one of the crew. The picture shows the lifeboat at anchor, which is in the deep, being slackened down stern first to the wreck, which is in the breakers, so that the lifeboat was close enough to rescue some of the crew. Those they failed to rescue were washed overboard during the night.

The Robt Williams mentioned lived in 5 Chapel Terrace, and worked as a builders labourer with the late Mr John Humphreys, Trefaes Criccieth. I remember him well; he was known locally as `Yr hen Galchan' and like one or two others he liked his beer on Saturday afternoon. In those days the elder citizens in Criccieth used to meet on a seat below `Bont Cwrt' by the Medical Hall, when Robt Williams had a few beers he used to recite verses from the Bible. One of his friends was a man called Richard Jones, known locally as Dic Daniel. He had been at sea and sailed in one of the Colonial clippers, I am not sure whether she was the Lightning. I heard him say that one voyage was enough for him in her as they never had any respite as they were continually being called out to trim the sails so as to take advantage of any change of wind. He was probably also in the lifeboat as I saw him bowman at one time. Some time in his career at sea he had met with an accident and had a broken nose which affected his speech and made it difficult for strangers to understand him.

In order to get further news about the wreck I enquired with archives office at Caernarfon and they supplied me with an account of the Criccieth lifeboat going out to the wreck as written in the North Wales Chronicle of the l4th of February 1885. The night was very stormy but there was no hesitation on the part of the lifeboat crew manning lifeboat and going out to the wreck. The lifeboat was manned by coxswain, second coxswain, bow man and 10 rowers, 13 in all. During the winter months a buoy was anchored around 75 yards from the end of the pier and made fast to the buoy was a hawser the other end being made fast to a  baulk of timber about 15 inches square and around 15 feet high situated to the left of the launching slip. There were two lizards of rope attached to a galvanized ring) through which the hawser had been passed and when the lifeboat put to sea these lizards were fastened to the lifeboat, one at the bow and the other at the stern. This enabled the crew to pull the lifeboat out to the buoy and when the sails were set the lizards were cast off.

According to the report the crew were anxious to answer the distress call and did not waste time to get any provisions with the result that' when they were out all night they suffered hardships. Nowadays the lifeboat has stores so that the crew can have food and hot drink, but evidently in those days they did not have any stores. Whilst sailing out to the wreck all the lights on the wreck went out, so that the crew had no idea where the wreck was and had to lay to all night to await daylight. There was a heavy sea running at the time and from personal experience, in a sailing lifeboat stationed at Criccieth there is very little shelter for the crew, and with low freeboard spray continually drenching the crew.
The rowers sat two abreast with a life line attached to the thwart with a cork at the other end. These life lines were passed over to each rower but never made fast. The clothes supplied to the crew in those days was a brown oilskin jacket (waist high) with oilskin trousers sou'wester sea boots the life jacket was of cork strapped to the body. The life jacket was a brownish colour and the oilskins yellow.

When morning dawned they were able to distinguish seven of the crew clinging to the rigging on a part of the wreck separated from the main body. The four other members of the crew had been washed overboard and drowned. According to the newspaper report hundreds of people had gathered at Ben Cei outside the lifeboat house end as the lifeboat approached the open beach in the heavy sea, they all had a very worried look on their faces.  They need not have worried as all the crew were very experienced boatmen and the possibility of the lifeboat broaching in the heavy sea was not likely to happen because under those conditions the lifeboat was bound to have the drogue out (sea anchor).

A Dr  Jones, Talarfon, was at the lifeboat house to attend to anybody requiring medical attention, also mentioned at the lifeboat house was a Mr W. Jones,  Golden Eagle, Mr Owen the dentist, Capt Ellis, who lived at 3 Wellington Terrace and a Mr McKae a land surveyor who lived at number 3 Marine Crescent. The survivors were well looked after and a considerable amount of money was collected for them to buy clothing. The paper reported that Mr Greaves of Plas Hen, who was High Sherriff of the County invited them to dinner on Sunday.

There are accounts of a great number of ships wrecked in Tremadoc Bay and Sarn Fadrig (St Patricks Causeway), some like the Spanker were bound for Liverpool, while it is said some were bound for the Bristol Channel and one or two for the English Channel. ..................

Captain Williams writes further on his theory of how ships, in the days of sail, often blundered into Cardigan Bay and came to grief.

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